UVA Darden Ranked No. 1 Public B-School in the World in 2024 Financial Times

Ranking Propelled by Student Satisfaction and Careers

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business is the top public business school in the world, according to new rankings from the Financial Times. Continuing its strong momentum, the School rose in multiple categories in the Financial Times’ 2024 ranking of the Top 100 global business schools, which comes on the heels other recent rankings placing Darden atop all public MBA programs in the U.S.

Financial Times’ global ranking of full-time MBA programs places Darden as the No. 1 public business school globally, up from No. 3 in 2023. Career-related metrics and student satisfaction helped drive the rankings up, with Darden ranked No. 4 in the world for overall student satisfaction, and No. 2 in MBA aims achieved. The ranking takes into account value for money, alumni aims achieved, diversity, academic research, environmental policies and salary information.

Other Top 10 global rankings in Financial Times aiding the School’s rise include:

• 2 for Carbon Footprint

• 4 in Alumni Satisfaction (not used in rankings calculation)

• 6 in Alumni Network

• 10 in Career Service

The School also ranked No. 2 among top-20 schools on the Employed At Three Months category. Overall, Darden is ranked No. 16 globally and No. 11 in the U.S., both year-over-year increases.

On the careers front, the School improved on an absolute basis in the categories of Weighted Salary and Salary Increase, rising $12,000 and 1 percent, respectively.

The Darden Full-Time MBA Class of 2023 reported the highest mean starting salary in school history for the fifth consecutive year, with an average base salary of $167,899.

The median starting salary remained at a record high of $175,000 for the second year in a row.

Darden experts are also cited in related articles, with Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Clarke offering advice on making the most of an application and Senior Associate Dean for Professional Degree Programs Yael Grushka-Cockayne commenting on the rise of flexible, Part-Time MBA programs.

The upward trajectory in the Financial Times ranking follows increases in other key rankings. In September 2023, Darden was ranked No. 3 by Bloomberg Businessweek, its highest ever from the publication. Three months later Poets & Quants, using its composite tally of five major MBA rankings, ranked Darden No. 8.

In January, Poets & Quants named Darden one of “10 Business Schools to Watch in 2024,” in part because Darden had achieved what it called the most difficult outcome of any business: “happy customers.”