On May 4, 2023, as Peking University celebrated its 125th anniversary, the Guanghua School of Management received excellent news. Following a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation, the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) has officially granted the school the highest standard re-accreditation from the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) for a duration of five years. This marks the third time that the Guanghua School of Management has achieved a five-year re-accreditation since its initial EQUIS approval in 2010.

EQUIS, one of the most influential global business education accreditations, maintains a rigorous evaluation process and high standards. The five-year accreditation is the highest appraisal EQUIS offers business schools, and undergoing its strict review process reflects the school’s dedication to self-improvement in overall quality for students, employers, and partners. Continuously achieving this international accreditation level represents significant recognition and affirmation of the Guanghua School of Management by authoritative international business accreditation bodies, demonstrating the school’s attainment of world-class standards.

The EQUIS business school self-evaluation report was submitted by Guanghua on November 10, 2022, followed by a peer review inspection from January 10 to 13, 2023. Due to the pandemic, the peer review was conducted through online meetings. Peking University’s Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Wang Bo, engaged in in-depth discussions with a panel of experts representing esteemed institutions. The panel included Professor Frøystein Gjesdal, former dean of the Norwegian School of Economics; Professor Kate Kearins, dean of Auckland University of Technology Business School; Professor Jacek Prokop, vice president of Warsaw School of Economics; and Dr. Delphine Jumelle-Paulet, dean and department head of Mazars Group’s The Next MBA Business School. The expert review group participated in discussions with the school’s management, project management teams, functional leaders, student representatives, alumni, employer representatives, and corporate partners to review Guanghua’s important positioning in the school’s construction and development, as well as its expectations for the future. The review process entailed comprehensive inspections of the school’s development strategy and goals, teaching programs, faculty level, student training, academic research, social contributions, business relations, and internationalization, all of which were conducted through online exchanges. The expert review group highly praised the Guanghua School of Management’s progress in recent years, acknowledging significant achievements in research, level of disciplinary development, degree of internationalization, management team, faculty and student quality, alumni achievements, social responsibility, and other aspects. They expressed confidence that “Guanghua has the conditions to realize the development vision of becoming a world-class business school (from Global Competitiveness to Global Leadership)”. Simultaneously, the expert review group provided invaluable recommendations for the school’s development, drawing on current trends in international business education.

Dean Liu Qiao remarked, “Peking University has designated 2023 as the ‘International Strategy Year’ to accelerate the construction of world-class universities with Chinese characteristics. Guanghua School of Management has always aimed to build a world-class business school in China.With the stimulation of ‘improvement after evaluation,’ international accreditation has become an external driving force in the school’s ‘Double First-Class’ construction.”The continuous accreditation by authoritative international business institutions will enable the Guanghua School of Management to play a more critical role on the global business education platform and further expand Peking University’s international influence.