Program Basics

• • University of Virginia Darden School of Business
  • Darden School of Business
  • 100 Darden Boulevard
  • Charlottesville, 22903, Virginia
  • United States
  • Program Web site: http://www.darden.virginia.edu/web/Home/
  • Status: Public
  • Program e-mail address: darden@virginia.edu
  • Graduate business school is accredited by:
    • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

SCHOOL BASICS

• Graduate business school enrollment:

  • Total: 799
  • Full-Time MBA: 657
  • Executive MBA: 129
  • PhD Program: 13

PROGRAM COSTS

• Total direct costs (tuition and required fees) of the entire MBA program:

  • Resident: $91,500.00
  • Nonresident: $101,500.00
  • Recommended annual budget (Resident): $70,500.00
  • Recommended annual budget (Nonresident): $75,500.00

PROGRAM LENGTH

• • Full-time program (months): 21

ADMISSIONS

• Application Deadlines

  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Oct 17, 2011
  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Jan 12, 2012
  • Semester: Fall 2012
  • Deadline: Apr 4, 2012
• • Does the program have rolling admissions? No
  • Is proficiency in English required for admission? Yes
  • Is a minimum score on an English language proficiency test required? No

• Which English language proficiency tests are accepted?

  • • IELTS
    • TOEFL Internet Based Test
    • TOEFL Paper-based Test

• Relative Importance of Application Elements:

  • GMAT Score: Very Important
  • Resume/Work Experience: Very Important
  • Application Essays: Very Important
  • Interviews: Very Important
  • Recommendations: Very Important
  • Undergraduate Transcripts: Very Important

APPLICANTS

• • Applications (admitted and denied) to the newest class: 2,269
  • Applicants who were accepted to the most recent class: 25 %
  • Admitted applicants who enrolled in the newest class: 54 %
  • Applicants who were re-applicants from prior years: 6 %
  • Percentage of this year's reapplicants accepted: 21 %
  • Applicant interviews are: By invitation only
  • Admitted applicants who were interviewed: 100 %

CLASS PROFILE

• Full-time students in newest entering class (2010-2011) that are:

  • Female: 29 %
  • International: 27 %

• Students from following regions:

  • Africa: 1 %
  • Asia: 15 %
  • Europe: 6 %
  • North America: 71 %
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: 3 %
  • Oceania: 0 %
  • Dual citizenship: 4 %

• Percentage of U.S. students in newest entering class that are:

  • African American: 6 %
  • Asian American: 20 %
  • Hispanic or Latino American: 6 %
  • Native American: 1 %
  • White (Non-Hispanic): 59 %
  • Chose not to report: 7 %
  • Other: 1 %

• Percentage of U.S. students in newest entering class who are from the following regions:

  • Northeast: 33 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 31 %
  • South: 11 %
  • Southwest: 6 %
  • Midwest: 6 %
  • West: 13 %
• • Mean months of work experience of newest entering class: 56
  • Median months of work experience of newest entering class: 52

• Middle 80% range of work experience of newest entering class in months:

  • From: 37
  • To: 83
• • Median age of entering class: 27
  • Mean age of entering class: 27

FINANCIAL AID

• • Full-time MBAs apply for financial aid through: Dedicated financial aid office at the B-school
  • Full-time MBAs who applied for financial aid for the current academic year: 78 %
  • Full-time MBAs receiving financial aid in the current academic year: 75 %
  • Mean MBA financial aid package for the current academic year: $56,150.00
  • Median MBA financial aid package for the current academic year: $70,000.00
  • On what basis are scholarships awarded?
    • academic merit
  • How does an applicant apply for scholarship consideration? all candidates are considered for scholarship
  • Mean scholarship awarded to full-time MBAs in the previous academic year: $28,343.00
  • Percentage of first-year students receiving financial aid who receive at least the same amount in their second year of study: 98 %
  • Does the school offer a guaranteed loan to all MBAs regardeless of nationality? Yes
  • Mean outstanding debt among the most recent graduates from the full-time MBA program: $90,949.00

GMAT

• • Are applicants required to take the GMAT? No
  • Are applicants allowed to submit the GRE? Yes
  • If not, how are applicants' quantitative abilities checked before enrollment? GRE scores, undergraduate transcript and professional experience.

