Department of Business Administration
Graduate School of Management
Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

1. Accreditation Review Result

ABEST21 International Accreditation Result of the Department of Business Administration, Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan is as follows:

“ABEST21 International certifies that the School’s educational and research activities satisfy all or most accreditation standards. The School’s Kaizen plans are excellent, and quality maintenance and improvement of education and research are very promising and excellent.

Accreditation commences April 1, 2026 for a five-year period.”

2. Comprehensive Review
  • The School has successfully met QIS ABEST21 International standards and maintains a robust QA ecosystem with high-coverage ILOs data, but there are opportunities to enhance PDCA processes, simplify the mission statement, and improve visibility through concise dashboards and public follow-ups.
  • Strategic continuity is ensured through mechanisms like Dean re-election and Past Dean committee inclusion. Governance is accountable with mandatory audits, and a systematic ILO evaluation system is in place, but there is a need for a more streamlined mission statement and better visibility of progress.
  • Staff are content under the dean’s leadership, and the school provides substantial support and training. However, there is a need for a systematic and periodic performance evaluation process for faculty and staff, and addressing the lack of continuous research output among some faculty members.
  • Students and alumni are highly satisfied, with GSM-KU graduates securing better job opportunities. The school offers a low student-to-faculty ratio and high international diversity, but there are opportunities to improve teaching consistency, alumni activation, and applied global learning.
  • The School faces challenges with physical space due to the expansion of endowed chairs and scattered faculty offices, hindering collaboration. There is a need to modernize facilities and incorporate future-focused courses (AI, ESG, Circular Economy), online education offerings, and increase outbound student mobility.
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  • The School has successfully complied with all QIS ABEST21 International standards.
  • The School has positioned itself as an important contributor to Kyoto University, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and unique strengths in terms of income generation, internationalization, and branding.
  • Staff members are content working under the dean’s leadership and appreciate the school’s facilities. The School has provided a lot of support and sufficient training.
  • Students believe that graduating from GSM-KU is a key to success in the industry.
  • Alumni take pride in being graduates of a top business school, which has assisted them in securing better jobs and career opportunities.
  • GSM is a mature, internationally engaged graduate school that integrates research and practice and benefits from strong industry collaboration. Student satisfaction is generally high, with clear improvement opportunities in teaching consistency, alumni activation, and applied global learning. The 2028 campus offers a timely chance to modernize facilities and re-energize executive and hybrid education. With focused QA and stakeholder engagement, GSM is well positioned to sustain and enhance excellence.
  • Overall, GSM presents a coherent QA ecosystem blending national evaluation, international reaccreditation, and effective internal governance. The high-coverage ILOs data materially advances evidence-based improvement. The School is largely compatible with ABEST21 standards; opportunities remain to sharpen PDCA “Check,” simplify the mission statement, and make progress more visible through concise dashboards, milestones, and public follow-ups.
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  • The school ensures strategic continuity and stability through a top-down approach and
  • mechanisms like Dean re-election and Past Dean committee inclusion.
  • Governance includes multiple stakeholders and features high accountability via mandatory audits and publicly reported internal audits.
  • A systematic ILO evaluation system was implemented in 2024 with longitudinal tracking, ensuring quality is measured and discussed at the highest governance levels.
  • The mission is highly relevant to global societal challenges and is financially stable, strategically relying on external endowed chair funds (70%) to enhance educational and research quality.
  • The school offers an extremely low student-to-faculty ratio (approx. 6:1) and individualized supervision for detailed academic and ethical development.
  • The student body achieves a very high level of diversity with over 50% international students from over 70 countries.
  • Globalization is thoroughly integrated through English-taught programs, three dual degree programs, and a high international student ratio.
  • Learning goals are systematically reviewed annually using stakeholder feedback.
  • Faculty time is actively managed with a standard teaching load and dedicated research periods. The system is objective and well-incentivized, rewarding both academic rigor and teaching quality.
  • The most pressing issue is securing adequate physical space, which is strained by the successful expansion of endowed chairs. Faculty offices are scattered across multiple buildings, hindering collaboration and efficiency.
  • The school lacks a systematic and periodic performance evaluation process for all faculty and staff and needs to address a lack of continuous research output among a segment of the faculty.
  • The school needs to incorporate new courses in future-focused areas (AI, ESG, Circular Economy), address the lack of online education offerings, and work to increase outbound student mobility and integration activities between its Japanese and English programs.

