On May 3, 2023, WU was once again awarded the maximum EQUIS reaccreditation period of five years. The EQUIS seal of excellence stands for high standards in teaching and research and is a visible confirmation of a university’s outstanding achievements. To maintain their accredited status, universities are subject to regular, comprehensive reviews based on strict quality criteria. WU has managed to exceed these standards in many areas.

WU has been EQUIS accredited since 2007, the first and only university in Austria to bear this prestigious seal of quality. EQUIS stands for EFMD Quality Improvement System, and is awarded by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) to top-quality universities and business schools.During the accreditation process, ten standards, including areas like teaching, research, faculty, and internationalization, but also categories like “Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability” are subjected to strict quality control.

A comprehensive accreditation procedure

Four international experts evaluated WU in November 2022, based on a comprehensive self-assessment report and an online visit. They examined WU’s teaching and research and how well WU fulfills its third mission responsibilities. The accreditation review team carried out 79 individual interviews and saw for themselves that WU meets EQUIS’ high standards, even exceeding them in a number of sub-areas. The review team was particularly impressed by WU’s unique role and position in the Austrian academic landscape, its digitalization strategy, close cooperation with the business community, its student services as well as the excellent learning environment provided, WU’s campus and its facilities, and WU’s goal of becoming a climate-neutral university.

Advantages of EQUIS accreditation

“I’m very pleased to see that our work for further improving WU’s quality has paid off. The EQUIS quality control process allows us to follow international standards and focus on developing our strengths, while at the same time helping us to recognize areas with potential for improvement and take the appropriate steps. This is a challenge we are happy to face, and we are determined to keep getting better,” says WU Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger, and continues, “This most recent reaccreditation confirms that WU can compete with the best business schools and economics universities in the world, even as a public university.” EQUIS accreditation is also a direct advantage for WU’s students. A degree from an internationally accredited university carries more prestige, and graduates have improved chances on the job market, in Austria and also internationally.

One of the best business and economics universities worldwide

The successful reaccreditation for five years confirms WU’s position among the world’s best business and economics universities. Other renowned universities to have been granted the full five-year accreditation include the University of St. Gallen, HEC Paris, ESADE Business School, and London Business School. In addition to EQUIS, WU also holds accreditations from AACSB and AMBA. Fewer than 1% of all universities worldwide can claim to be accredited by all three of the most renowned accreditation agencies.