Virginia Darden – MBA Application 2021-22
Your why – your personal challenge – is how the Darden School of Business develops leaders.
MBA Application Deadlines 2021-22
| Round | Application Deadline |
| Early | September 9, 2021 |
| Round 1 | October 6, 2021 |
| Round 2 | January 5, 2022 |
| Round 3 | April 6, 2022 |
The Essay Topics
Essay Topic 1
Tell us what you would want your Learning Team to know about you that is not on your resume. (150 words)
Essay Topic 2
Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose. Please respond to one of the following prompts (200 words)
Option 1: Tell us about a time when you acted with a team to solve a problem or seize an opportunity. What role did you play? What did you learn from this experience?
Option 2: Tell us about a time you acted to solve a problem for the greater good. What drew you to this issue? What did you learn from this experience?
Essay Topic 3
The Darden School develops practices and cultivates a culture that reflects and incorporates the worldviews of its many community members. In this inclusive culture, the community learns important – and sometimes uncomfortable – lessons from one another, resulting in more conscientious global leaders and citizens.
Please respond to one of the following prompts (200 Words)
Option 1: Share a time when you learned something related to diversity, equity, or inclusion that was previously unknown to you? How did this experience impact your perspective?
Option 2: Share a time when you advocated for a perspective, identity, or community different from your own. How did this experience impact your worldview?
Essay Topic 4
What is your short-term, post-MBA goal, and how does it align with the long-term vision you have for your career? (150 words)
Essay Topic 5
The Batten Foundation Worldwide Scholarship provides all Darden students in our full-time MBA program with an opportunity to participate in a Darden Worldwide Course. If you could choose any location in the world, where would you want to travel, and why? (55 words)
GMAT/GRE Waiver
University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business is offering GMAT/GRE waiver on case-to-case basis. Find more details here: https://www.darden.virginia.edu/mba/admissions/apply/guidelines
School Data Class of 2022
Number of Applicants: 2,183
Admits: 524
Acceptance Rate: 24.4%
Women: 39%
International: 24%
Average GMAT: 703
Average GRE: 319
Average GPA: 3.5
Average Work Ex: 5 years
Class Size: 404 (Including the first ever January Cohort)
How is the MBA Program Structured?
The high-engagement learning MBA program has been ranked as the best MBA education experience, in the US, consecutively for nine years by The Economist.
During the first-year, students are divided into cohorts of 60 each and are given a heavy load of work. The students discuss three case-studies, on average, per day from Monday to Thursday (Friday is an off day). The Darden MBA’s case study method helps students improve not only on business skills but also on communication and presentation skills. The final quarter of the first year requires students to do an experiential learning course. On every Tuesday, through the first year, students sit through Darden Academy, a weekly session, to discuss contemporary issues and prep for the experiential project.
Students can choose among more than 100 electives during the second year to complete their general management focused MBA program.
UVA Darden MBA Ranking
| Ranking | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| Poets&Quants | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| USnews | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 |
| Forbes | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 16 |
| BusinessWeek | 5 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 12 |
| Financial Times | 12 | 12 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| The Economist | 13 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 3 |
Darden MBA Employment Stats
% of MBAs who received a job offer within 3 months of graduation
Darden MBA Salary Stats
| Year | Average Base Salary | Average Signing Bonus |
| 2019 | $135,000 | $30,000 |
| 2018 | $128,000 | $35,000 |
| 2017 | $125,000 | $32,000 |
| 2016 | $123,000 | $31,000 |
| 2015 | $112,000 | $18,000 |
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