Private business school website built for applications in London: 2026 budget

The verdict in three sentences

For a private undergraduate business school in London, an application-focused website costs 15,000 to 30,000 EUR excluding VAT in 2026. It must reduce reliance on UCAS and education fairs by capturing students and parents directly, with a target cost per application under 80 EUR. Launch should happen three months before the January campaign, by the end of September at the latest, so SEO and paid campaigns have time to ramp up.

Where the admissions website budget goes

A school with 900 students typically enrolls 300 to 350 new students a year, with 4 to 6 applications per enrollment. That means 1,500 to 2,000 qualified applications every cycle. The website becomes the main application engine, provided it is built around programs and the form.

The low end assumes HubSpot is already in place and about ten programs. The high end covers Salesforce Education Cloud, an applicant portal with file tracking and multilingual versions for international admissions.

The levers that lower cost per application

Education fairs still matter, but they are expensive: 3,000 to 8,000 EUR per stand for 40 to 80 contacts, of which only a fraction apply. The website lets you measure every source and shift budget to what converts.

Three details matter a lot. The form must take two minutes on mobile, with documents requested later. An admissions WhatsApp button reassures parents and speeds up replies. Finally, each program page must clearly show career outcomes, real cost and work-study rhythm, because these are the first three questions asked at open days.

Mini case study

Julian, admissions director of a private school in London, spent 32,000 EUR per cycle on fairs for about 190 applications, or 168 EUR each. He invests 24,000 EUR in a new site with 18 program pages, a HubSpot-connected form and an admissions WhatsApp line, then moves 20,000 EUR from fairs to social and Google Ads.

In the first cycle, the site generates 410 organic and 380 paid applications. The 20,000 EUR media budget gives a cost of 53 EUR per paid application. Amortizing the site over three cycles (8,000 EUR per year), the blended cost across channels drops to about 35 EUR per application. With a 20% enrollment rate, the school gains about 100 extra students, far more tuition revenue than the initial investment.

FAQ

What budget for a private business school website?

Budget 15,000 to 30,000 EUR excluding VAT in 2026, depending on the number of programs and the CRM. Maintenance and content production then run 500 to 1,500 EUR per month.

HubSpot or Salesforce Education Cloud?

HubSpot fits up to 2,000 to 3,000 applications a year, with licenses from about 800 EUR per month on Marketing Professional. Salesforce Education Cloud makes sense for multi-campus groups, with integration budgets often above 10,000 EUR.

When should the new site go live?

Ideally by the end of September for a campaign that opens in January. Program pages need 8 to 12 weeks to rank on Google.

Does the site replace UCAS?

No, UCAS remains essential for programs listed on it. The site captures applicants upstream, direct entry and work-study candidates, who often make up 30 to 50% of a private school's intake.

How do we measure cost per application?

By tagging the source of each application in the CRM with UTM parameters and GA4 events. A monthly dashboard compares cost per application and per enrollment for every channel.

Let's scope your project. Share your program list and application volumes: we will price a site between 15,000 and 30,000 EUR, ready before your January campaign. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.