Triple accreditation: Business schools in Europe with the “Triple Crown”

Author: Study.eu Team — Last update: 15 May 2026

Triple accreditation, or the “Triple Crown”: Only a select few of the best business schools in Europe have the privilege of being accredited by the three most important accreditation organisations AACSB, AMBA and EFMD/EQUIS. But what does triple accreditation mean, and why should you care about it?

What is accreditation? Why are accreditations important?

Accreditation is a quality assurance process in which an independent organisation assesses the educational quality of a specific study programme or educational institution. When a business school is accredited by an organisation, it means that the school meets a set of quality standards, ensuring that students in their business and MBA degrees receive high-quality education.

Accreditation is usually provided for specific study programmes, or for a specific time (e.g. for 5 years). After that time, or when there are substantial changes, the university has to request accreditation once more.

What if a business school is not accredited?

Accreditation is usually requested by the business school, and it requires a financial and organisational effort. Some business schools may simply choose not to pursue certain accreditations, especially if they hold accreditations from one or two other organisations. But if you are looking for an MBA in Europe, you should make sure that your business school is accredited by at least one respectable organisation.

Who provides accreditation?

Business school accreditations are conducted by independent organisations, each of which have developed their own set of standards. The three largest international business school accreditation associations are:

AACSB - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (based in Tampa, Florida, USA)
AMBA - The Association of MBAs (based in London, United Kingdom)
EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development) (based in Brussels, Belgium) with its EQUIS accreditation, short for “EFMD Quality Improvement System”

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Business schools in Europe with triple accreditation

The following list includes all 90 European business schools with the “Triple Crown” in May 2026:

Country	Business schools
Austria	WU Vienna University of Economics and Business
Belgium	Vlerick Business School
Croatia	University of Zagreb
Czechia	University of Economics, Prague
Denmark	Aarhus University Copenhagen Business School
Finland	Aalto University Hanken School of Economics
France	Audencia Business School - View study options now Burgundy School of Business Ecole de Management de Normandie EDHEC Business School EM Strasbourg Business School EMLYON Business School - View study options now ESC Rennes School of Business ESSCA - School of Management ESSEC Business School Excelia Grenoble Ecole de Management HEC Paris ICN Business School IÉSEG School of Management INSEAD KEDGE Business School - View study options now Montpellier Business School NEOMA Business School PSB Paris School of Business TBS Education - View study options now
Germany	ESMT Berlin Frankfurt School of Finance & Management Technical University of Munich (TUM) University of Mannheim
Ireland	Dublin City University (DCU) Trinity College Dublin (TCD) University College Cork (UCC) University College Dublin (UCD) University of Limerick
Italy	LUISS University Politecnico di Milano SDA Bocconi School of Management
Netherlands	Erasmus University Rotterdam Maastricht University Nyenrode Business University UvA University of Amsterdam
Norway	BI Norwegian Business School NHH - Norwegian School of Economics
Poland	Kozminski University SGH Warsaw School of Economics University of Warsaw
Portugal	Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics Nova School of Business & Economics University of Lisbon
Slovenia	University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business
Spain	ESADE Business School IE Business School
Sweden	Jönköping University Lund University University of Gothenburg
Switzerland	IMD Business School University of St. Gallen ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Turkey	Koç University
United Kingdom	Aston University City St George’s, University of London Cranfield University Durham University Imperial College London King's College London Lancaster University London Business School Loughborough University Manchester Metropolitan University Newcastle University Nottingham Trent University Queen's University Belfast The Open University University of Birmingham University of Bradford University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Glasgow University of Kent University of Leeds University of Liverpool University of Manchester University of Nottingham University of Reading University of Sheffield University of Strathclyde University of Warwick

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Number of triple-accredited business schools by country

Most triple-accredited business schools are located in the UK, followed closely by France.

Country	Number of schools with “Triple Crown”
United Kingdom	28
France	20
Ireland	5
Germany, Netherlands	4
Italy, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland	3
Denmark, Finland, Norway, Spain	2
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Slovenia, Turkey	1

4934 Business & Management Programmes in Europe

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