Wits Business School (WBS) has been recognised for its societal impact and commitment to sustainability as part of the seventh edition of the Positive Impact Rating (PIR). The school has achieved Level 5, the highest level, making it a Pioneering Institution within the PIR framework.

WBS is one of the 87 rated business schools from 32 countries included in this year’s edition. The 2026 PIR collected more than 20,000 complete student responses from 90 participating schools, with the official rating based on 19,789 valid student responses.

The PIR is a unique rating created by students, for students. It was designed to capture how students perceive their schools’ positive impact on the world. Participants evaluated how WBS addresses societal and sustainability challenges and how well it prepares its students to become responsible leaders.

By participating in PIR 2026, WBS demonstrates its commitment to transparency and to listening to the voice of its key stakeholders. Head of School Professor Logan Rangasamy commented:

“Our commitment to sustainability at WBS is unwavering and finds expression across all our programmes, as well as school activities and initiatives. Our overarching mission at WBS is to graduate leaders who are a force for positive change, and the endorsement received by our students through the PIR survey confirms that WBS is having a tangible impact beyond the classroom.”

The student-based PIR rating uses questions grouped into seven dimensions across three overarching areas: Energizing, Educating, and Engaging. These results place schools into one of five levels, three of which are published: Level 3 (Progressing), Level 4 (Transforming), and Level 5 (Pioneering). With the Faculty Survey, PIR now also includes the fourth area Enabling, with Research assessed as a faculty only dimension.

Prof. Thomas Dyllick, PIR Founder and Member of the Supervisory Board, stated:

“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.”

The PIR was initiated by a coalition of business school experts and international NGOs such as WWF, Oxfam, and UN Global Compact, and is supported by student organisations including oikos, AIESEC, and Net Impact. It is also backed by VIVA Idea (Costa Rica), the Institute for Business Sustainability Foundation, and FehrAdvice (Switzerland).

PIR also offers additional reporting modules to support schools in their PRME, AACSB, and EQUIS accreditation and reporting processes, enabling them to use PIR data to report on Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability (ERS) requirements with stakeholder derived evidence. The 2026 edition further strengthens this offer by combining the student-based rating with faculty insights on education and research impact.

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