• GMAT score distribution (applicant pool):

  • 10th Percentile 610
  • 25th Percentile 660
  • 50th Percentile (median) 700
  • 75th Percentile 720
  • Average GMAT Score 686
  • 90th Percentile 740

• GMAT score distribution (incoming class):

  • 25th Percentile 680
  • 50th Percentile (median) 710
  • 75th Percentile 730
  • 10th Percentile 643
  • Average GMAT Score 701
  • 90th Percentile 750

CLASS OFFERINGS

• • Average number of students in a full-time MBA core class: 60
  • Average number of students in a full-time MBA elective class: 44
  • Elective courses available to full-time MBA students: 174

• Electives that have been added to the full-time program since June 30, 2010:

  • Strategic Alliances
  • Leadership Strategies
  • Global Industry Economics
  • International Deal Making
  • Creativity and Design Thinking

• Concentrations and specializations offered to full-time MBA students:

  • • Consulting
    • Finance
    • Entrepreneurship
    • General Management
    • Marketing
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Leadership
    • Strategy
  • Sustainability, Business Development and Growth, Corporate Innovation

• Joint-degree programs offered to full-time MBAs:

  • • MBA/JD (Law)
    • MBA/MD (Medicine)
    • Other
    • MBA/ME (Engineering)
    • MBA/MSN (Nursing)
    • MBA/PhD
• • Does the school offer an accelerated full-time MBA program? No

• The school believes that its leading areas of study for full-time MBA students are:

  • • Finance
    • General Management
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Leadership
    • Strategy

FACULTY

• • Faculty employed by the B-school: 100

• Full-time faculty:

  • Tenured: 45
  • Non-Tenured: 25

• Adjunct/Visiting Faculty:

  • Non-Tenured: 30

• Women on Faculty:

  • Tenured: 10
  • Non-Tenured: 12

• Faculty with PhDs:

  • Tenured: 45
  • Non-Tenured: 32

STUDENT LIFE

• Professional clubs available to full-time MBA students:

  • • Biotech/Health care
    • Business Law
    • Corporate Social Responsibility/NetImpact
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Consulting
    • Other
    • Business Ethics
    • Finance
    • Marketing
    • Nonprofit
    • VC/ Private Equity
    • Environmental
    • High Tech
    • Information Technology
    • Investment Banking
    • Media & Entertainment
    • New Media

• Networking clubs available to full-time MBA students:

  • • Black MBA Association
    • Hispanic Student Organization
    • International Club
    • Partners/Family
    • Women in MBA
    • Other
    • Volunteer
    • Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual
    • Wine

TEACHING/ACADEMICS

• Teaching methods used:

  • Case Study: 70 %
  • Distance Learning: 4 %
  • Experiential Learning: 10 %
  • Lectures: 4 %
  • Simulations: 6 %
  • Team Projects: 6 %

• Requirements for graduation:

  • • Students must have attended a minimum number of classes
    • Students must have earned a pre-determined GPA/Letter grade average

TECHNOLOGY

• • Technology improvements in the last three academic years: Upgraded to HD projectors and controls in 18 classrooms. Installed LCD's in 60 learning team rooms and 9 conference rooms. Complete video studio upgrade from analog to HD digital. New HD video conferencing system. Upgraded Auditorium PA system and new PA system in the Pepsico Forum. New Web site and upgrades to various systems. Purchased new Admissions system. Upgraded to MS Lync. Upgraded Adobe Communicator. Upgraded Darden Portal and Learning Management system.
  • Amount spent: $11,600,000.00

B-SCHOOL ALUMNI

• • Living MBA alumni: 9,925
  • Active MBA alumni clubs: 90
  • Countries in which MBA clubs exist: 44
  • Living MBA alumni who gave in past year: 43 %
  • Mean gift from MBA alumni: $5,961.00
  • Median gift from MBA alumni: $200.00
  • Did school receive an individual gift in excess of $10 million in the past academic year? Yes
  • Business School endowment: $355,300,000.00
  • Does the main university offer career placement services for alumni? Yes
  • Does the main university have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
  • University alumni networking site: https://hoosonline.virginia.edu
  • Does the B-School have an alumni networking Web site? Yes
  • Business school alumni networking site: http://dardencommunity.darden.virginia.edu
  • Does the B-SCHOOL offer career services for alumni? Yes
  • Do current MBA students have access to an alumni database? Yes

