UVA Darden Class of 2016 Sees Salary Increases, Strong Employer Demand

Students in the University of Virginia Darden School of Business Class of 2016 found a job market eager for their talents, with the most recent graduating class reporting a year-over-year increase in both average base salary and signing bonus.

According to the new MBA Employment Report from Darden’s Career Development Center (CDC), graduates of the residential MBA program reported an average base salary of $122,806, up from $119,819 for the Class of 2015, and an average signing bonus of $31,370, up from $29,634 for the previous class.

“It’s validating for everyone at Darden to see this strong employment data,” said Jeff McNish, assistant dean of the CDC. “The annual employment report confirms that Darden helps students build skills and abilities employers demand and, most importantly, students are getting the jobs they want.”

Consulting moved to the top spot for most popular industries for the Class of 2016, attracting 38 percent of graduates, outpacing financial services, which drew 27 percent of graduates. Jobs in the field of technology have grown more popular in recent years, with 17 percent of the Class of 2016 taking technology positions.

The Class of 2016 also saw more international opportunities, with 9 percent of the Class of 2016 taking positions outside of the United States.

Darden graduates join a global network of more than 15,000 alumni across 90 countries. In 2016, as part of its Which MBA? 2016 Global Rankings, The Economistnamed Darden No. 5 in the world in the category of “Open New Career Opportunities,” in addition to ranking the School the No. 3 MBA program in the world.

Consulting, financial services and technology will likely remain leading choices for the next class of Darden graduates, as the three fields remained the top choices for internships for members of the Class of 2017.