Villa College Business School Secures International SAQS Accreditation

The Qasim Ibrahim School of Business at Villa College has been awarded accreditation under the South Asian Quality Assurance System (SAQS), becoming the first institution in the Maldives to receive the regional recognition.

SAQS is a quality assurance framework designed to benchmark business schools in Asia against standards comparable to global accreditation bodies such as Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, European Quality Improvement System and Association of MBAs. The accreditation is administered by the Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia, a network established in 1989 that connects more than 330 management institutes across South Asia. The accreditation has previously been granted to institutions in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. 

In a press release, Villa College said the accreditation marks a major milestone not only for the institution but also for the Maldives’ higher education sector. The Qasim Ibrahim School of Business is the largest academic school at Villa College by student enrolment and offers the highest number of locally developed programmes.

Speaking at a meeting held to mark the achievement, Vice Rector Ali Najeeb described the accreditation as a significant moment for the country’s education system.

“This is a moment of great pride for the Maldives and a major success for our higher education system,” he said, noting that the college has long sought to maintain high standards in business education.

Dean of the school Abdulla Nafiz said the accreditation offers assurance to employers about the quality of graduates.

Under the accreditation, 13 business and management programmes offered by the school—five at master’s level and eight at bachelor’s level—have been internationally recognised. The school is now authorised to use the “SAQS Accredited” quality label.

The programmes covered under the accreditation include:

• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• MA in Human Resource Management
• MSc in Aviation Management
• MSc in Project Management
• Master of Professional Accounting
• BA (Hons) in Banking and Finance
• BA (Hons) in Human Resource Management and Development
• BA (Hons) in Business and Aviation Management
• BA (Hons) in Business and Project Management
• BA (Hons) in Business Management
• BA (Hons) in Business Management and Marketing
• BSc (Hons) in Accounting and Finance
• BA (Hons) in Tourism and Hotel Management.

According to the college, receiving accreditation from an independent international body confirms that its business degrees meet global standards and enhances graduate employability, industry engagement and opportunities for continuous academic improvement.

Applications for the next intake at Villa College are currently open for May, said Villa College, offering students in the Maldives the opportunity to pursue internationally accredited business programmes locally.