Net Impact inspires and equips emerging leaders to build a more just and sustainable world. To help us achieve this goal, we collaborate with forward-thinking companies and organizations that want to use business to support a variety of social and environmental causes. 

Net Impact collaborated with Positive Impact Rating Association (PIR Association), which works to measure and support how the business school landscape is changing to encourage social responsibility and impact. The PIR Association recently released a Positive Impact Rating (PIR), a new assessment conducted by and for students to evaluate their business schools on how they perceive their positive impact in the world. 

The PIR Association and Net Impact both work to support and encourage the potential of business schools to lead transformational social and environmental change.

Positive Impact Rating - 2020 Edition

For the Positive Impact Rating 2020 Edition, the PIR looked at the top fifty business schools from two highly complementary rankings: The Financial Times Master in Management and the Corporate Knights Green MBA ranking. The goal of the report is to provide students the opportunity to choose an education that will prepare them as responsible citizens and change-makers in the 21st-century.

The PIR 2020 report features 30 top schools with a PIR ranking of Level 3 and above. The rankings are as follows:

• Level 1 – Beginning efforts at schools that are either getting started or are considering to get started or have difficulties getting off the ground despite a stated commitment or vision
• Level 2 – Emerging schools starting to translate a stated commitment to positive action in one or more domains
• Level 3 – Progressing schools demonstrating evidence of results across some impact dimensions
• Level 4 – Transforming schools with a positive impact culture, embedded in governance and systems, with visible results progress in many impact dimensions
• Level 5 – Pioneering schools with unique, sustaining global leadership progress in all impact dimensions

While no single school reached Level 5, nine schools reached Level 4 and 21 schools achieved a Level 3 rating. Schools with a Level 2 rating or below were not featured in the 2020 edition of the report to give increased attention to the top-rated schools. 

Net Impact Chapters Leading Change in Business Schools 

Business schools with active Net Impact Chapters consistently ranked among the best in the report:

• 40% of the Positive Impact Rating top-ranked schools represent Net Impact Chapter institutions.
• 44% of the "Level 4 - Transforming" schools represent Net Impact Chapter institutions.
• 38% of the "Level 3 - Progressing" schools represent Net Impact Chapter institutions.

Four of the nine schools to reach “Level 4-Transforming” have active Net Impact Chapters:

Georgia Institute of Technology - Scheller College of Business

The Net Impact Georgia Tech Undergrad and Scheller Net Impact Graduate Chapter at the Georgia Institute of Technology have highly engaged members who continue to integrate sustainability into career and personal development experiences on campus. 

University of California - Berkeley Haas School of Business

The Haas Net Impact Chapter community empowers students to turn their passions into action as they navigate the variety of campus opportunities and events to further their social impact career paths. 

University of Guelph Lang School of Business 

The Net Impact University of Guelph - Graduate Chapter offers events and programs to support members who aim to use business as a force for impact, and was awarded 2019 International Student Chapter of the Year. 

University of Vermont Grossman School of Business

The SIMBA Net Impact Chapter at the Grossman School of Business is determined to help members make a difference. Their chapter is locally organized and focuses on the interests of their community on- and off-campus.

Eight of the 21 schools in the "Level 3 - Progressing" category also have Net Impact Chapters including:

• ESADE Business School | Barcelona, Spain 
• Fordham University | New York, New York 
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong
• London Business School | London, England 
• The University of Michigan - Ross School of Business | Ann Arbor, Michigan 
• The University of Texas at Austin - McCombs School of Business | Austin, Texas
• University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management | Toronto, Canada 
• York University - Schulich School of Business  | Ontario, Canada 

These Net Impact Chapters continue to demonstrate how business schools can be a hub for change within their communities and beyond. Their continued passion helped catapult their schools to the highest rankings and achieve this recognition! 

We are proud of these Chapters, and all our Chapters worldwide, for their accomplishments toward social and environmental change. To join or start a Net Impact Chapter on your campus or in your local community, get started here.