UVA Darden Kicks Off Admissions Season With New Application Dates, Expanded Scholarships and an Early Option

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business today announced that its application for the full-time MBA Class of 2021 is now live. Additionally, the School announced its admissions calendar and unveiled several innovations to the admissions process, including a new early action round with an open interview process and additional opportunities to interact with the School.

Taken together, the new initiatives enable more prospective applicants to get to know Darden’s education experience — named the world’s best by The Economist seven years in a row — and learn about the wide-ranging opportunities for study and scholarship early in the admissions cycle.

“The Darden experience is unique in graduate business education and highly compelling for students defined by purpose and a desire to put that purpose to work,” said Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Dawna Clarke. “We hope to make the admissions process as dynamic and straightforward as possible for prospective students, while also developing additional avenues to visit Grounds and see the Darden difference.”

Full-Time MBA Admissions Updates

The case-based curriculum of Darden’s full-time, two-year MBA focuses on a foundational core of business topics in the First Year and over 100 elective courses in the Second Year, allowing students the opportunity to customize their Darden experience. After graduation, students begin purpose-driven, global careers at top companies and organizations, reporting some of the highest starting salaries among new MBA graduates.

Updates and enhancements to the full-time MBA admissions process include:

• New Early Action Deadline With Open Interviews: The full-time MBA program will now have four application rounds. The first is a new early action round designed for candidates who know Darden is their school of choice. Applications for early action are due Friday, 7 September 2018. Candidates who apply early action have the option to schedule their interview on their own timeline and do not need to wait for an invitation.
• New Application Deadlines: The application deadlines for the other three full-time admissions rounds are:
  Round 1: Thursday, 4 October 2018
  Round 2: Thursday, 10 January 2019
  Round 3: Wednesday, 3 April 2019
• New Scholarships for Top Students: Fundraising for scholarships at Darden has increased 700 percent over the past two years. Innovations to the School’s scholarship offerings include:
  • The Batten Scholars Program: Sponsored by Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, this competitive program supports full- and partial-tuition scholarships for top students with interest and experience in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.
  • New Batten Foundation Darden Worldwide Scholarships: Beginning in the 2018–19 academic year, the scholarship program will fund the course fees for all full-time students who participate in a Darden Worldwide Course.
  • Madison and Monroe Scholarships: These prestigious scholarships will be awarded each year to top candidates.
• Darden Jefferson Fellowships Competition: Top candidates from around the globe will now have the opportunity to compete for a nomination for the prestigious Darden Jefferson Fellowship, directed by the Jefferson Scholars Foundation. International candidates interested in the fellowship must apply in Darden’s Early Action round. Applications will be reviewed by the Darden Admissions Committee and considered for nomination to the Jefferson Scholars Foundation. U.S.-based candidates interested in the fellowship should apply Early Action or in Round 1.
• New Darden Showcase Events: Darden will offer several new showcases built to highlight its vibrant and engaging learning environment on Grounds. Prospective students are welcome to attend any of the events, and more will be added through the summer. See the full schedule.
• New Admissions Events: Darden will host a series of admissions events in major cities on six continents and participate in the Poets & Quants CentreCourt MBA Festival in multiple cities. See the full schedule.

Future Year Scholars Program

Darden’s Future Year Scholars Program, announced earlier this year, offers exceptional undergraduate and fifth-year graduate program students the opportunity to gain acceptance into one of the world’s top MBA programs before beginning their professional journey. Admitted scholars may begin the full-time MBA after gaining two, three or four years of work experience. Upon matriculating, scholars receive a partial scholarship and are eligible to receive additional scholarship funding.

The deadline for the next admissions round for Future Year Scholars is 1 August 2018.

Executive MBA

There is still time to apply for the Charlottesville cohort of the Executive MBA for the Class of 2020, which begins in August. The final application deadline is 25 June 2018. Designed to fit the schedules of busy working professionals, Executive MBA students choose between Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area for monthly residencies. Schedule a conversation to learn more about the Executive MBA.