IPBS

What IPBS does

IPBS (International Partnership of Business Schools) is a French-registered non-profit association (Association Loi de 1901) functioning as a coordinating consortium for 12 leading business schools across Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia. Founded in 1974 and headquartered in Reims, France, with formal consortium creation by five founding institutions in 1993, IPBS provides the governance, branding, and program architecture that enable cross-border business education. The consortium operates with a small central staff led by a President (currently Julia von Maltzan Pacheco of FGV-EAESP) and General Secretary (Irena Gaul). Partner member schools span the United Kingdom (Lancaster), France (NEOMA, IESEG, ICHEC Brussels), Germany (Munich Business School), Italy (LUISS), Ireland (DCU), Mexico (UDLAP), Brazil (FGV-EAESP, Insper), Spain (ICADE), Canada (Brock/Goodman), and China (UIBE), as well as former partners including KEDGE.

The consortium's core offerings are coordinated across partner institutions: four-year undergraduate Double Degree Programmes requiring study at two institutions in different countries plus up to 12 months of mandatory international work placements; the 12-15 month Master in Global Management (MGM) MSc program with single and double degree options taught in English; specialised graduate masters across partner schools; and an International Business Immersion Certificate. Supporting infrastructure includes the Better Together digital platform for faculty collaboration (hosted at ipbsbettertogether.millo.ai), the IPBS Student Council with an annual IPBS Student Forum, the IPBS Research Scholar Award programme, and centralised career services connecting students to recruiters. No proprietary technology or AI capabilities are evident; the digital platform serves primarily as a coordination layer across member institutions.

As a non-profit association, IPBS does not directly charge tuition; students pay their home institution's tuition and are enrolled at a partner school abroad without additional fees (only minor administrative fees may apply). The consortium operates as a sales-led partnership model where each of the 12 partner schools independently manages student recruitment, admissions, and local career services. IPBS itself does not own patents, technology assets of material value, or external funding, and the business model is structurally aligned with the interests of its member institutions rather than external investors.

Name

IPBS

Legal name

International Partnership of Business Schools (IPBS)

Website

https://ipbs-network.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IPBS is a French-registered non-profit consortium of 12 leading business schools across four continents. It coordinates double-degree undergraduate programmes, a Master in Global Management, and faculty/student engagement platforms serving internationally-mobile business students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / International Business Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Business and Secretarial Schools (611410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Undergraduate Business Schools (BBA/BSBA Programs) (EDAHAHAA)

Keywords

• International business education
• Double degree programs
• Business school consortium
• Master in global management
• International student exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Reims

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Educational Program Fees: Students pay tuition according to the rules of their home institution (the IPBS business school to which they have been admitted). At the partner school abroad, they do not pay extra tuition or fees, except for minor administrative fees. IPBS itself is a non-profit association and does not charge additional fees for the consortium membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IPBS is a non-profit consortium of 12 leading business schools that coordinates international business education programs for students. It offers four-year undergraduate Double Degree Programmes (study at two partner institutions in different countries with two mandatory international work placements up to 12 months), a 12-15 month Master in Global Management (MGM) with single and double degree options, and a catalogue of Specialised Master Programmes delivered by partner schools.

Product overview

IPBS (International Partnership of Business Schools) is a consortium of 12 leading business schools across Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia. Rather than a single unified product, IPBS offers a coordinated portfolio of educational programmes including: Double Degree Programmes (undergraduate four-year programmes with study at two institutions and two mandatory work placements), the Master in Global Management (12-15 month intensive full-time programme with single and double degree options), Specialised Master Programmes (graduate-level specialized programmes across partner schools), and the International Business Immersion Certificate (awarded to students completing integrated study across multiple institutions). Additional offerings include the Better Together digital platform for faculty collaboration, the IPBS Student Council for student engagement, the Research Scholar Award for faculty research support, and comprehensive career services across all partner schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Double Degree Programmes Four-year undergraduate programmes where students spend two years at their home institution and two years at a partner institution abroad, including two mandatory work placements totaling up to twelve months. Students graduate with two bachelor's degrees from two different countries.
• Master in Global Management (MGM) Intensive full-time Masters of Science in Global Management programme (12-15 months duration excluding compulsory internships) offered by six IPBS partners with single and double degree options, taught entirely in English.
• Specialised Master Programmes Graduate-level specialised programmes offered by IPBS partner schools covering MBA, Professional Masters, Executive Masters, Masters of Art, Masters of Science, Graduate Certificate, and Specialist Degrees across a variety of business disciplines.
• International Business Immersion Certificate Credential awarded to students enrolled in the IPBS consortium who fulfill criteria including enrollment at multiple IPBS institutions, completion of a minimum one academic year abroad, and 24+ credit hours of coursework abroad.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students gain up to 12 months of work experience through mandatory international internships
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• China - UIBE Business School (University of International Business and Economics)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in Beijing, China; affiliated with key university under China's Ministry of Education; first business school among finance and economics universities in Chinese mainland to earn Triple Crown Accreditation (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA)
• Canada - Goodman School of Business at Brock UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada; offers Canada's only international double degree program with co-op work experience; accredited by AACSB; home to 2,800+ undergraduate and 590 graduate students
• USA - Elon University (Martha and Spencer Love School of Business)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in Elon, North Carolina, USA; selective private university renowned for engaged and experiential learning; accredited by AACSB; ranked top 50 undergraduate business programs by Poets&Quants
• Brazil - Fundação Getulio Vargas (EAESP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in São Paulo, Brazil; established 1954; only school in Brazil with all three major international accreditations (AACSB, EFMD, AMBA); over 100,000 graduates; most internationally-oriented school in Latin America
• France - NEOMA Business School (Reims Campus)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner150-year heritage; triple accredited (AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS); 55,000 alumni in 120+ countries; three campuses in Reims, Rouen and Paris; 150+ permanent professors
• Germany - ESB Business School at Reutlingen UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 40 years in existence; one of Germany's largest and most international business schools; 2,500+ students enrolled in business school; accredited by AACSB and system accredited by FIBAA; International Management Double Degree carries premium FIBAA seal
• Ireland - Dublin City University (DCU Business School)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of Europe's most dynamic young business schools; features in QS Top 50 under 50; over 50,000 graduates globally; accredited by AACSB; recognized nationally and internationally for industry engagement
• Italy - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Piacenza Campus)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded January 1953; largest private university in Italy; Piacenza campus hosts 2,600+ students; 1:1 professor/student ratio; accredited by EFMD and FIBAA; strong in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences and Economics
• Mexico - Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate institution with School of Business and Economics enrolling 2,300+ students; accredited by SACSCOC, AACSB, FIMPES, CACECA, SEP; MBA ranked #4 in Mexico; graduates nearly 500 professionals annually
• Spain - Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of Spain's oldest and most highly-regarded business schools; part of Jesuit-run private university; accredited by AACSB; member of EFMD and AEEDE; about 7,700 undergraduate students; ranked 51st globally for CEO placements
• UK - Lancaster University Management SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTop 10 UK business school; quadruple accredited (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA, Small Business Charter); ranked #1 in UK for research power (REF 2021); 90% research judged world-leading or internationally excellent; award-winning campus facilities
• USA - North Carolina State University (Poole College of Management)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in Raleigh, North Carolina; accredited by AACSB and AMBA; Jenkins Graduate School offers MBA and specialized masters; ranked #6 in Bloomberg Businessweek for operations management; strong experiential learning focus

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IPBS.Network
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ipbs-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/ipbs_network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 IPBS