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Accreditation·Principles

5 principles. Concrete criteria.

Accreditation is granted against five principles — none decorative. Each principle is supported by 3-5 concrete, verifiable criteria. Auditors can score, alumni can verify, peers can challenge.

P1

Pedagogical rigor

Curriculum is grounded in proven entrepreneurship frameworks; faculty has both academic credentials and operational experience.

Verifiable criteria
  • ●Documented learning outcomes per course, mapped to a recognized framework (lean, design thinking, RBV, effectuation, etc.).
  • ●≥ 40% of core faculty has founded, scaled, or invested in real ventures (verified CVs).
  • ●Independent peer review of the curriculum every 3 years (publishable report).
  • ●Continuous-improvement cycle visible to students (annual quality review, alumni feedback loop).
P2

Practical immersion

Substantial real-world component: clinics, internships, accelerators, founder-in-residence programs.

Verifiable criteria
  • ●≥ 25% of program hours dedicated to applied work with real clients/ventures.
  • ●Active relationships with at least 5 ecosystem operators (incubators, VCs, corporates, NGOs).
  • ●Founder-in-residence or executive-in-residence program documented and active.
  • ●Student-led venture clinic with measurable advice volume per semester.
P3

Ecosystem integration

Active partnerships with regional incubators, funders, and corporates. Students embedded in the ecosystem from day one.

Verifiable criteria
  • ●Formal MoUs with at least 3 categories of ecosystem actors (public, private, social).
  • ●≥ 1 ecosystem-immersion week per academic year, documented.
  • ●Ongoing student/alumni representation on ecosystem governance bodies.
  • ●Pull-through metric: % of alumni still active in the local ecosystem 3 years post-graduation.
P4

Diversity & inclusion

Documented outreach and admission policies that go beyond top-tier urban demographics.

Verifiable criteria
  • ●Published admissions policy with explicit equity targets (region, gender, socio-economic background).
  • ●Bridge programs or scholarships covering ≥ 15% of admitted cohort.
  • ●Anonymized cohort composition data available to OSE auditors.
  • ●Annual review of inclusion outcomes, with action plan for the following year.
P5

Outcome tracking

Longitudinal alumni tracking: ventures created, jobs generated, capital raised, social impact.

Verifiable criteria
  • ●Alumni database actively maintained for ≥ 5 years post-graduation.
  • ●Publicly reported metrics: ventures launched, employment generated, fundraising totals, regional distribution.
  • ●Methodology to handle survivorship bias documented and applied.
  • ●Comparison vs. control / peer benchmark conducted at least every 2 years.
How it works

The accreditation cycle.

1.
Application

Self-assessment using our digital workbook. ~6 weeks.

2.
On-site review

2-day site visit with peer reviewers + faculty interviews.

3.
Scoring

Independent panel scores against the 5 principles. Decision in 30 days.

4.
Annual diagnostic

Year-on-year tracking with public metrics. Re-accreditation every 3 years.

Ready to apply?

Tell us about your program — we’ll send the digital self-assessment workbook within 48 hours.

Apply for accreditation →
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