CAREER SERVICES

• • Graduates seeking full-time professional MBA employment: 93 %
  • Graduates not seeking employment: 7 %
  • Graduates for whom you have no information regarding employment: 0 %

• Annual job-searching trips that the school coordinates or participates in:

  • Destination: New York City and Boston
  • Month: December
  • Destination: San Francisco and Seattle
  • Month: January
  • Destination: London
  • Month: November
  • Destination: Hong Kong
  • Month: November
  • Destination: Shanghai and Beijing
  • Month: January

• Primary source of job offer:

  • School-facilitated activities: 81 %
  • Graduate-facilitated activities: 17 %
  • No information provided by graduate: 2 %

• Job Offers for 2011 graduates

  • Received first job offer by graduation: 88 %
  • Received first job offer in three months following graduation: 7 %
  • Did not report having received a job offer: 5 %
  • Accepted first job offer by graduation: 83 %
  • Accepted first job offer in three months following graduation: 9 %
  • Did not report having accepted a job offer: 8 %

• Top recruiting organizations most recent academic year:

  • Microsoft 10
  • Bank of America 10
  • Amazon.com, Inc. 8
  • McKinsey & Co. 7
  • Bain & Company, Inc. 7
  • Accenture 7
  • The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. 6
  • Barclays Capital 6
  • Deutsche Bank 6
  • Samsung 6
  • Johnson & Johnson 5
  • IBM - Consulting 5
  • J.P. Morgan 5
  • Citi 5
  • Wells Fargo Securities 5
• • Job-accepting graduates who received a signing bonus: 83 %

• Base salary, signing bonuses and other compensation for most recent employed graduates:

  • Mean base salary: $104,478.00
  • Median base salary: $100,000.00
  • Mean signing bonus: $27,900.00
  • Median signing bonus: $25,000.00
  • Mean other guaranteed compensation: $16,482.00
  • Median other guaranteed compensation: $10,000.00

• Graduating students who accepted jobs in the following functional areas:

  • Consulting: 20 %
  • Finance/Accounting: 34 %
  • General Management: 28 %
  • Human Resources: 0 %
  • Marketing/Sales: 15 %
  • Management Information Systems: 0 %
  • Operations/Logistics: 0 %
  • Other: 3 %

• Graduating students who accepted jobs in the following industries:

  • Government: 2 %
  • Consulting: 20 %
  • Consumer Products: 8 %
  • Financial Services: 35 %
  • Manufacturing: 12 %
  • Media/Entertainment: 2 %
  • Non-Profit: 1 %
  • Petroleum/Energy: 2 %
  • Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Health Care: 3 %
  • Real Estate: 1 %
  • Technology: 11 %
  • Other: 3 %

• Graduates who accepted full-time jobs in the following regions:

  • Africa: 0 %
  • Asia: 4 %
  • Europe: 1 %
  • North America: 93 %
  • Oceania: 0 %
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: 2 %

• Within the U.S., graduates who accepted full-time jobs in the following regions:

  • Northeast: 38 %
  • Mid-Atlantic: 19 %
  • South: 13 %
  • Southwest: 7 %
  • Midwest: 9 %
  • West: 14 %
  • Possessions and territories: 0 %

• Top recruiting organizations for internships, most recent academic year:

  • McKinsey & Co. 11
  • J.P. Morgan 9
  • The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. 8
  • Microsoft, Inc. 8
  • Danaher Corporation 8
  • Citi 8
  • Amazaon.com, Inc. 7
  • Barclays 7
  • DELOITTE 7
  • Credit Suisse 5
  • Johnson & Johnson 5
  • Campbell Soup Company 4
  • Goldman, Sachs, & Co. 4
  • Celanese 4
  • Nomura Securities International, Inc. 4

SCHOOL COMMENTS

• • School Comments: Concentrations are not a requirement for graduation at the Darden School of Business. Approximately 50% of students concentrate and more concentrations are added annually.

