Business School Achieves Level 4 Status in the 2026 Positive Impact Rating
Newcastle University Business School has been recognised among the world's leading business schools for creating positive social and environmental impact.
8 July 2026
Announced at the PIR Summit 2026 in June, the Business School is one of 87 business schools from 32 countries to be recognised in this year's global rating, which is based on the experiences and perceptions of students.
The 2026 edition drew on almost 20,000 valid student responses from around the world, highlighting the growing importance of student voice in shaping responsible management education.
The Positive Impact Rating (PIR) is unique as it is created by students, for students, assessing how effectively business schools prepare graduates to address societal and environmental challenges through their teaching, culture, governance and engagement. Schools achieving Level 4 are recognised for embedding positive impact across their strategy and operations, with clear evidence of progress across multiple dimensions.
A significant step forward
This year's edition also marks a significant step forward with the development of the PIR's dual stakeholder approach. Alongside student feedback, Newcastle University Business School opted to participate in the faculty survey this year, providing valuable insight into how staff also view the School's impact. Bringing staff and students perspectives together helps identify areas of strong alignment while highlighting opportunities for further collaboration and continuous improvement – reinforcing the School's commitment to listening, learning and evolving.
Participation in the PIR reflects the Business School's vision to be a community creating a better, more responsible, inclusive, and just future for all, and its ongoing work to embed ethics, responsibility and sustainability throughout its activities.
Professor Thomas Dyllick, PIR Founder and Member of the Supervisory Board, said:
"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."
Speaking of the recognition, Professor Stewart Robinson, Dean of Newcastle University Business School, said: “This recognition demonstrates that our strategic focus on ERS is not just words, but action, embedded across everything we do: our research, our teaching, our external engagement and our values. We are delighted to be ranked as a leader in this space.”
Professor Noemi Sinkovics, Associate Dean of Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability added: “Level 4 recognises the Business School as a Transforming School, and we are proud to have entered the Positive Impact Rating at this level. Because the rating reflects our students’ experience, it gives us confidence that more than 15 years of work through PRME is now visible across the School, rather than confined to individual modules or pockets of activity. The results also provide a valuable diagnostic: they show us where to focus next and how we can scale up existing initiatives as we work towards becoming a Pioneering School.”
The PIR was established by a coalition of business school experts together with international organisations including WWF, Oxfam and the UN Global Compact, supported by global student organisations such as oikos, AIESEC and Net Impact. The initiative aims to help business schools move beyond traditional rankings by demonstrating how they contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.