Triple accreditation (also known as the triple crown) refers to a business school being accredited by three international organizations: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in the US, the Association of MBAs (AMBA) in the UK, and EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) in Belgium. [1]
While all three business school accrediting bodies operate globally, most business schools in the US choose to pursue only AACSB accreditation. A total of 129 business schools in the world are triple-accredited as of 2 April 2024 [update] . [2]
Each of the three institutions assesses a business school according to different criteria and scope:
While all three business school accrediting bodies operate globally, most business schools in the US choose to pursue only AACSB accreditation. This preference is influenced by the perception within the US that AACSB accreditation is sufficient. Additionally, the structure of US business schools often does not align with the accreditation standards for AMBA or EQUIS. For example, US business school admissions often do not meet the UK's AMBA requirement that MBA students have a minimum of three years of work experience. [6]
A total of 129 business schools in the world are triple-accredited as of 2 April 2024 [update] . [2]
Eleven business schools have previously held triple accreditation but are not triple-accredited as of 2024:
The Association of MBAs (AMBA) is a global organisation headquartered in London, UK. It was founded in 1967 with the primary objective of accrediting Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs.
The Aalto University School of Business, is the largest business school in Finland. Founded in 1911, it is the second oldest business school in Finland and one of the oldest business schools in the Nordic countries. The school became part of Aalto University on 1 January 2010. It has been previously known as the Helsinki School of Economics, the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, and during 2010–2012 the Aalto University School of Economics.
Nottingham University Business School (NUBS) is the business school of the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom situated on the university's Jubilee Campus, close to Nottingham city centre.
Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM) is a French graduate business school or Grande Ecole, founded in 1984 in Grenoble, in the Auvergne-Rhone Alpes region by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Grenoble.
The EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) is a business school accreditation managed by Brussels based EFMD. It provides accreditation for higher education institutions of management and business administration and is run by the European Foundation for Management Development. It is considered as one of the triple accreditation.
University of Bradford School of Management is an international business school located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1963 and is one of the oldest business schools in the UK, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023. The school is triple accredited by AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS.
IAE Business School is the Management and Business School of the Argentine Austral University. It is located in the suburb of Pilar in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
Audencia Business School is a French grande école and business school located in Nantes, France. The school enrolls 7,800 students from almost 90 countries in bachelors, international masters, specialised masters, MBAs, doctorates and executive education courses.
INCAE Business School is an international business school located at the Walter Kissling Gam campus in Costa Rica. The school was founded with the assistance of professors from Harvard Business School in 1964. Although INCAE is independent, it adheres to the Harvard's case study method.
Henley Business School is a business school which is affiliated with the University of Reading. It was formed by merging the previously independent Henley Management College with the existing business school of the University of Reading. As a result of the merger it now occupies two sites: Greenlands Campus, near the town of Henley-on-Thames, the original site of the Henley Management College, and Whiteknights Campus in Reading.
The University of Exeter Business School is a business school founded by the University of Exeter in 2008, it is located on the university's Streatham Campus within the city of Exeter. The School offers undergraduate BSc and postgraduate degrees in business, economics, marketing, finance, accounting and management programmes. The school offers the Exeter MBA which focuses on sustainability, a dedicated Master in Management programme and specialised MSc degrees, as well as MRes and PhD research programmes. The school possess the Triple Crown Accreditation from AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS.
Kozminski University is a private, nonprofit business school in Warsaw, Poland; according to the Financial Times, it is considered to be "Poland’s highest rated private university". It was established in 1993 and named after Leon Koźmiński, a Polish professor of economics and entrepreneurship, and also the father of Andrzej Koźmiński, the founder and the first rector of the school. It is one of the top business schools in the world, contains the Central Eastern campus of ESCP as of 2015, and the only institution of higher education in Poland, holding the "triple accreditation ". Less than 1% of business education providers worldwide hold these three major international quality accreditations. The Financial Times named the university as the best business school in Poland and Central Europe.
The Vienna University of Economics and Business is a public research university in Vienna, Austria. The university received triple accreditation.
BEM - Bordeaux Management School was a French grande école founded in 1874, which merged with Euromed to form KEDGE Business School in 2013. It was managed and financed by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce. The Master of Science in Management programme was also known as "École Supérieure de Commerce de Bordeaux" or "ESC Bordeaux".
Excelia is a French private university-level institution of higher education. Created in 1988 as Groupe Sup de Co La Rochelle, it is a non-profit organisation linked to the La Rochelle Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) and a member of the Conférence des Grandes Écoles. Excelia Group's Business School belongs to the approximately 100 business schools worldwide holding a triple accreditation.
King's Business School (KBS) is the business school of King's College London located in London, the United Kingdom and is a constituent academic faculty of the university. KBS is triple accredited by the AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA.
The TUM School of Management is the business school of the Technical University of Munich, located on its Munich campus.