Corvinus University joins 1% of business schools worldwide with Triple Crown accreditation

Corvinus University has secured EQUIS accreditation for three years, becoming the first Hungarian institution to enter the top 1% of business schools worldwide that hold all three major international accreditations.

Corvinus University of Budapest was awarded EQUIS accreditation for three years , completing the University’s Triple Crown alongside its AACSB and AMBA accreditations. Corvinus University was previously the only university in Hungary in the field of economics to hold two international institutional accreditations (AMBA and AACSB).

Triple Crown status is awarded to institutions that simultaneously hold AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditation. Around 153 institutions worldwide are estimated to hold all three, representing approximately 1% of business education institutions globally, with Corvinus becoming the first in Hungary and the eighth in Central and Eastern Europe to do so.

EQUIS, awarded by EFMD, assesses an institution as a whole, covering teaching, research, internationalisation, business links, and strategy development and implementation. The evaluators identified Corvinus’s strategy development and execution as particular strengths.

The University had already secured the other two accreditations needed for the Triple Crown. Corvinus first gained AMBA accreditation in 2020, with the accreditation renewed for another five years in 2023. It received AACSB accreditation in 2022, becoming the first Hungarian institution to do so.

Each of the three accreditations looks at quality in business education from a different perspective. US-based AACSB takes an institution-wide view, covering areas such as strategy, teaching, research and societal impact. Around six per cent of institutions offering business education worldwide hold AACSB accreditation. AMBA focuses on MBA and other postgraduate management programmes, while the European-based EQUIS assesses the institution as a whole, with particular attention to mission, vision and strategy, internationalisation, pedagogical quality, sustainability, corporate engagement and research.

“The Triple Crown gives us every reason to celebrate: it is among the rarest and most prestigious distinctions in global business education. For prospective students, corporate partners and universities worldwide, it is a clear, universally recognised mark of quality. This is especially powerful in securing exchange partnership and international recruitment, where independent global accreditation shapes perceptions and builds trust. By securing EQUIS and achieving the Triple Crown status, Corvinus strengthens its leadership in Hungary and elevates its reputation worldwide,” says Bruno van Pottelsberghe, rector of Corvinus University of Budapest.

Maintained by the Maecenas Universitatis Corvini Foundation, Corvinus University currently has around 8,000 students, including 2,000 international students. The school has close links with 170 partner universities worldwide and, in 2025, earned the 5 Palmes of Excellence award from Eduniversal.