Application Opens to Secure Spot in Future UVA Darden Class Through Future Year Scholars Program

The application for the University of Virginia Darden School of Business’ deferred MBA admissions program is now live.

The Future Year Scholars program offers an alternative pathway for top undergraduate students seeking entry to Darden’s full-time MBA program, which was recently ranked No. 5 in the United States by Bloomberg Businessweek and the No. 1 education experience in the U.S. by The Economist for the ninth year in a row.

In addition to strong momentum across rankings, Darden graduates are setting records in a number of career categories, and the Class of 2019 recently reported a School record average starting salary at more than $135,000.

Students in the final year of their undergraduate program or those pursuing a fifth-year master’s degree may apply for entry into a future Darden MBA class. If admitted as a Future Year Scholar, individuals complete two to four years of professional work experience before joining Darden on a full-time basis at a later date.

“If you know an MBA is in your future, the Future Year Scholars program is a great way to seek your place among some of the brightest minds in graduate business education,” said Dawna Clarke, executive director of admissions at the Darden School. “You’ll tap into many of the incredible lifelong benefits of the Darden School at the beginning of your career.”

The Future Year Scholar path offers a number of benefits for future students:

• Admitted students are able to access the powerful Darden network — including roughly 700 full-time MBA students and more than 16,000 alumni in 90 countries.
• Students may choose to make bold moves early in their post-collegiate career, secure in the knowledge that entry to a top MBA program awaits.
• Admitted scholars are considered for scholarship awards both at the time of admission and the time of matriculation.

Gaston Quantz applied to the Future Year Scholars program after earning his undergraduate degree in systems and information engineering at the University of Virginia. Now an analyst at the Atlanta-based Insight Sourcing Group, Quantz said the program was an ideal fit for his personal and professional interests and goals.

“It was too great to pass up the opportunity that being a Future Year Scholar would give me to spend my first professional years exploring curiosities without concern about any career risks or shifts they might create,” said Quantz. “I have already made one major job change without second thought due to this phenomenal opportunity.”

Deadlines for the Future Year Scholars program are 6 January, 6 April and 1 August. Prospective students are encouraged to apply whenever they believe their application will be strongest.