• • -The Darden MBA is a unique program that prepares [you] for the real world. The case method is the only way to combine an individual learning experience with students' class participation to get the most comprehensive coverage of the discussed material. Darden has one of the best geographic locations; Virginia is a relatively warm place with plenty of outdoor options. It was a supportive place for my family.
    
    -Darden is a challenging program from both a time and intensity perspective. Although I have also had a lot of fun experiences while at Darden and have met amazing people, I would not urge someone to attend if he is looking for a two-year vacation or a return to an undergraduate college lifestyle.
    
    -The school’s faculty is completely dedicated to educating its students, and the alumni network is as passionate (or more so) than any business school in the world. Having the best professors who get the most out of you and alums willing to provide advice and insights on the job market, Darden has exceeded all of my expectations about what a top business school would provide.
    
    -The load of coursework and time spent preparing for classes hamper students interested in entrepreneurial projects.
    
    -I found the curriculum exciting and engaging, the people wonderful (including the top-ranked faculty) and the location beautiful and conducive to my educational needs. In addition, I think the Darden post-graduate network is as strong and supportive as at any school, anywhere.
    
    -My two years at Darden have been fantastic, and it has more than exceeded my expectations. I have learned a lot, made a lot of great business contacts, developed professionally, and thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Darden school. I came to school for these reasons and to get the job I wanted, which I did. The skills I've gained during my MBA will allow me to succeed in the competitive business environment. I have recommended the school to friends and former colleagues and would absolutely choose to go to Darden again.
    
    -Despite being a case method school, the best classes were the ones where the Professors did a lot of teaching. The downside for me especially in the first year was dealing with class participation, which counted for 40-50 percent of the total grade. The topics were very new to me and I did not contribute well enough. This made my grades bad and was sincerely disappointing since class participation was a subjective experience and students found ways to game the professors.
    
    -I think that Darden offers unique attributes that were key to my success and which I could not have gotten at other schools. Specifically, the interaction with professors was critical in helping me learn the concepts and feel more confident in my abilities. [Professors] were always available thanks to the open-door policy, and they were exceptionally willing to help and mentor on both academic- and job-related issues. Second, the case method is the only way I could have been engaged in my studies, since I was used to being in the working world and having my opinions heard. I also liked that it afforded me the chance to learn about a breadth of industries and business issues, and forced me to become articulate, persuasive, and think critically and quickly. I also learned to handle ambiguity of information and make decisions by asking key questions. Lastly, the alumni network at Darden has been amazing in both my b-school and career searches. Alums always responded quickly and with enthusiasm.
    
    -Darden has enabled me to grow both as a person and a leader. The school does an excellent job of connecting students with key alumni, which ultimately helped me get into my field of choice upon graduation. I had the opportunity to develop relationships with students and future business leaders from all over the world. I will truly cherish the time I've spent at Darden and the friendships I developed.
    
    -For me, Darden was a perfect fit. I did not have a business background coming to school and wanted an intensive experience, but one where there was a tight-knit social community. I found both at Darden. The experience helped me to transition from nonprofit to finance, to double my pay, and to put me on a career path that was otherwise unavailable to me. I strongly encourage my friends and colleagues to attend.
    
    -Considering the fact that I am an international student, I would strongly recommend Darden's program to my friends because of the opportunity that it brings to enhance and improve communication skills in English, thanks to the case method.
    
    -I think Darden community has a very distinct character. I completed my MBA during one of the biggest economic crisis in the US history and during such difficult times I found a lot of support through the school administration and students. Most students were struggling to find jobs, still they went beyond their selfish interests to help their peers. Rather than cut throat competition I saw collaborative competition. Students and administration shared as much information as they could and demonstrated true leadership in the time of crisis.
    
    -The best thing about Darden was the freedom I had to tailor my MBA experience the way I wanted. I was able to take a range of electives, without compulsion to specialize; I was able to explore a variety of different career paths and I was able to meet lots of industry practitioners through not just recruiting events but also through some "speaker classes" where every class had a speaker from different organizations in a particular industry. I feel like I made lots of contacts that I could go back to for advice or guidance over my business career.