Strathmore University Business School (SBS) Recognized as a Transforming School in the Positive Impact Rating (PIR) 2026

Strathmore University Business School (SBS) has been recognized for its societal impact and commitment to sustainability in the seventh edition of the Positive Impact Rating (PIR). The results were announced on 22 June 2026 during the PIR Global Summit.

SBS is one of the 87 rated business schools from 32 countries included in this year’s edition. The 2026 PIR collected more than 20,000 complete student responses from 90 participating schools, with the official rating based on 19,789 valid student responses. The school achieved Level 4, making it a Transforming institution within the PIR framework.

The PIR is a unique rating created by students, for students. It was designed to capture students’ perceptions of their schools’ positive impact on the world. In 2025, the PIR further expanded its dual stakeholder approach through the Faculty Survey, and in 2026, it collected 1,189 valid faculty responses. Some schools, including SBS, chose to implement the faculty survey, allowing a comparison between student and faculty perspectives. For SBS, the survey achieved 126 student responses and 32 faculty responses, exceeding the required target. This lens helps identify alignment, perception gaps and opportunities for shared institutional learning.

Participants evaluated how SBS addresses societal and sustainability challenges and how well it prepares its students to become responsible leaders. The data collection at SBS was organised and led by the SBS Strategy and Quality Assurance Department, which distributed the survey across campus.

By participating in PIR 2026, SBS demonstrates its commitment to transparency and to listening to the voice of its key stakeholders.

The student-based PIR rating uses questions grouped into seven dimensions across three overarching areas: Energizing, Educating, and Engaging. These results place schools into one of five levels, three of which are published: Level 3 (Progressing), Level 4 (Transforming), and Level 5 (Pioneering). With the Faculty Survey, PIR now also includes the fourth area, Enabling, with Research assessed as a faculty-only dimension.

Prof. Thomas Dyllick, PIR Founder and Member of the Supervisory Board, stated:

“While future students now have an alternative source to select their business school, schools refer to the PIR primarily to measure and communicate their transformational progress. The voice of the student has become a true source of value.”

The PIR was initiated by a coalition of business school experts and international NGOs such as WWF, Oxfam, and UN Global Compact, and is supported by student organisations including oikos, AIESEC, and Net Impact. It is also backed by VIVA Idea (Costa Rica), the Institute for Business Sustainability Foundation, and FehrAdvice (Switzerland).

PIR also offers additional reporting modules to support schools in their PRME, AACSB, and EQUIS accreditation and reporting processes, enabling them to use PIR data to report on Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability (ERS) requirements with stakeholder-derived evidence. The 2026 edition further strengthens this offer by combining the student-based rating with faculty insights on education and research impact.

This recognition reinforces SBS’s commitment to responsible leadership, sustainability, and continuous improvement, while providing independent student-based evidence of the school’s positive societal impact.

Article by SBS Communications Team