THE IMPACT OF THE AACSB ACCREDITATION ON ENROLLMENT GROWTH AT HBCU (HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES) BUSINESS SCHOOLS

Abstract

Purpose- Most research on the benefits of the AACSB accreditation has been focused on financially well-off and research-basedinstitutions. Consequently, there is limited literature on the AACSB accreditation with regard to HBCUs. Over the years, general decline inBusiness School enrollment, and the heavy reliance of HBCUs on tuition revenue have made enrollment an increasingly importantdeterminant of their survival. In this article, we investigate whether the AACSB accreditation yields greater enrollment growth at HBCUBusiness Schools and explore alternative business school accreditations.Methodology- This study is based on quantitative methods wherein we collected data from secondary sources and used statistical modelsto test our hypotheses.Findings- Our results show that the AACSB accreditation does not lead to greater enrollment growth at HBCU Business Schools.Conclusion- We suggest that HBCUs should not base their decision to pursue the AACSB accreditation on the expectation of greaterenrollment growth, but on other factors; and should consider the ACBSP and IACBE as viable options.