Triple accreditation (or triple crown) refers to the simultaneous accreditation of a business school by three international accreditors: the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in the United States, the Association of MBAs (AMBA) in the United Kingdom, and EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) in Belgium. A total of 129 business schools in the world are triple-accredited. Business schools in the United States often chose to only pursue AACSB accreditation.

Accreditation comparison

Each of the three institutions assesses a business school according to different criteria and scope: AMBA accreditation examines the Master in Business Administration MBA programme portfolio and is intended to show that this "demonstrat[es] the highest standards in teaching, learning and curriculum design, career development and employability, student, alumni and employer interaction". AACSB accreditation looks at the whole business school and is intended to "signif[y] a business school’s commitment to strategic management, learner success, thought leadership, and societal impact", with a greater emphasis on diversity and inclusion since the 2020 revision. EQUIS accreditation also looks at the whole business school, and is intended to "signal[] the school’s overall quality, viability and self-improvement commitment". While all three accrediting bodies operate globally, most business schools in the United States chose to only pursue AACSB accreditation. Factors influencing this include the perception in the United States that AACSB accreditation is sufficient, and that the structure of United States business schools means that they often do not meet the accreditation standards for AMBA or EQUIS, for example, that the admission policies for United States MBA programmes do not align with the requirement of AMBA that students should have a minimum of three years' work experience.

Schools by country

In May 2020 there were 100 triple-accredited business schools in 36 countries or regions. The number of triple accredited schools had grown to over 110 by November 2021 and to 125 as of August 2023:

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China

Colombia

Costa Rica

Czech Republic

Denmark

Egypt

Finland

France

Germany

Hong Kong

India

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Macau

Mexico

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Norway

Peru

Poland

Portugal

Singapore

Slovenia

South Africa

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Thailand

Turkey

United Kingdom

United States

Institutions that were previously triple accredited

Eleven business schools have previously held triple accreditation but are not triple-accredited as of 2024: