Eduniversal

What Eduniversal does

Eduniversal is a French-headquartered private business school rating agency and higher education consulting firm, operating under the legal entity SMBG Eduniversal and led by founder/CEO Martial Guiette. The company publishes the Palmes of Excellence League, an annual global ranking of business schools organized into five tiers (1 Palme to 5 Palmes Emeritus) based on Deans' Recommendation scores measured in per mille. The 2025-2026 edition (18th edition) ranks 1,031 business schools and 5,663+ programs across 58 fields of study in 154 countries, with the company reporting that its rankings have oriented 77+ million students worldwide.

The core product is a web-based platform (eduniversal-ranking.com) that aggregates and displays comparative school data, complemented by the Deans' Vote Surveys (annual peer voting feeding the methodology), the Best Masters Ranking, Schools of Excellence by Field (covering Law, Engineering, IT & AI, Arts & Luxury), and the Eduniversal Selected Schools List recognizing emerging institutions. The company also operates the annual Eduniversal World Convention as a community engagement channel.

Eduniversal operates a hybrid B2B/B2C model: revenue is generated through licensing and membership agreements with business schools for participation in the Palmes of Excellence system, plus corporate recruitment and employer-branding solutions sold to companies seeking access to ranked-school talent. Student-facing access to rankings is free. The company maintains strategic partnerships with regional academic networks including Mercosur Academic Network, CLACSO, COMECSO, and ANFECA, embedding its rankings into academic governance across Latin America and Europe. No external funding, M&A activity, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in the available source material.

Name

Eduniversal

Legal name

SMBG Eduniversal

Website

https://eduniversal-ranking.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eduniversal is a French business school rating agency that publishes the annual Palmes of Excellence League ranking of 1,031 business schools across 154 countries, serving prospective students, higher education institutions, and corporate recruiters through licensing, membership, and recruitment solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Ranking Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Class & Webinar Marketplaces/Directories (EDAFAIAE)

Keywords

• Business school rankings
• Higher education ratings
• Palmes of excellence
• Deans recommendation
• Masters program rankings

Headquarters

HQ city

Courbevoie

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Business School Licensing & Membership: Eduniversal generates revenue through licensing agreements with business schools, where institutions pay for inclusion and recognition in the Palmes of Excellence ranking system, as evidenced by the 'GTCs Eduniversal License & Membership' page referenced on their website.
2. Student Recruitment & Solutions: The company provides solutions and services to companies recruiting from business schools, generating revenue through corporate partnerships and recruitment platform services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Eduniversal is a higher education rating agency that publishes annual global rankings of business schools and master's programs using its proprietary Palmes of Excellence League system. The company licenses its ranking recognition and membership to business schools across 154 countries, sells corporate recruitment solutions, and operates an international convention. Student access to rankings is provided free through the eduniversal-ranking.com web platform.

Product overview

Eduniversal operates as a comprehensive business school ranking and student orientation platform featuring multiple interconnected products. The core offering is the annual Business Schools Ranking system using the Palmes of Excellence League (1-5 Palmes scale) and Deans' Recommendation Scores across 154 countries. The platform complements rankings with specialized Schools of Excellence by Field rankings (Law, Engineering, IT & AI, Arts & Luxury), the Best Masters Ranking for postgraduate programs, and annual Deans' Vote Surveys contributing to methodology. Additional offerings include the Eduniversal World Convention events, corporate solutions for company-school connections, and the Eduniversal Selected Schools List recognizing emerging institutions. The platform has reached over 77 million students worldwide and ranks 1031 business schools with 5663+ programs in 58 fields of study.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Schools Ranking Annual comprehensive ranking of business schools across 154 countries and regions, evaluating institutions using the Palmes of Excellence League system (1-5 Palmes) and Deans' Recommendation scores.
• Schools of Excellence by Field Rankings of top schools across specialized fields including Law, General Engineering, IT & AI, and Arts & Luxury.
• Palmes of Excellence League Ranking tier system categorizing schools from 1 Palme (local influence) to 5 Palmes Emeritus (over a decade of continuous excellence with international recognition).
• Deans' Vote Surveys Annual survey of deans voting on peer institutions, contributing to ranking methodology and Deans' Recommendation Scores.
• Solutions for Companies Corporate solutions and services connecting companies with ranked business schools for recruitment, partnerships, and talent development.
• Best Masters Ranking Rankings of master's programs by country, providing detailed program profiles and career guidance for postgraduate studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 77+ million students oriented worldwide through Eduniversal rankings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mercosur Academic NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional academic cooperation network enabling business school collaborations across Mercosur countries including Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Supports international exchange programs, faculty mobility, and joint degrees among member institutions.
• CLACSO (Latin American Council of Social Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network connecting social sciences and business education institutions across Latin America, facilitating research collaboration and academic mobility.
• COMECSO (Mexican Council of Social Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational academic consortium in Mexico supporting research and educational exchange for member institutions including business schools and economics faculties.
• ANFECA (Mexican Association of Schools of Accounting and Administration)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association for accounting and administration schools in Mexico, supporting academic standards and professional development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Financial Times: The FT publishes the annual Financial Times Business School Rankings (MBA, Executive MBA, Online MBA, Masters in Management), the most globally cited competitor to Eduniversal's Palmes of Excellence. Both monetize via institutional relationships, brand-driven school visibility, and corporate audience reach.
• Bloomberg Businessweek: Bloomberg Businessweek publishes biennial MBA and business school rankings widely used by prospective students and corporate recruiters. It competes head-to-head with Eduniversal for both school attention (licensing/participation) and student mindshare in program selection.
• QS Quacquarelli Symonds: QS is one of the world's largest global university and business school ranking providers (QS World University Rankings, QS MBA, QS Online MBA). It directly competes with Eduniversal in evaluating business schools globally and shares the same B2B licensing/customer-acquisition model with institutions.
• U.S. News & World Report: U.S. News publishes the influential Best Graduate Schools rankings (including MBA) widely referenced by prospective students. While primarily U.S.-focused, it competes with Eduniversal for international student attention and serves as a parallel rankings authority for business programs.
• The Princeton Review: The Princeton Review publishes business school rankings and is a major student-facing education guidance brand with test prep and admissions services. It competes with Eduniversal on student orientation rankings, school visibility, and complementary admissions services.
• Times Higher Education: THE produces the World University Rankings and dedicated business school rankings used globally by institutions and students. It competes for the same institutional licensing budgets and student orientation audience as Eduniversal, especially in Europe and emerging markets.

Others

• EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development): EFMD is a leading international accreditation body for management education (EQUIS, EFMD Accredited). It is comparable to Eduniversal as a peer-reviewed authority that influences business school reputation, though it operates via accreditation rather than rankings.
• Case Centre: Case Centre is the primary repository and distributor of business school case studies globally. It is adjacent to Eduniversal as a service provider in the business school ecosystem, sharing institutional customers but focused on teaching content rather than rankings.
• GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council): GMAC owns the GMAT exam and produces market intelligence on MBA programs and business schools globally. It is an ecosystem participant rather than a direct rankings competitor but serves the same institutional and student audiences as Eduniversal.

Emerging players

• Poets&Quants: Poets&Quants is a digital-first media outlet covering MBA programs, business school news, and composite rankings. It overlaps with Eduniversal on business school audience and rankings coverage but operates with a primarily digital content model rather than a school licensing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Eduniversal-Group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smbg-eduniversal
• Xx.com/eduniversaleea
• Facebookfacebook.com/Eduniversal-215161528610021

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eduniversal