shouldiuse.io

Categories

VERDICT

Should I use AACSB?

Global Business Education Network - aacsb.edu

Depends. Buy only if you run a degree-granting business school with years of patience and roughly $73k+ per six-year cycle for the sector's top accreditation. Students, bootcamps, and non-business programs have nothing to purchase here.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 60+ public sources; AACSB is an accreditation body, not software.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo supporting evidence found.
  • Security posture

Pricing

Varies by school

Membership dues

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierNo
Accreditation cycle~$73,000+ / 6 years

Best for

  • Degree-granting business schools
  • Deans planning multi-year accreditation
  • Schools wanting elite MBA signaling

Not for

  • MBA applicants and students — check for it, don't buy it
  • Bootcamps and training companies
  • Non-business schools or departments
  • Anyone expecting actual software

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Third-party estimates put a full six-year cycle at $73,000+, on top of membership dues.

medium

Initial accreditation spans years, including self-study and continuous improvement review before approval.

medium

Dues calculation is shifting; expect long-term cost uncertainty.

medium

Accreditation doesn't include software; expect to buy Watermark, Creatrix, or similar for evidence management.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Recognized gold standard: top ~6% of business schools worldwide
  • Operating since 1916 with broad global recognition
  • Published standards, policies handbook, defined multi-year review process
  • Accreditation linked to faculty funding and academic outcomes
  • MFA now required across member portals

Cons

  • Roughly $73,000+ per six-year accreditation cycle
  • Years of self-study and continuous improvement reviews before approval
  • Only open to degree-granting business schools
  • Fee excludes evidence tooling; schools buy Watermark or Creatrix separately
  • Dues model changing, adding budget uncertainty

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/29/2026 - 12 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. Member portals now use multi-factor authentication.

official x5review x2security x2news x3

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • Varies by school

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Steep fees, but strongest signal in category.
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Multi-year, documentation-heavy review process.
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Deep published standards and assurance-of-learning framework.
  • Support quality. No supporting evidence found.
  • Security posture: 4/5. MFA on portals; no public incidents found.
  • Top ~6% Market reach of business schools worldwide hold it
  • $73,000+ Accreditation cost estimated 6-year cycle
  • 1916 Founded per LinkedIn company profile
  • No Free tier membership dues plus accreditation fees

Pricing

Membership dues

Varies by school

  • Required before pursuing accreditation
  • Dues calculation being restructured per AACSB FAQ

Accreditation cycle

~$73,000+ / 6 years

  • Initial accreditation fees
  • Continuous improvement review fees
  • Third-party estimate of published schedule

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

Member portals now use multi-factor authentication.

What users say

chatter treats AACSB as the gold-standard MBA signal, but there is little first-hand commentary about paying for or running the process.

“Only the top 6 percent of business schools in the world are accredited”
Facebook, Arkansas Tech University
“VCU is AACSB accredited”
Reddit, r/rva

Companies that use it

  • University of Colorado Denver Business School
  • UC Davis Graduate School of Management
  • Slippery Rock University⁷
  • Missouri State University College of Business
  • Arkansas Tech University
Full analysis

Based on 60+ public sources; AACSB is an accreditation body, not software.

Not software: AACSB is the elite accreditor for business schools. Worth ~$73k+/6yr only if you're a school chasing the top seal.

Methodology

Based on 60+ public sources; AACSB is an accreditation body, not software.

Sources

  1. AACSB: Global Business Education Networkaacsb.edu
    official
  2. Accreditation Feesaacsb.edu
    official
  3. Continuous Improvement Reviewaacsb.edu
    official
  4. Proposed Dues Adjustment FAQaacsb.edu
    official
  5. Value of AACSB Accreditation (PDF)aacsb.edu
    official
  6. AACSB Accreditation Costs: $73,000+ 6-Year Cyclelinkedin.com
    news
  7. AACSB reaffirms SRU School of Business as top 6% in the worldnews.sru.edu
    news
  8. AACSB Accredited Business Schools—Key Advantages (GMAC)gmac.com
    news
  9. Watermark Planning & Self-Study Reviews (G2)g2.com
    review
  10. How is an inexpensive AACSB-accredited MBA not a good option? (r/MBA)reddit.com
    review
  11. AACSB Brightspace login (MFA notice)aacsb.brightspace.com
    security
  12. Product security pageaacsb.edu
    security

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.