UVA Darden Launches Application for Full-Time MBA Class of 2027

Learn More About Test Flexibility, a New STEM Designation and Record Rankings

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business has launched the application for admission to the Full-Time MBA Class of 2027. Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Full-Time MBA program seeks talented students from across the world for the two-year experience.

Students joining Darden for the Class of 2027 will find a School with unprecedented momentum, record rankings, incredible career outcomes and new centers and initiatives focused on some of the world’s most pressing issues.

Students may apply to Darden by one of four deadlines:

• Early Action: 5 September 2024
• Round 1: 2 October 2024
• Round 2: 7 January 2025
• Round 3: 2 April 2025

The Early Action round includes non-binding and binding options, with the binding option available for students who know Darden is their first choice. Early Action applicants are also given the opportunity to schedule their own admissions interviews.

Highlights of the Full-Time MBA application cycle include:

Test flexibility and potential test waivers, with Darden accepting both previous and current editions of the GMAT as well as the GRE, MCAT, LSAT and the Executive Assessment. Students with alternate evidence of exemplary achievements may also apply for a test waiver. Applicants are encouraged to review a list of frequently asked questions and read more about the School’s approach to test flexibility.

Commitment to a truly holistic admissions process, with an application and interview process intended to allow candidates to highlight the depth of their experience, interests and aspirations.

In-person and virtual engagement opportunities around the globe, with the Darden Admissions team traveling to cities around the world for engagements. Prospective students will also be welcomed to Charlottesville for class visits and tours.

Wave of Rankings Excellence

Darden is consistently ranked as one of the top MBA programs in the world. Recent rankings include No. 1 public business school in the world from Financial Times, No. 3 business school overall in the U.S. from Bloomberg Businessweek, No. 8 overall from Poets & Quants and No. 10 from U.S. News & World Report. Darden excels in a range of metrics measured by top rankings, notably career and salary metrics and student and alumni satisfaction.

In November, The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine ranked Darden as the No. 8 graduate program for entrepreneurship studies, and the most recent rankings from The Princeton Review showed Darden ranked in the Top 10 in more categories than any other MBA program.

Charlottesville, too, routinely rates as one of the most desirable places to live and work in the U.S. Full-Time MBA students are able to take advantage of both the dynamism and convenience of a college town and the amenities of the Washington, D.C., area, where Darden hosts a variety of programming and more than 500 professional degree students study at UVA Darden DC Metro.

Scholarships Available, Up to and Including Full-Tuition

The Darden School of Business, as well as other partner foundations and organizations such as the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation, offer merit scholarships and competitive scholarships to students with a range of backgrounds and interests. The Batten Scholars program, for instance, offers an award up to full-tuition for more than 10 students each year interested in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology. The Oculus Fellowship offers a select number of full-tuition scholarships to those with outstanding academic ability, achievement and potential, as well as promise as a visionary business leader.

Darden provides need-based scholarships for those who qualify for the Access Darden program, along with opportunities for all students to apply for loans to cover nearly the total cost of attendance. Additionally, 100 percent of Full-Time MBA students have the opportunity to attend a global course with the cost of the course fee covered, thanks to the Batten Foundation Darden Worldwide Scholarship.

MBA Program Continues to Innovate to Meet Student Needs

While Darden has long been lauded for its education experience, with top faculty teaching via the case method, the School continues to build on strengths and explore new opportunities for students. Beginning with the Class of 2026, the Darden MBA is now STEM OPT-certified, a designation indicating a capability for analytical thinking that may be of particular interest to students interested in the technology sector, or international students interested in working in the United States after graduation.

Darden continues to carve out a unique role in the artificial intelligence space, with the School’s new Artificial Intelligence Initiative, which was launched with the aid of the largest gift in Darden School history, powering new offerings and ideas and helping to chart the course of responsible business and technology in the age of AI.

Other recent areas of development that have led to new courses and student opportunity include the Darden Real Estate Initiative, Sustainability Initiative, and Health Care Initiative. Each provides students with world-class curricular, experiential and professional offerings to support their educational interests and career pursuits, demonstrating Darden’s commitment to iterating on existing programming to ensure students have opportunity in a variety of fields.

Current Darden centers furthering the life of the School include the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology, which seeds ideas and provides opportunity for students and faculty in a variety of rapidly expanding sectors; the Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management, which, among other activities, sponsors the popular student-run Darden Capital Management program; and the Institute for Business in Society, which considers the role of business in creating an ethical, productive and abundant world.

Apply now.