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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3. Compatibility with the ABEST21 Standards

Chapter 1: Internal Quality Assurance and Management

  • Standard 1: Academic Unit Management
  • Standard 2: Governance System
  • Standard 3: Self-Check/Self-Evaluation
  • Standard 4: Staff-Development
  • The School has implemented a robust and comprehensive approach to internal quality assurance and management, ensuring compatibility, effectiveness, and accountability across its educational and research systems and processes. The School commitment to transparency is evident through the public availability of MEXT-reported results, which fosters trust and credibility.
  • The School has demonstrated an exceptionally high commitment to quality by voluntarily pursuing two major international accreditations (ABEST21 and EQUIS). This proactive approach confirms its dedication to global quality standards beyond the mandatory national accreditation requirements.
  • The School’s commitment to internal quality assurance and management is commendable. With continued focus on these areas, it is well-positioned to achieve its strategic goals and maintain its status among top business schools.
  • Comply.
  • Largely compatible. Systems and processes are in place and operating.
  • Structures and processes (audits, advisory/committee oversight, evaluation sharing) function effectively; reaccreditation cycles reinforce discipline and accountability.
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  • A top-down systematic strategy with a clear organizational structure ensures leadership
  • direction. Mechanisms like the re-election of the Dean and the inclusion of the past Dean on the Planning Committee secure strategic continuity and stability, vital for long-term planning.
  • The School integrates multiple stakeholders (Faculty, Students via Council, External Experts, MEXT/Kyoto University) into its governance.
  • Accountability is secured through mandatory national audits, an independent advisory board, and the school’s commitment to additional internal audits with publicly available, MEXT-reported results.
  • The school demonstrates an exceptionally high commitment by voluntarily pursuing two major international accreditations (ABEST21 and EQUIS), confirming its dedication to global quality standards beyond mandatory national evaluations.
  • A systematic ILO evaluation system was implemented in 2024, featuring high response rates and planned longitudinal tracking (comparing the same students over time). Evaluation results are discussed at the highest governance levels (Planning Committee, Faculty Meeting) and published.
  • The school provides access to university-wide training services (e-learning for English, IT, leadership) and proactively supports staff involved in international work by sending them to overseas conferences to enhance global skills.

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Issues to be improved:

The School’s efforts to enhance its performance evaluation and governance processes are encouraging. However, a more detailed exploration of the specific challenges posed by AI would strengthen its quality strategic planning and ensure a more effective response to these emerging issues.

  • None.
  • N/A
  • Deepen the PDCA “Check,” accelerate responses to fast-moving issues (e.g., AI), and publish concise progress updates.
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  • The School acknowledges the need for a systematic and periodic performance evaluation
  • process aligned with its strategy (for both faculty and staff).
  • The School acknowledges the governance structure needs to be continually improved to respond quickly to new challenges like the impact of AI but did not explicitly describe the kind of challenges that AI will bring to its organizational governance.

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Chapter 2: Mission Statement

  • Standard 5: Mission Statement
  • Standard 6: Financial Strategies

The School’s mission is relevant, and supported by a robust financial strategy, setting a strong foundation for its continued success and impact in the global academic community.

  • Comply.
  • Mission is aligned, public, and actionable.
  • Mission is clear, aligned with Kyoto University, and publicly available in JP/EN.
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  • The mission is highly relevant to modern challenges, specifically aiming to contribute to
  • the “diverse and harmonious development of global society” in the age of globalization.
  • The current mission is clear and comprehensive, providing a strong foundation for strategic planning.
  • It uses stable government funds (30%) as a base while strategically relying on external funds (70%), specifically endowed chair funds, to enhance the quality of research and educational activities

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Issues to be improved:

Avoid lengthy mission statement.

  • Strengthen the mission statement and make it concise.
  • N/A
  • It is too long missing statement. Stakeholders may face difficulties to remember the mission. Proceed with simplifying phrasing and broaden systematic stakeholder input during periodic reviews.
  • The School is proactively considering simplifying the expression of the mission statement.

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Chapter 3: Curriculum

  • Standard 7: Learning Goals
  • Standard 8: Curriculum Policy and Management of Curriculum
  • Standard 9: Quality Improvement of Curriculum
  • Standard 10: Online Education
  • Standard 11: Diploma Policy and Learning Outcomes
  • Standard 12: Globalization of Curriculum
  • The School’s curriculum management and support systems are well-structured and comprehensive.
  • Learning goals are systematically reviewed and revised annually by the Academic Affairs Committee and Faculty Meeting, incorporating stakeholder feedback from the Advisory Board and students.
  • Globalization is thoroughly integrated through English-taught international programs (i-MBA, KC-CDO), three distinct dual degree programs spanning three continents, regular invitations of foreign professors, and a high 50% international student ratio, creating a rich cross-cultural classroom environment.
  • The School’s curriculum and support systems have provided a high-quality, globally oriented education, supported by transparent policies and continuous improvement processes.
  • Comply.
  • Curriculum scaffolding, ethics integration, and review processes are appropriate.
  • Guidance systems (supervisors/workshops), safeguarded credit loads, and course evaluation practices demonstrate structured curriculum management.
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  • Learning goals are systematically reviewed and revised annually by the Academic Affairs
  • Committee and Faculty Meeting, using stakeholder feedback (Advisory Board, students).
  • The school offers exceptional support: an extremely low student-to-faculty ratio (approx. 6:1), individualized supervision throughout the two years, and a robust supervisor system for detailed academic and personal guidance.
  • Globalization is thoroughly integrated via English-taught international programs (i-MBA, KC-CDO), three distinct dual degree programs spanning three continents, regular invitation of foreign professors, and a high 50% international student ratio that creates a cross-cultural classroom environment.
  • The grading policy is transparent and systematic, specifying point ranges and providing publicized guidelines for grade distribution.
  • The ILO evaluation system is formalized to measure post-graduation effectiveness (exit and career surveys).

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Issues to be improved:

  • Standardizing rubrics, expanding experiential learning, and tightening syllabus-to-delivery checks are crucial steps to ensure consistency and quality in teaching.
  • The School currently does not offer online education, which may limit accessibility and flexibility for students, especially in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
  • None.
  • Standardize rubrics, expand experiential learning, and tighten syllabus-to-delivery checks.
  • Strengthen outcome evidence via longitudinal ILOs and keep monitoring workload transparency across programs.
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  • The need to incorporate new courses in critical, future-focused areas like AI elements,
  • circular economy and ESG, global agility, and organizational resilience.
  • The School does not offer online education at the moment.
  • The School identifies “establishing a more systematic and continuous alumni tracking system”

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Chapter 4: Students

  • Standard 13: Admission Policy and Student Selection
  • Standard 14: Student Encouragement and Support
  • Standard 15: Student Body Diversity
  • The School’s diversity is a significant strength, demonstrating a rich cultural mix that fosters a global perspective and enhances the learning environment for all students.
  • The School excels in admissions, support, and diversity, showcasing a strong commitment to providing a high-quality educational experience.
  • The low student-to-faculty ratio and mandated guidance sessions fulfill the need for detailed, personalized academic and ethical development.
  • Comply.
  • Admissions, support, and diversity are strong.
  • Individualized academic support, orientation, and course-planning are well described; policies protect study quality.
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  • The school achieves a very high level of diversity with over 50% international students from 70+ countries.
  • The low student-to-faculty ratio and mandated guidance fulfill the need for detailed, personalized academic and ethical development.

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Issues to be improved:

  • The School plans to offer more international internships to broaden students’ global experiences.
  • The School aims to increase alumni engagement and strengthen career services, particularly for international students.
  • The School intends to build a more structured alumni network that actively connects current students with alumni for mentoring, internships, and career opportunities.
  • The School needs to organize more activities to integrate students from both Japanese and English-speaking programs, improving communication and ensuring accurate information dissemination.
  • None.
  • More alumni engagement, stronger career services, more international competitions and internships.
  • Increase visibility of scholarships/career services (especially for international students) and expand bilingual advising. It needs more diverse students for all around the world. Strengthen a structured alumni network that actively connects current students with alumni for mentoring, internships, and career opportunities, while creating channels for alumni contributions to the School.
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  • The school acknowledges the need for systematically enhancing and expanding incentive
  • mechanisms to support diverse learning goals.
  • The school needs to organize more activities to integrate students from both Japanese and English-speaking programs, enhancing communications among them and ensuring accurate information being conveyed.
  • The school recognizes the need to increase the number of outbound students to maximize the global experience.

