Kozminski University has once again been recognized for its social impact and commitment to sustainable development in the sixth edition of the international Positive Impact Rating (PIR) for Business Schools. The PIR results were announced during the PIR Global Summit 2025 and presented at the UN PRME Global Forum.
This year’s edition included 86 business schools from 30 countries. Kozminski University was classified at Level 4 – “Transforming School”, alongside institutions such as ESADE Business School (Spain), Rotterdam School of Management (Netherlands), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy), KEDGE Business School (France), and Tongji University (China).
The Positive Impact Rating (PIR) is not a ranking but a rating, meaning that schools are not compared against each other in a positional list but are instead grouped based on the extent to which they implement positive impact practices. It is an assessment tool created by students for students, which evaluates how business schools respond to global social and environmental challenges and how they prepare their students for responsible leadership.
The “Transforming” level indicates that the school not only participates in change but also actively co-creates and shapes it, having a real impact on its environment through initiatives in education, stakeholder engagement, and institutional management.
The 2025 edition recorded a record level of participation – over 17,000 students took part in the assessment, marking a 13% increase compared to the previous year. Students evaluated, among other things, the university’s engagement with sustainability, ethics, and relationship-building with local and global communities.
– The Positive Impact Rating is not only an external evaluation tool for us but above all a way to listen to the voices of our stakeholders, says Prof. Mariola Ciszewska-Mlinarič, Vice-Rector for International Relations and ESR at Kozminski University. Modern universities should have the courage to engage in dialogue with their environment, not just speak to it. We treat the PIR results as an impulse for further development in the spirit of responsibility, transparency, and dialogue – values that are the foundation of our strategy.
The PIR methodology is based on 20 questions grouped into 7 dimensions, which fall under three main areas: Energizing, Educating, and Engaging. Based on the results, schools are classified into one of five levels, from “Beginning” to “Pioneering,” with three levels published:
- Level 3 – Progressing
- Level 4 – Transforming
- Level 5 – Pioneering
– While prospective students gain an alternative source of insight into business schools through PIR, universities use the rating primarily as a tool for measuring and communicating their progress in transformational efforts, emphasizes Prof. Thomas Dyllick, co-creator of PIR and member of the Supervisory Board. – The voice of students has become a genuine source of value.
The PIR initiative was launched by an international coalition of experts and non-governmental organizations such as WWF, Oxfam, UN Global Compact, AIESEC, Net Impact, and oikos, and is supported by organizations including VIVA Idea (Costa Rica), the Institute for Business Sustainability, and FehrAdvice (Switzerland).
A new feature of the 2025 edition includes additional reporting modules that support schools in leveraging PIR results in accreditation processes for PRME, AACSB, and EQUIS – particularly in reporting efforts related to ethics, responsibility, and sustainability (ERS).
Media contact: Paulina Łukaszuk Spokesperson, Kozminski University +48 609 500 462 | plukaszuk@kozminski.edu.pl
