Excelia, one of France’s leading higher education institutions, marks 2025 as a year of strong global recognition and strategic expansion. The establishment, comprising three schools – Excelia Business School, Excelia Hotel and Tourism School, and Excelia Communication School – continues to reinforce its appeal among international students, including a growing cohort from India.

Global Rankings and Academic Excellence for Excelia Business School

Excelia Business School was ranked 39th worldwide in the Financial Times 2025 Masters in Management ranking, and 12th among French business schools. The School also rose to 43rd globally in the FT Executive Education Custom ranking, a testament to the strong impact of its programmes and high employer satisfaction.

Excelia Business School’s MSc in International Business Management reached 18th place globally in the QS International Trade Rankings, 2025, and secured 1st position among French programmes. Four other programmes also appeared in QS Business Masters rankings for the fourth consecutive year: the Master in Management, the MSc Sustainable Global Supply Chain Management, the MSc Digital Marketing and the MSc Audit and Consultancy.

Excelia Business School continued to retain all three major international accreditations – AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA. The institution also obtained a fourth one in December, the EFMD Programme Accreditation for its Master’s in Management, reaffirming its academic rigor, innovative teaching, sustainability-led initiatives, and robust graduate employability outcomes.

Strategic Expansion in India and New Programmes

In India, the network of university partnerships expanded, through a new exchange agreement with IIM Udaipur, along with long-standing partnerships with institutions like BIMTECH (Greater Noida), IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IMT Ghaziabad, MDI Gurgaon, NMIMS (Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Shirpur), SDMIMD Mysore, and XLRI Jamshedpur.

Alongside its India-focused initiatives, Excelia launched several global academic developments that mark an important year of growth. Excelia Hotel & Tourism School introduced a new Bachelor’s in Tourism and Hospitality in Paris. Excelia Business School also broadened its digital portfolio with a suite of new AI courses and an “AI, Data & Business Analytics” specialization developed with the French school aivancity, equipping students with future-ready skills in an evolving global landscape.

Positive Impact and 2025-2030 Strategy Plan 

Excelia was recognized in the Positive Impact Rankings 2025, achieving Level 4 “Transforming” and maintaining strong positions in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, particularly for decent work, economic growth, and reducing inequalities.

Lastly, Excelia launched its 2025–2030 strategic plan. Entitled ‘Intelligences for our futureS’, its goal is to foster the emergence of new, multi-faceted forms of intelligence to be able to meet the major societal, environmental, and technological challenges. It also aims to position Excelia as a benchmark multidisciplinary establishment of general interest, dedicated to educating the players of the world of tomorrow, creating knowledge on the major issues of sustainability, and providing valuable support to companies. In September, the institution also unveiled a refreshed brand identity aligned with both its multi-campus growth and the new roadmap.

Bruno Neil, CEO of Excelia, looking back on a successful year, shared, “2025 has been a year of meaningful progress for Excelia. Our achievements reflect our commitment to excellence, innovation, sustainability, and global engagement. India remains a significant part of our international strategy, and we look forward to nurturing responsible, globally aware leaders from South Asia.”