Lang School achieves “transforming” status in the Positive Impact Rating Edition 2025
The Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics has been recognized for its societal impact and commitment to sustainability as part of the sixth edition of the Positive Impact Rating (PIR), launched today at the PIR Global Summit 2025 and also acknowledged during the UN PRME Global Forum.
The Lang School is one of the 86 business schools from 30 countries participating in this year’s edition, which saw a record engagement of 17,167 student responses, a 13% increase from the previous year. The school achieved Level 4, making it a transforming institution within the PIR framework.
The PIR is a unique rating created by students, for students. It was designed to capture how participants perceive their schools’ positive impact on the world. In 2025, the PIR introduced a key innovation: the Faculty Survey, which some schools, including the Lang School chose to implement, allowing a comparison between student and faculty perspectives. This dual-stakeholder lens helps identify alignment or divergence in perception and fosters shared learning.
By participating in PIR 2025, Lang continues to demonstrate its commitment to transparency and to listening to the voice of its key stakeholders. Dean Sara Mann commented:
“Our strong performance in this year’s Positive Impact Rating reflects the tremendous value we place on ensuring our students have the tools to change the world. Our ethos is modelled around treating business as a force for good and I’m so proud of the students, faculty, and staff who make that vision a reality.”
The PIR uses 20 questions grouped into seven dimensions across three overarching areas: Energizing, Educating, and Engaging. These results place schools into one of five levels, three of which are published: Level 3 (Progressing), Level 4 (Transforming), and Level 5 (Pioneering).
Prof. Thomas Dyllick, PIR Founder and Member of the Supervisory Board, stated:
“While future students now have an alternative source to select their business school, schools refer to the PIR primarily to measure and communicate their transformational progress. The voice of the student has become a true source of value.”
The PIR was initiated by a coalition of business school experts and international NGOs such as WWF, Oxfam, and UN Global Compact, and is supported by student organizations including oikos, AIESEC, and Net Impact. It is also backed by VIVA Idea (Costa Rica), the Institute for Business Sustainability Foundation, and FehrAdvice (Switzerland).
New in 2025, PIR now also offers additional reporting modules to support schools in their PRME, AACSB, and EQUIS accreditation processes, enabling them to use PIR data to report on Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability (ERS) requirements with stakeholder-derived evidence.