Darden School of Business

About the School

The Darden School of Business is affiliated with the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. The School offers MBA, Ph.D., and Executive Education programs. Darden is on the terrains of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Renowned for being one of the leading business schools to use the case method as its single means of teaching.

An Overview

Rank

Class Size

Course Fee ($)

Course Duration (months)

Average GMAT Score

Average GRE Score

Average Age	27
International Students	33%
Gender	40% (Women)
Average Work Experience	4 Years

Asset Management/Sales & Trading
Corporate Finance/Investment Banking
Entrepreneurship
Marketing
Strategy Consulting
Supply Chain Management

Darden identifies academic and professional distinction through scholarship prizes. Competitive scholarships are meant to reward proved exemplary ability and are one tool they use to help interest top-students. Through these awards, the Darden School seeks to acknowledge a recipient’s experience while funding in their future.

Most of Darden’s merit-based scholarships do not need an additional application. If admitted, students will be assessed for convenient scholarships, which are competitively granted based on a mixture of metrics and considerations.

Scholarships such as the Batten Scholars and Jefferson Fellowships programs require a supplemental application.

Darden students make connections with hundreds of companies, recruiters, and Darden alumni and friends every year. Darden’s ‘The Career Center’ strives to recognize, nurture, and encourage engagement with top companies from around the world. By a variety of on-Grounds events, global career conventions and job treks, and a dedicated network of alumni positioned in a variety of industries and locations, Darden students enter profoundly sought-after internships and full-time roles.

Why Students Love to Call Darden Grounds Home

Notable Alumni

Mark Sanford

Former Governor of South Carolina

Steven S. Reinemund

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo

John Strangfeld

Former Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Prudential Financial

Robert Citrone

American billionaire hedge fund manager, Co-Founder of Discovery Capital Management

Darden School of Business MBA Application Process

The latest application requirements set by the Darden School of Business MBA admission office are described below.

Essay 1: Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose. Please provide an example of a situation in which you have made a meaningful impact.
Word limit: 200 words

Essay 2: Diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission, and they work best when they are an integral and celebrated part of our community. Read the University of Virginia’s Diversity & Inclusion Vision Statement. Share a time in which you engaged with a perspective, identity, community, or experience that was different from your own and how it impacted your worldview.
Word limit: 200 words

Essay 3: 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?
Word limit: 50 words

Essay 4: Tell us what you would want your learning team to know about you – personally, professionally, or both?
Word limit: 100 words

Essay 5: What is your short-term, post-MBA goal and why?
Word limit: 150 words

Rounds	Application Deadlines
Round 1	Oct 5, 2020
Round 2	Jan 4, 2021
Round 3	Apr 7, 2021

One letter of recommendation is required, but you may submit up to two for review by the committee. You should seek recommendations from people capable of commenting on your professional, leadership, and intellectual capabilities.
When completing your online application, you will be prompted to provide contact information for at least one reference. He or she will be contacted via email and invited to complete the letter of recommendation online. The Common Letter of Recommendation is designed to save you and your referee’s time, as the questions and written prompts will remain constant for all participating schools.

Tips for recommendation letters:

Who can give a recommendation: You will have to provide details of one recommender who can be your reporting manager / previous manager/ senior colleague / current client/ previous client/business partner/ supplier/ auditor etc.
It should not be a bunch of adjectives. The recommender should add specific instances/examples of your professional work together.
Academic recommendations ( from professors/teachers etc) are not valid
The recommender should send the recommendation from the official email id only. If the recommender does not have an official id – then proof that you reported / or was supervised by this person should be attached.
Go by the quality of the evaluation rather than the seniority of the designation.