JK Business School Earns SAQS Accreditation by AMDISA

October 8, 2026

JK Business School (JKBS), Gurugram, has been awarded SAQS accreditation by AMDISA, the Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia. SAQS, the South Asian Quality Assurance System, is an international quality standard for business schools, modelled on the criteria behind Europe’s EQUIS accreditation.

For students weighing a BBA or PGDM, this means an outside body has examined how JKBS teaches, who teaches, how it works with industry and how it is governed, and found that it meets an international bar. This post explains what SAQS is, what the review covers, and what the accreditation means for students, parents, faculty and recruiters.

What are SAQS and AMDISA?

AMDISA is an international not-for-profit association of management schools across South Asia, recognised by SAARC and based in Hyderabad. It has more than 300 member institutions. Founded in 1988, it runs regional conferences, faculty workshops and joint research, and publishes the South Asian Journal of Management.

SAQS is AMDISA’s accreditation system for business schools. It grew out of a cooperation between AMDISA and EFMD (the European Foundation for Management Development), funded by the European Union’s Asia-Link programme in 2003-04. Its criteria draw on EFMD’s EQUIS standards, which are among the most widely recognised business school accreditations in the world.

Only a small group of schools hold the label. By early 2026, about 66 business schools across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan had earned SAQS accreditation. Indian schools on that list include XIM University, Bhubaneswar, ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad, and the Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad.

What does the SAQS review examine?

SAQS looks at the school as a whole, not one programme at a time. It judges performance by outcomes: what students learn, where they go, and how the institution improves over time.

The process runs in stages. A school first applies and is declared eligible. It then writes a detailed Self-Assessment Report against every SAQS criterion. A Peer Review Team visits the campus, and its report goes to the SAQS Accreditation Awarding Committee, which makes the final decision.

The criteria cover these areas:

Curriculum design and how programmes stay current
Teaching and learning methods
Faculty qualifications and development
Research and intellectual output
Industry engagement and corporate links
Student support and services
Governance, strategy and institutional management

One feature sets SAQS apart. The peer review panel includes a senior corporate executive alongside experienced academics, so the school is assessed partly through an employer’s eyes. The visit also works as a strategic audit, giving the school specific recommendations for improvement.

What SAQS accreditation means for JKBS students

For someone choosing a business school, accreditation answers a practical question: has anyone independent checked this place? SAQS gives JKBS applicants that answer, from reviewers who assessed the school against international criteria rather than its own marketing.

It also carries weight in India’s equivalence system. The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) accepts SAQS accreditation at par with NBA accreditation when granting equivalence of a two-year, full-time PGDM to an MBA degree from an Indian university. MBA equivalence matters for students who later plan doctoral study, government jobs or further education abroad.

Day to day, the standards SAQS checks are the ones students feel most: a curriculum that keeps pace with industry, qualified faculty, and the support needed for internships and placements. Because SAQS requires regular progress reviews, these standards stay under scrutiny after the award, not just in the year of the visit.

PGDM and BBA applicants for the coming cycle can factor this in when comparing schools in Delhi NCR.

What it means for faculty, recruiters and partners

For recruiters, SAQS is a signal about graduate readiness. A corporate executive sat on the review panel and assessed how closely JKBS works with industry, so the accreditation reflects an employer’s view as well as an academic one.

For faculty, the review sets out clear expectations on qualifications, research output and teaching quality, along with feedback from peer reviewers drawn from other South Asian schools. That feedback feeds into how courses are designed and taught.

For academic partners, SAQS is a quality label recognised across AMDISA’s network of management schools in South Asia. That network offers routes to joint research, faculty development workshops and regional forums such as AMDISA’s South Asian Management Forum.

What comes next for JKBS

SAQS accreditation is granted for a fixed term and comes with conditions. Accredited schools submit progress reports during the term and must apply for re-accreditation when it ends. The award is less a finish line than a schedule of reviews.

JKBS will use the peer review recommendations to guide its next steps in curriculum, faculty development and industry engagement. The goal stays the same: preparing responsible, industry-ready professionals for the work ahead of them.

To learn more about JKBS programmes, visit the BBA and PGDM pages or contact the admissions office.

Frequently asked questions

Is JK Business School accredited? Yes. JK Business School, Gurugram, holds SAQS accreditation awarded by AMDISA, the Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia.

What is SAQS accreditation? SAQS (South Asian Quality Assurance System) is an international accreditation for business schools run by AMDISA. Its criteria are based on EFMD’s EQUIS standards.

Is SAQS accreditation recognised in India? Yes. The Association of Indian Universities accepts SAQS accreditation at par with NBA accreditation for granting MBA equivalence to two-year, full-time PGDM programmes.

How many business schools are SAQS accredited? About 66 business schools across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan held SAQS accreditation as of early 2026.

Who conducts the SAQS review? A Peer Review Team of experienced academics and a senior corporate executive visits the school. The SAQS Accreditation Awarding Committee makes the final decision.