UVA Darden Opens MBA Class of 2029 Applications, Adds New On-Grounds Housing Option

New application cycle features expanded spring deadlines, a new video essay, new application fee reductions and waiver policies, new applicant resources and eligibility to apply for Darden’s first on-Grounds residential housing for Full-Time MBA students.

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business has opened the application for the Full-Time MBA Class of 2029, welcoming candidates seeking to join Darden’s residential MBA experience beginning in August 2027.

The 2026–27 application cycle includes a range of updates designed to expand access, increase flexibility and help prospective students better understand — and share — how they will contribute to Darden’s highly interactive learning community.

This year’s application highlights include a new video essay, expanded spring deadlines, continued standardized test flexibility and test waiver options, engagement-based application fee reductions and application fee waivers, a new application tips video playlist, and eligibility for incoming students to apply for Darden’s first on-Grounds residential housing for Full-Time MBA students.

Willie Green, senior assistant dean for admissions at Darden.

“This application cycle reflects Darden’s commitment to getting to know candidates as whole people — not just through scores or transcripts, but through their experiences, goals, communication style and potential to contribute to our community,” said Willie Green, senior assistant dean for admissions. “We want applicants to have more ways to engage with Darden, more resources to put forward a strong application and more flexibility in how they demonstrate readiness for a highly collaborative, student-centered learning environment.”

Students may apply to Darden by one of six deadlines:

• Early Action: Wednesday, 9 September 2026
• Round 1: Wednesday, 7 October 2026
• Round 2: Thursday, 7 January 2027
• Round 3 – March: Monday, 1 March 2027
• Round 3 – April: Thursday, 1 April 2027
• Round 3 – May: Saturday, 1 May 2027

Applicants can access the full application and apply to join the Class of 2029 here.

A full calendar of opportunities to connect with Darden — online, on Grounds in Charlottesville and around the world — will support prospective students throughout the application process. On-Grounds options include Day With Darden, MBA Class Visits, Friday Chat and Tour and additional events that allow prospective students to experience the case method, meet members of the Darden community and explore student life in Charlottesville.

Darden will also host online programming and meet candidates through events in cities around the world, including opportunities through the MBA Tour, Consortium MAPS and Forté Forums.

Prospective students can view the full events calendar here.

What’s New This Year

New Leadership at Darden

The application launch comes as Darden enters a new chapter under the leadership of Yael Grushka-Cockayne, who will become dean of the Darden School on 1 August 2026. Grushka-Cockayne is the 10th dean in Darden’s history and the first woman permanently appointed to lead the School. She previously served as senior associate dean for the Full-Time MBA Program and is academic co-director of the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business.

Darden also begins the cycle with new admissions leadership. Willie Green began as senior assistant dean for admissions in May 2026, leading admissions strategy and teams across Darden’s degree programs, including the Full-Time MBA. Green brings more than 15 years of experience across higher education and industry, including roles at the University of Virginia, Duke University, Amazon and Google.

New On-Grounds Residential Housing for Full-Time MBA Students

Incoming Full-Time MBA students in the Class of 2029 will be eligible to apply to live in Darden’s first on-Grounds residential community for Full-Time MBA students.

The new residential community is expected to open in 2027 and will include 216 apartment-style units with more than 325 beds, along with spaces designed for study, collaboration, recreation and community-building.

Located steps from Darden classrooms, faculty offices and community spaces, the housing project is a major investment in the School’s residential MBA experience and is designed to further enhance the ways Darden students build connections inside and outside the classroom.

New Video Essay in the Application

For the 2026–27 cycle, Darden has added a video essay to the Full-Time MBA application. Applicants will receive a prompt selected at random from a large pool of questions, then have 10 seconds to prepare and 90 seconds to record their response. The video essay gives applicants another way to share their voice, communication style and critical thinking skills — integral components of the case method classroom.

Expanded Spring Deadlines

Darden has expanded its spring application options with three Round 3 deadlines: 1 March, 1 April and 1 May 2027. The additional deadlines are designed to give candidates more flexibility later in the admissions cycle while preserving clear decision points for applicants preparing to begin the program in August 2027.

Application Fee Waivers and Engagement-Based Fee Reductions

Darden continues to offer application fee waivers for qualifying candidates based on select criteria. For the 2026–27 cycle, the School is also offering engagement-based application fee reductions of $100 and $150, depending on the type of event attended.

Applicants can learn more about application fee waivers and reductions here.

New Application Tips Video Playlist

To help candidates prepare stronger applications, Darden has developed a new application tips video playlist featuring guidance from members of the Admissions team.

The playlist is designed to help applicants understand the process, avoid common mistakes and approach each part of the application with greater clarity.

View the application tips playlist here.

Strategic Partners

Darden partners with organizations including The Consortium, Forté, Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), and Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA), among others, to help prospective students prepare competitive applications for admission through application guidance, and professional development. Once enrolled, these partners continue to enrich the student experience by providing leadership development, career resources, networking opportunities, and a strong community that supports Darden students throughout their MBA journey and beyond.

Darden plans to engage candidates this cycle through several in-person partner events including Consortium MAPS and Forté Forums.

Scholarship and Affordability Opportunities

Darden continues to offer a wide range of merit- and need-based scholarship opportunities that help make the Full-Time MBA experience more accessible and affordable.

All admitted students are considered for merit-based scholarships based on their admission package.

Competitive scholarship opportunities, part of Darden’s merit-based awards,  include Jefferson Fellowships through the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, Oculus Fellowships, Batten Scholars Program awards and other competitive scholarships that recognize leadership, academic excellence, entrepreneurial potential and impact. Additional support opportunities include first-generation scholarships, military scholarships, global course support through the Batten Foundation Darden Worldwide Scholarship, and other targeted funding resources. Darden also offers AccessDarden, a need-based financial support program designed to make a Darden education more accessible for students from a wide range of backgrounds.

Learn more about scholarships and financial aid here.

Learn more about AccessDarden here.

Darden’s Rankings Highlight

Darden continues to be recognized among the top MBA programs in the United States and the world, with especially strong results in public MBA, faculty, management, career outcomes and alumni measures.

Recent rankings highlights include:

• 1 public full-time MBA program in the U.S. — Poets&Quants, for the third consecutive year
• 1 for employment rates at graduation and three months after graduation among top 20 U.S. business schools — U.S. News & World Report
• Highest average starting salary and bonus among public schools in the S. News & World Report ranking
• 1 Best Professors — The Princeton Review
• 1 Best MBA for Management — The Princeton Review
• 2 U.S. public business school and No. 9 U.S. full-time MBA program — Financial Times 2026 Global MBA ranking
• 19 global MBA program — Financial Times 2026 Global MBA ranking

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