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Chapter 5: Faculty

  • Standard 16: Faculty Structure
  • Standard 17: Faculty Qualifications
  • Standard 18: Maintenance of Education and Research Environment
  • Standard 19: Faculty Development
  • Standard 20: Faculty Diversity
  • The faculty structure and qualifications are appropriate, with a strong emphasis on research.
  • Faculty development mechanisms are maturing, supported by mentoring, calibrated workloads, and practice-connected teaching.
  • Comply.
  • Faculty structure, qualifications, and development are appropriate, with strong research.
  • Faculty structures and development mechanisms are maturing, with mentoring, calibrated workloads, and practice-connected teaching.
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  • Numerical capacity is excellent and aligned with strategic growth.
  • A clear, objective, and well-incentivized system rewards both academic rigor and teaching quality.
  • The school actively manages faculty time and provides dedicated structural support to prioritize mission-critical activities like research.

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Issues to be improved:

Continue diversifying the tenured core in terms of gender and international representation, and lightly document faculty development participation and outcomes.

  • None.
  • Continue language and pedagogy development, balance workloads, and systematize visiting professor contributions.
  • Continue diversifying the tenured core (gender/international) and lightly document faculty development participation and outcomes.
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  • There is a lack of continuous research output among a segment of the faculty.
  • The school recognizes the need to further improve administrative efficiency through the broad application of AI and Digital Transformation (DX) technologies.

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Chapter 6: Educational Infrastructure

  • Standard 21: Maintenance of Educational Infrastructure
  • Standard 22: Globalization of Educational Infrastructure
  • Presently, the campus facilities are satisfactory, and a comprehensive plan for modernization and consolidation is scheduled for 2028.
  • The current infrastructure is strong, bolstered by shared university resources, including the library, IT services, and the Learning Management System (LMS), which collectively provide stability, capacity for growth, and pathways for future enhancements.
  • The institution offers well-equipped classrooms, seminar rooms, and study areas. Furthermore, it provides exceptional support for a diverse student population, featuring staff proficient in multiple languages, dedicated prayer and nursing rooms, and a variety of dietary options, including Halal and vegetarian.
  • Comply.
  • Current facilities adequate; 2028 campus will modernize and consolidate.
  • Infrastructure is robust; university-shared resources (library/IT/LMS) provide reliability, scale, and upgrade pathways.
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  • The school provides appropriate and high-quality classrooms, seminar rooms, and study
  • rooms.
  • Support for a diverse student body is excellent: foreign language-proficient staff offer crucial direct support, and the university provides prayer rooms, nursing rooms, and specialized dietary options (Halal, vegetarian).

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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Issues to be improved:

The institution is focused on managing the transition to modernized facilities while continuously enhancing its digital infrastructure and study spaces. To address the increasing demand for space, a phased expansion plan is in place, which includes the development of hybrid-ready rooms to accommodate growth in endowed chairs and executive programs. However, securing sufficient physical space remains a significant challenge, particularly with the strategic expansion of endowed chairs. The current distribution of offices across several buildings is straining the physical infrastructure and necessitates a long-term solution to optimize space utilization and improve efficiency.

  • None.
  • Manage the transition carefully, and continue upgrading digital infrastructure and study spaces.
  • Address space pressures with phased expansion and hybrid-ready rooms to support growth in endowed chairs and executive programs.
  • Securing adequate physical space remains a continuing challenge, which is specifically exacerbated by the strategic expansion of endowed chairs. Furthermore, the current physical infrastructure is under strain as the offices are scattered across few buildings and needs a long-term solution.

