Abstract:

Purpose- Most research on the benefits of the AACSB accreditation has been focused on financially well-off and research-based institutions. Consequently, there is limited literature on the AACSB accreditation with regard to HBCUs. Over the years, general decline in Business School enrollment, and the heavy reliance of HBCUs on tuition revenue have made enrollment an increasingly important determinant of their survival. In this article, we investigate whether the AACSB accreditation yields greater enrollment growth at HBCU Business 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 models to 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 greater enrollment growth, but on other factors; and should consider the ACBSP and IACBE as viable options.

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