The UVA Darden MBA program consistently ranks among the top 20 programs in the world. Within the United States, Darden most often ranks within the top 15 programs. UVA is a historical university that was established more than 200 years ago, making it one of the oldest public research universities in the country. UVA has included numerous U.S. presidents and Nobel laureates within its alumni and faculty. The UVA Darden MBA program is known for its collaborative, tight-knit community and the case study teaching method.
Guides: Business School Insider’s Guides
mbaMission’s UVA Darden School of Business Administration Insider’s Guide
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business sits among the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where it has produced prominent business leaders since its founding in 1954. Darden emphasizes general management education over a focus on a specific industry or management function and so has developed broad fields of study within which students can choose classes that meet their personal career needs and interests. Within each field, the school offers guidance on relevant core and elective courses, useful clubs, and extracurricular activities. The school also offers students the option to choose a delineated concentration.
Although Darden’s MBA program is almost entirely case method, and the classroom focus is on students’ discussions, the students and alumni we interviewed asserted that the professors still make a difference in the quality of a class.
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- Class size: Smaller versus Larger
- Curriculum: Flexibly versus Mandatory Core
- Pedagogy: Lecture versus case method
- Academic Specializations/Recruitment Focus: Resources and Employers
- Professional Specializations
- Location: Urban Campus versus College Town
- Facilities: Shaping the Academic/Social Experience
- Alumni Base: Opportunities to Engage
- Rankings and Reputation: Important Metrics or Arbitrary Measures?
- The Dean: Scott C. Beardsley
- Notable Professors and Unsung Heroes
- Social/Community Life
- Academic Summary
- Admissions Basics
- University of Virginia (Darden) Essay Tips, 2024-2025
- UVA Darden Class Profile (Class of 2025)
- UVA Darden Employment Statistics (Class of 2023)
UVA Darden FAQs
Is UVA Darden a good MBA?
What is the average GMAT score for UVA Darden?
The average GMAT score for the UVA Darden Class of 2025 is 716 and the median GMAT score is 710. The middle 80% range is 680–750. Other recent incoming classes had similar average GMAT scores.
What is the average salary for UVA Darden MBA?
The average base salary for the UVA Darden MBA Class of 2023 was $167,899 and the median base salary was $175,000. The average signing bonus for the Class of 2023 was $37,588 and the median signing bonus was $30,000. UVA Darden MBA graduates go into such industries as consulting, where the average starting salary for the Class of 2023 was $182,123; financial services, where the average starting salary was $167,573; and technology, where the average starting salary was $152,681.
In terms of job functions, UVA Darden MBAs who accepted jobs with a consulting function received an average starting salary of $181,454. Jobs with a finance/accounting function received an average starting salary of $167,073, and jobs with a general management function received an average starting salary of $143,557.
What is the acceptance rate for UVA Darden EMBA?
UVA Darden does not release information on the acceptance rate of the EMBA program. The MBA program, however, received 2,834 applications during the 2022–2023 application season. The admissions committee at UVA Darden accepted 1,116 applicants, which puts the MBA program acceptance rate at 39.4%. UVA Darden is a selective school, but not as selective as some—for example, Stanford GSB accepts less than 10% of its applicant pool each year.