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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4. Good Practice in the School’s Educational Programs

Title: “Endowed Chairs: Driving Global Business Education through Industry Collaboration, Research, and Practice-Integrated Management”
Reasons: This good practice encapsulates the key elements of the School’s educational programs by highlighting the central role of endowed chairs in integrating industry collaboration, research, and practice-driven management education. It emphasizes the global and local aspects of the school’s mission while focusing on the unique contributions of endowed chairs to the educational experience.

5. Matters to be improved
  • Improve Non-Academic Staff Roles:
    Encourage detailed job scopes and descriptions for non-academic staff to enhance clarity and efficiency.
  • Enhance Digital and Mental Health Support:
    Upgrade online infrastructure for hybrid learning, provide robust mental health support, and ensure grading transparency with English-fluent lecturers for international programs.
  • Optimize Space and Cross-Program Access:
    Integrate infrastructure under one roof, provide more space, and increase flexibility for students to access cross-program courses to foster interaction between domestic and international students.
  • Expand Practical Learning and AI Integration:
    Offer more internships, field trips, case study discussions, and integrate AI into the syllabus and decision-making classes.
  • Strengthen Alumni and Student Engagement:
    Develop a concise and memorable mission statement, broaden double-degree networks, build a stronger alumni network with regional ▼Chapters and mentorship opportunities, and enhance integrative activities among Japanese and global program students.
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Despite the School’s excellent QIS improvement, we still believe that the school needs to improve in some areas, such as:

 
  • The school has encouraged providing job scopes and descriptions to non-academic staff.
  • Better online infrastructure in the classroom and encourage more hybrid learning.
  • Provide better support systems for mental health.
  • Provide more space and integrate infrastructure under one roof.
  • Students demand grading transparency and lecturers who are fluent in English for the international program.
  • Students are demanding more flexibility to access cross-program courses to have more interaction between domestic and international students.
  • The school should provide more opportunities for internships, field trips, and case studies discussions.
  • Integrate AI into the syllabus and decision-making classes.
  • Ensure consistent teaching and grading across courses, expand faculty development and targeted English support, and strengthen career and alumni services. Use competitions, consulting projects, and internships more systematically. Plan the 2028 relocation to minimize disruption and communicate timelines and contingency measures clearly to students and staff.
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With appreciation for what is working well, we offer a few very light, low-burden suggestions that could incrementally strengthen GSM:

 
  • Make the mission short, eye-catching, and top-of-mind.
    Test a 12–15-word tagline that captures “research ↔ practice ↔ ethics,” use it consistently on the website, syllabi, and orientation materials, and run a brief annual recall check.
  • Broaden double-degree networks and increase cohort diversity.
    Broaden double-degree partnerships across ASEAN and other fast-growing regions to reflect growth dynamics and widen academic perspectives. This expansion should increase cohort diversity, deepen cross-cultural learning, and enhance graduates’ regional relevance and mobility without adding complexity to existing program structures.
  • Build a stronger, mobilized alumni network.
    Launch light structures: regional alumni Chapters (incl. ASEAN), a mentorship marketplace for students, quarterly career webinars, and a basic regular email or social media post. Offer micro-volunteering roles and visible recognition to deepen engagement.
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  • Enhancing integrative activities among the students (Japanese and Global program)
  • Strengthening the alumni networks

The School’s Feedback:

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PRT Response:

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6. Peer Review Schedule

ABEST21 assessed the School’s ABEST21 Management Accreditation by conducting substantial assessment on “Self-Check/Self-Evaluation Report (SCR)” by the Desk Review and the Peer Review Visit according to the Review Schedule below.

  • Jul. 1, 2024: Acceptance of the “QIS”
  • Sep. 30, 2024: Online Interview
  • Nov. 27-28, 2024: Ratification of the “QIS” by the Peer Review Committee
  • Jul. 4, 2025: Acceptance of the “SCR”
  • Oct. 6-7, 2025: Peer Review Visit
  • Oct. 31, 2025: Informal Announcement of the Draft of the PRT Review Report
  • Oct. 31-Nov. 19, 2025: Coordination of opinions between the PRT and the School
  • Dec. 2-3, 2025: Ratification of the “PRT Review Report”
  • Jan. 15, 2026: Recommendation of the Accreditation Committee
  • Mar. 7, 2026: Ratification of the ABEST21 Accreditation by the Board of Trustees