AACSB International

AACSB International is a nonprofit organization devoted to fostering engagement, accelerating innovation, and amplifying impact in business education. Through its accreditation standards and processes, AACSB recognizes institutions that uphold its mission and core values, work to advance the interests of global management education, and participate in AACSB’s community of leading business schools. In this context, AACSB focuses on continuous quality improvement in management education through engagement, innovation, and impact.

AACSB was founded in 1916 and established its first standards for degree programs in business administration in 1919. AACSB adopted additional standards for undergraduate and graduate degree programs in accountancy in 1980 to address the special needs of the accounting profession. Throughout the years, the standards have continued to be revised to ensure quality and continuous improvement in collegiate business education.

In order to earn and sustain business accreditation, an institution must align with a set of 15 business accreditation standards that focus on mission and strategic management; support for students, faculty, and staff; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement of students and faculty. The supplemental accounting accreditation standards are a rigorous complement to the 15 business standards. The six accounting standards are specific to the discipline and profession of accounting.

A collegiate business school offering degrees in business or accounting may apply for AACSB Accreditation. As a first step, the business school must establish its eligibility for accreditation by submitting an eligibility application, which assesses a school’s alignment with six eligibility criteria. During the initial accreditation process, the school is evaluated on how well it achieves AACSB’s accreditation standards, through a process of self-evaluation and peer review. After earning AACSB Accreditation, the business school undergoes a continuous improvement review process every five years.