ACEEU | Accreditation for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities

Your Path to

Recognised Excellence

in Entrepreneurship & Engagement

With its research-backed resources, innovative tools and support systems, and a host of dedicated experts ACEEU carefully guides HEIs to carve their unique path by capitalising on all opportunities that come with genuine engagement and entrepreneurship in higher education.

Take the path

Congratulations!

University of Malaga

Spain's first ACEEU accredited Entrepreneurial University

Placing

Third Mission in Focus

Utilising a multi-lateral collaborative approach and a comprehensive set of standards for engagement and entrepreneurship ACEEU strives to advance the third mission potential of HEIs, maximise their impact in the communities and enhance their overall performance.

Explore our vision

Get Accredited as an
Entrepreneurial University
and/or
Engaged University

Third Mission
Focus

ACEEU accreditation focuses on universities' contributions to economic and social development, with entrepreneurship and community engagement being the two impact vehicles put into focus.

Accredit your
entire university
or a
single academic unit
(faculty, school, department)
New Divisional Accreditation

Scope
of Accreditation

Since April 2021, ACEEU offers its entrepreneurship and engagement accreditation not only on institutional level but also on academic unit level. Apply now to become one of the first ones accredited!

Next application deadlines

January 15, 2025
April 15, 2025
July 15, 2025
October 15, 2025

Eligibility
Deadlines

The first step to start your ACEEU accreditation is to apply for eligibility. ACEEU offers four deadlines per year to ensure a timely review of your application.

Introduction

About ACEEU

The Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU) is the only globally-operating quality assurance body with a focus on acknowledging engagement and entrepreneurship in Higher Education. As such, ACEEU strives to lead the way in a new era for higher education through evaluating, supporting and igniting the potential of HEIs on their road to third mission excellence.

Headquartered in Germany, ACEEU offers accreditation for entrepreneurship and (community) engagement on institutional (entire university) and divisional level (faculty, school, department). Universities engaging in ACEEU accreditation are united by their excellence in entrepreneurship and engagement, no matter if top 1% world university, or less known regionally-oriented institution.

Learn more about what we do in this short introduction video.

Why ACEEU?

Value of ACEEU accreditation

Promoting

Cultural
Change

ACEEU accreditation fosters cultural change through multi-stakeholder involvement in the accreditation process

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Accelerating

Organisational
Development

Accreditation process generates evidence and recommendations which enables institutions to make well-informed future decisions.

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Amplifying the

Recognition
of Excellence

ACEEU accreditation gives a clear message to your current and future students, business and academic partners, employees and funding bodies “what you are”, an entrepreneurship and/or engagement-oriented institution.

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Testimonials

Hear what others say about us

Rafael Ventura

Vice-Chancellor for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

University of Malaga, Spain

"This accreditation has been a learning lesson for the entire organization, as we have been provided with a reference framework to understand the meaning of being an entrepreneurial university, identify the areas of improvement within the institution, and validate our strategy. We have a splendid opportunity to show students, society and companies of our environment which kind of university we want to be."

Devin Hauer

Director Ibero Consultores estratégicos

Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico

" As a Council member of the ACEEU and evaluator for other institutions there is tremendous value in having a deep dive into the inner workings and understandings of either engagement or entrepreneurship. Great value is achieved for an institution that acts in these collaborative manners, not only to help stimulate internal forms of innovation, but with its dynamic collaborative efforts in society. Working collaboratively is more important than ever in society, and the ACEEU is leading the way to recognize institutions who are willing the positively change the world."

Johan Blaus

Director of Strategic Partnerships

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

"An interesting and valuable aspect of accreditation is that the university undergoes a dynamic learning process which means that awareness of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial mindset and engagement increases and creates a basis for further discussions about how the university should continue to develop."

Noel Lindsay

Pro Vice-Chancellor of Entrepreneurship

University of Adelaide, Australia

"While it is great to get the accreditation, the journey was something incredible. We learned so much from the experience and it was truly a team effort. From the president to our deans, heads, of schools, students, head of industry they all got involved. (…) There was a cross fertilization of ideas that has continued to go on. There is a real buzz and commitment to keep the momentum going."

Fredrik Hörstedt

Vice President of Utilisation

Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

"I am delighted and proud that we have received this recognition for the way in which we try to achieve an impact, as one of the first ‘engaged universities’ in the world. Chalmers has a long tradition of engagement with industry and society at large, which is well established and well-known in Sweden, and we have high ambitions to develop this ability even further."

Francisco Matiz

Former Director of the Institute for Sustainable Entrepreneurship

EAN University, Colombia

"ACEEU recognized us not only for teaching entrepreneurship issues, but also for being consistent with our discourse and applying good practices in the internal processes of the Institution."

Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid

President

Management and Science University, Malaysia

"With The Most Entrepreneurial Private University Award 2016 secured from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and ACEEU’s accreditation, our path forward is quite clear."

Interested in learning more about ACEEU Accreditation?

Get engaged with us

Follow us on Social Media

Stay up to date on ACEEU's latest developments on our social media channels on LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

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Join a webinar

Join other interested university representatives to learn more about ACEEU and its accreditations.

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Book a meeting

Use our Calendly system to book a 30 minute meeting to discuss your individual questions.

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Become a member

Willing, but not ready yet for our accreditation? Become a member, engage with us, and start your journey now.

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Stay up to date

ACEEU in Numbers

Eligibility Applications Received

Institutional Accreditations in Progress

Successfull Institutional Accreditation Procedures

Countries in which ACEEU currently accredits

Year in which ACEEU was founded

ACEEU Team Members

Council members

Participants at last Award ceremony

Students and staff in ACEEU member institutions

Stay up to date

News & updates

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University of Szeged Becomes Hungary’s First ACEEU-Accredited Engaged University

10 Oct 2024

La Salle-URL receives ACEEU accreditation as Entrepreneurial University

25 Jul 2024

The University of Magdalena receives ACEEU accreditation as Engaged University

21 Aug 2023

Business Institute receives ACEEU accreditation as Engaged University

18 Aug 2023

Join the

ACEEU Community
of Pioneers and Changemakers

Join

If we sparked your interest, learn how you can become a member of our growing community of engaged and entrepreneurial university leaders, practitioners and enthusiasts.

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