Darden Rises Two Places in The Economist MBA Rankings, Rated Best U.S. Education Experience for Tenth Straight Time
By Dave Hendrick
The Economist has named the University of Virginia Darden School of Business the No. 14 MBA program in the world and No. 12 in the United States. Both rankings are two places higher than in 2019, when the School last participated.
Moreover, as part of its annual WhichMBA? ranking of Full-Time MBA programs, the publication ranked Darden No. 1 for education experience in the U.S., the 10th ranking in a row in which Darden achieved the top spot (excluding 2020/21 when Darden did not participate due to disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic).
In addition to the top experience ranking, Darden ranked highly in a variety of other categories, including No. 9 overall for salary worldwide. Among public schools, The Economist ranks Darden No. 1 in the world for salary. Darden also secured the top global spot in student and alumni rating of faculty.
Although The Economist salary figures are based on lagging data, salaries for recent Darden classes have set records, with early data from the Class of 2022 showing a median base salary of $175,000 — a 21 percent increase from the Class of 2021 and the fourth year in a row of record salaries.
In March, U.S. News & World Report ranked Darden No. 1 among public graduate MBA programs for average starting salary and bonus and No. 5 among all schools.
The Economist ranking is based on a combination of school data and feedback surveys from recent graduates and current students. The rankings focus on career opportunities, overall educational experience, salary outcomes and alumni network.
The Darden School recently released is application to join the Full-Time MBA Class of 2025.
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 18,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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