Southampton Business School is excited to announce that we are entering 3 teams of Postgraduate MSc Students (5 students per team) into the Universities Business Challenge to compete against other leading universities nationally! This will be our fourth year entering into the competition and in previous years our students have performed extremely well, securing places in the finals and securing the trophy in 2023!
Southampton Business School Winners 2023
To apply you must be a current PGT student and complete the application form, instructions are at the bottom of this page.
About
Commencing in January each year and run over two rounds during the same year, the UBC Global Masters offers postgraduates a unique opportunity to develop the skills that they will need when they move on from campus to corporate/public sector life. The UBC Postgraduate Global Masters provides an opportunity for personal and professional development that is intellectually challenging and practically relevant, equipping participants with essential skills. Working in competitive teams enables peer-to-peer learning and interaction.
Each team will be allocated a mentor with business experience to offer support and guidance. You will mostly meet as organised by your team, but there will be occasional meetings organised by USBS where all teams get together and share experiences.
The school covers any associated costs for the competition.
“A major highlight of my master’s studies so far will be the incredible opportunity to have represented the University of Southampton Business School at the University Business Challenge (UBC), leading a team of world-class, multi-talented individuals from different parts of the world.
The UBC Worldwide is an annual competition that provides real-world simulation of business challenges, allowing postgraduate students from hundreds of universities in the UK to apply theoretical knowledge to practical business situations, solving complex business challenges as a Board of Directors while developing employability, enterprise, and leadership skills.
Despite not qualifying to the grand finale, the experience over the past few weeks has been both challenging and rewarding, to say the least – having been pushed to the limits and offering us the opportunity to demonstrate leadership, business acumen, effective communication, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.”Joseph Ugwu
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Please be aware of the key competition dates below. Please put these in your diary as if you are successful you will need to be available:Â
| Date | Time | Activity |
| 11.12.25 | n/a | Applications Open |
| 07.01.26 | 12:00 | Applications Close |
| 15.01.26 | 13:00 – 16:00 | Team Selection Afternoon |
| 19.01.26 | 13:00 – 15:00 | Introduction Session/Meet Your Team |
| 21.01.26 | 13:00 | Trial Trading Period Opens |
| 03.02.26 | 14:00 – 15:00 | Check-in meeting 1 – All teams and Mentors |
| 04.02.26 | 13:00 | Trading Period One (TP1) |
| 19.02.26 | 13:00 – 14:00 | Check-in meeting 2 – All teams and Mentors |
| 03.03.26 | 11:00 – 12:00 | Check-in meeting 3 – All teams and Mentors |
| 10.03.26 | 10:00 | Trading Period Five (TP5) closes |
| 12.02.26 | n/a | Grand-Finalists Announcement |
| TBC | 09:00 – 17:00 | Grand Final Late April / early May 2026 |
Application Instructions – Universities Business Challenge 2025-26
Before You Apply
- Please read full details about the UBC and ensure you can commit the time please click here.
- Completing this form does not guarantee you a place on a UBC team.
- You must upload a short video of yourself as part of your application (details provided in the form).
- We can only offer 15 spaces in total.
- Please note this competition is not open to MBA students.
Selection Process
- Application Submission – Complete the online form and upload your video. Please log in using your soton email.
- Applications close:Â Wednesday 7 January 12 Noon
- Shortlisting – Applications will be reviewed and shortlisted.
- Invitation to Team Selection Afternoon – Selected applicants will be invited to attend an assessment afternoon on Thursday 15 January 2026
- Final Selection – Successful applicants will be allocated to a UBC team. Students will not choose their own teammates.
If you have any queries, please email SBSEmployability@soton.ac.uk