What is triple international accreditation?

In brief
Triple accreditation refers to the recognition of a business school by three independent international bodies, AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA, each of which assesses different criteria.
Excelia Business School does hold this triple accreditation, nicknamed the "Triple Crown", to which a fourth is added, the EFMD Master: this is known as quadruple accreditation.

What is triple international accreditation?

Triple accreditation refers to the simultaneous recognition of a business school by three independent bodies, each of which assesses different and complementary criteria.

Obtaining just one of these accreditations already takes several years of audits, assessments and improvements: bringing all three together therefore requires a sustained, long-term commitment, not a label acquired once and for all.

• AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, United States) assesses academic excellence, research impact and pedagogical innovation
• EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System, run by the EFMD in Europe) assesses internationalisation, links with businesses and the quality of programmes
• AMBA (Association of MBAs, United Kingdom) assesses the quality of MBA, Master's and DBA programmes, as well as the student experience and career prospects

Why choose a triply accredited school?

Choosing a business school is a commitment that lasts several years: triple accreditation provides concrete benchmarks for comparison, beyond a school's name or its ranking at any given moment.

• International recognition: your qualification remains readable and valued outside France, a real asset if you are aiming for an international career
• Because independent experts regularly check the programmes, against criteria reassessed at each audit, you benefit from audited academic quality
• The labels are known to international recruiters and large companies, who know what they guarantee: this is credibility with recruiters
• The school develops its methods, its content and the student experience at each audit: this is the very principle of continuous improvement
• Links with businesses: internships, projects and work-study punctuate the course, an economic anchor that EQUIS notably requires

However, accreditation is not the same thing as state recognition: the former assesses a school's overall quality, while the latter applies to each qualification and confers a university grade on it. Discover the difference between an accredited school and a state-recognised school.

How to compare accredited business schools?

In France, only a few management schools hold all three accreditations at once. This is no coincidence: maintaining all three requires resources, rigorous organisation and an ongoing commitment to quality, year after year.

Faced with several accredited schools, a few questions help you compare what really matters for your project:

• Which programmes are accredited, and at what level: Bachelor, Master in Management (Programme Grande École), MSc?
• What real internationalisation: proportion of courses taught in English, network of partner universities, mobility on offer?
• What employability on graduation, and in which sectors do graduates find their first role?
• What CSR commitment does the school genuinely build into its teaching, beyond the intentions it states?
• What alumni network, and how accessible is it to the students who are part of it?

A more personal question then remains: among the accredited programmes, which one matches your profile? Our post-baccalaureate guidance questionnaire helps you answer this in a few minutes. And to place these schools within the rankings you will come across in parallel, learn how to read a business school ranking.

Excelia Business School: a school with quadruple accreditation

Based in La Rochelle, Tours, Orléans and Paris-Cachan, Excelia Business School trains competent, responsible and operational managers. Alongside the school's triple accreditation from AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA, the EFMD Master is also added: Excelia Business School therefore benefits from quadruple accreditation EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master, a distinction that fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide can claim.

This academic requirement goes hand in hand with a concrete commitment: depending on the programme, the course includes a Humacité© mission and/or a Climacité© project, the Humacité© and Climacité© engagement schemes which place social and environmental responsibility at the heart of the teaching.

Academic strengths

• Quadruple accreditation EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA, EFMD Master
• EESPIG status (private higher education institution of general interest)
• Member of FESIC, the leading federation of private associative Grandes Écoles under contract with the State
• Qualifications leading to the Grade de Licence or the Grade de Master, depending on the programme, including the Master of Science (MSc) programmes

International openness

Excelia Business School benefits from the international openness of the Excelia network:

• The network has 233 academic partners in 57 countries
• The Excelia network brings together 53,000 graduates, present in 150 countries
• Double degrees and international mobility are available depending on the programme

You will find the details of the labels obtained by the school on the Excelia Business School accreditations and recognitions page, and an example of an accredited course on the Master in Management page.

Would you like to know more about Excelia Business School's programmes?

Discover our programmes

Frequently asked questions

What is triple accreditation from AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA?

Triple accreditation refers to the simultaneous recognition of a business school by three independent international bodies: AACSB (United States), EQUIS (Europe) and AMBA (United Kingdom). Each assesses specific criteria: academic quality, internationalisation, links with businesses, student experience.

Why is triple accreditation important for my qualification?

A qualification from a triply accredited school is recognised internationally. Recruiters, large companies and partner universities know these labels, which strengthens how clearly your profile reads when looking for a job or an internship abroad.

Does triple accreditation guarantee a job after I graduate?

No. Triple accreditation is an indicator of academic quality: it does not guarantee a job on graduation. It strengthens the recognition of your qualification and the credibility of your profile with recruiters, but your employability also depends on your experience, your network and the skills developed during your studies.

What is the difference between AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA?

AACSB, the oldest, primarily assesses research excellence and academic impact. EQUIS, run by the EFMD in Europe, focuses on internationalisation and links with the business world. AMBA, from the United Kingdom, concentrates on the quality of MBA, Master's and DBA programmes, as well as the overall student experience.

Does international accreditation replace state recognition?

No, these are two different and complementary forms of recognition. An accreditation such as AACSB, EQUIS or AMBA assesses a school's overall quality, while state recognition applies to each qualification and confers a university grade on it. See how a business school is recognised by the State.