In 1997, ESSEC was the first school outside North America to win AACSB accreditation (a world-class reference). In 2002, ESSEC created the European MBA open to ESSEC students in a partnership with the Universities of Warwick and Mannheim. ESSEC Group was awarded the EQUIS accreditation in 2003, a quality label that rewards teaching excellence and potential for innovation in the European educational market.