Recently, the School of Economics and Management (SEM), Tongji University received official congratulations from the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and was awarded the five-year EQUIS reaccreditation at its highest standard. This achievement attests to the school’s sustained leadership in educational quality, internationalization and comprehensive strength, further consolidating its core competitiveness and leading international position in the global business education landscape.

From December 9 to 11, 2025, the EQUIS peer review team visited SEM and conducted a three-day comprehensive on-site assessment. Prof. Jinlong YANG, President of Tongji University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Prof. Peiming LYU, Executive Vice President of Tongji University; Prof. Wen YIN, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office; and Prof. Amir REZA, Dean of Babson Academy & Global Education of Babson College, USA, as external governance representatives, held in-depth exchanges with the review team.

During the assessment, the peer review team also held separate talks with SEM’s leadership, program representatives, heads of functional departments, as well as faculty, student, alumni, employer and corporate partner representatives. It conducted a comprehensive and detailed evaluation across multiple dimensions, including the school’s development strategy, academic programs, faculty strength, talent cultivation, academic research, social contribution, corporate relations and international development.

In the end, the EQUIS peer review team spoke highly of SEM’s overall performance, explicitly pointing out that the school has highlighted outstanding strengths in core areas such as talent cultivation, interdisciplinary integration, research innovation, international development, industry-education integration and sustainable development, forging a unique developmental edge. SEM’s comprehensive strength has thus earned authoritative international recognition.

As one of the most authoritative accreditation systems in global business education, EQUIS is renowned for its rigorous evaluation criteria and comprehensive assessment dimensions. Its accreditation results are a globally recognized benchmark for the comprehensive strength of business schools, and the five-year accreditation is the highest recognition awarded by EQUIS to business schools for their educational quality and development potential.

This reaccreditation marks another important breakthrough for Tongji SEM, following its initial EQUIS accreditation in 2013 and two successive five-year reaccreditations at the highest standard in 2016 and 2021. It also stands as a significant milestone for the school to stay true to its original aspiration, uphold excellence and pursue high-quality development with persistent efforts.

Taking this EQUIS reaccreditation as a new starting point, Tongji SEM will always adhere to its mission “To create management knowledge and develop leading professionals for China and the world who are capable of solving practical problems while addressing the challenges of business and society with a global perspective, responsibility and in a sustainable way”. Aligning with the development needs of new quality productive forces, the school will further advance its development path of “digitalization, greening and integration”.

Going forward, SEM will strengthen international cooperation, improve disciplinary layout and enhance the quality of talent cultivation. It will focus on major issues in global economic development and industrial upgrading, continuously provide wisdom and contribute strength in the field of economics and management, and empower Chinese business education to demonstrate greater value and make its voice heard more strongly on the global stage.

About EQUIS

EQUIS is a hallmark of excellence in business education, known for its rigorous and holistic assessment. The five-year accreditation, the highest level granted by EFMD, indicates full compliance with EQUIS global standards and robust international competitiveness. Notably, Tongji SEM has secured this top-tier accreditation consecutively since 2016.