Applications to MBA courses in the UK have risen sharply since lockdown began, with several British schools celebrating record numbers of applications for courses starting this month, according to the Financial Times’ global MBA ranking list.

Business schools not only run the most popular degree programmes on UK campuses, but generate higher returns per student than other academic departments from their postgraduate qualifications. They also attract greater proportions of overseas students, who are more likely to pay full tuition fees for their studies than domestic applicants.

Their bumper enrolment this year will help their parent universities as they invest heavily in online teaching and battle demands for refunds from students upset about being unable to attend campus lectures due to Covid-19.