Students Rate UVA Darden No. 2 in Latest Bloomberg Businessweek Rankings

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business was ranked the No. 12 MBA program in the United States for the second year in a row by Bloomberg Businessweek in its Best Business Schools 2016. In addition, The Princeton Review released its “Top Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies for 2017,” ranking Darden No. 11 among graduate schools.

The Bloomberg Businessweek ranking methodology incorporates three surveys — a student survey (15 percent weighting), an alumni survey (30 percent) and an employer survey (35 percent) — as well as a job placement rank (10 percent) and salary rank (10 percent). Darden’s place rose in four of the five metrics compared to the 2015 ranking, including a rise to No. 2 overall in the student survey.

“The student survey result is a testament to the fantastic learning and growth environment Darden’s students, faculty and staff help create,” said Molly Duncan (Class of 2016), president of the Darden Student Association. “The overall ranking confirms the strengths Darden works to protect, and the areas of opportunity are being addressed through a collaborative approach involving students and the administration.”

Based on data for the Class of 2015, Darden graduates ranked No. 11 for salary and No. 12 for job placement.

Thirty percent of Darden’s Class of 2015 graduates accepted jobs in finance, while 29 percent went into consulting. Continuing a trend of strong hiring growth, 15 percent of students accepted technology industry positions. The Top 8 hiring companies for the Class of 2015, listed alphabetically, were:

• Accenture
• Amazon
• Bain & Co.
• Boston Consulting Group
• Goldman Sachs
• JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• McKinsey & Co.
• Microsoft

For the 2016–17 academic year, Darden continues to grow support for its recruiting and hiring services through innovations in its Career Development Center (CDC).

Industry veteran Jeff McNish joined the School as assistant dean of the CDC in November. McNish will lead an expansion of the CDC to provide additional job placement services for Darden Second Year students as well as new staff support in the Washington, D.C., area for students in the Rosslyn, Virginia, section of the Darden Executive MBA.

“The Career Development Center is committed to helping employers tap into the immense pool of talent at Darden,” McNish said.

More than 120 companies recruit at Darden and most students receive job offers through on-Grounds recruiting. While ensuring a strong recruiting presence for employers in core hiring areas, Darden also works with employers in emerging sectors like technology to grow their recruiting opportunities on Grounds.

“Through our efforts to enhance services for recruiters, combined with the incredibly talented students choosing to attend the School, Darden will continue to excel at helping future leaders achieve top career outcomes that allow them to improve the world,” said McNish.

In October, Darden was ranked the No. 3 MBA program in the world by The Economist and the No. 1 education experience in the world for the sixth year in a row.