UVA Darden is a leading business school located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school offers a two-year MBA program that is designed to prepare students for global leadership.
Application Requirements
In order to apply to the UVA Darden MBA program, you must meet the following requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university
- Minimum of three years of professional experience
- Strong academic record
- Demonstrated leadership potential
Application Process
The application process for the UVA Darden MBA program is competitive. Applicants must submit the following materials:
- Resume
- 3 short answer essays
- 2 letters of recommendation
- Official transcripts
- GMAT or GRE scores
- TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores
- Optional: 1 additional letter of recommendation
- Optional: 1 video essay
Resume
Your resume should highlight your academic, professional, and extracurricular achievements. Be sure to include all relevant information, such as your education, work experience, publications, awards, and honors.
Short Answer Essays
The UVA Darden MBA program requires applicants to submit three short answer essays. The essays are designed to assess your leadership potential, your fit with the Darden community, and your personal characteristics.
Letters of Recommendation
You must submit two letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to your academic and professional achievements. Your recommenders should be people who know you well and can provide meaningful insights into your character and potential.
Transcripts
You must submit official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions you have attended. Your transcripts should be in English or translated into English by a qualified translator.
Test Scores
You must submit your GMAT or GRE scores.
TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Scores
If you are not a native English speaker, you must submit your TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores.
Interview
You will be invited to participate in a one-on-one interview with an admissions officer. The interview is an opportunity for you to learn more about the UVA Darden MBA program and for the admissions officer to get to know you better.
Videos: Info, Application tips
We share several links on different tips for applying to UVA Darden The first link talks about UVA Darden MBA Admissions. In addition, it discusses the following topics: Case Method, Why case method matters, career support, rankings, location, questions, goals, traits, PostMBA Career, Scholarships, Acceptance rate and General Advice.
The second link talks about How to Get Into the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. In addition, it discusses the following topics: How to get into the Darden School of Business, Test options at UVA Darden, Get to know UVA Darden, Know the Charlottesville community, When to apply to UVA Darden and Resources for applying to Darden.
The third link talks about All You Need to Know About Darden. In addition, it discusses the following topics: Admission process, Short answer questions, application deadlines, takeaways, How does Darden collaborate with UVA and Why Darden.
The fourth link talks about The Student Experience. In addition, it discusses the following topics: What makes Darden different, Three things that will resonate with Grant, Standardized test, Alternative evidence and Majors.
The fifth link is about Virgina Darden MBA Admissions Interview. In addition, it discusses the following topics: Introducing Katherine Alford, Virginia Darden MBA Program Highlights, Admissions, Financing and Career.
The sixth link is about How to Ace your Darden (Virginia) MBA Admissions Interview?. In addition, it discusses the following topics: What makes the interview unique, What is a monologue, How long is a monologue, How to structure your monologue, How to prepare, Why Darden, Notes and Dress Code.
Essays
UVA Darden Essays & Analysis 2023-2024
The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business (UVA Darden) MBA admissions essays for the 2023-2024 admissions season are:
- Short Answer 1: Community of Belonging
What would you want your classmates to know about you that is not on your resume? (100 words)
Applicants should reflect carefully on the aspects of their backgrounds they most want to highlight. They should highlight transferrable skills or traits that will add to other’s success. While a brief mention of their professional background and career goals may be appropriate for context, note that Darden is looking for material specifically outside of their resume. Applicants should use this opportunity to showcase elements of their personalities and candidacies that they will not have the chance to address elsewhere.
- Short Answer 2: Inclusive Impact
Please describe a tangible example that illuminates your experience promoting an inclusive environment and what you would bring to creating a welcoming, global community at Darden. (300 words)
Applicants should review the University of Virginia’s Commitment to Diversity before beginning this essay. Darden has noted that the university promotes an inclusive and welcoming environment that embraces the full spectrum of human attributes, perspectives, and disciplines. Applicants should think about a tangible example of their impact on inclusivity, such as working on an international project or advocating for diversity in their workplace. They should then explain how this experience would translate to contributing to Darden.
- Short Answer 3: Career with Purpose
At this time how would you describe your short-term, post-MBA goal in terms of industry, function, geography, company size and/or mission and how does it align with the long-term vision you have for your career? (200 words)
Applicants should describe their ideal target employer(s) and job position for the short term, and then detail how this plan will lead to their long-term vision. Given Darden’s dedication to supporting purpose-driven leadership, it would behoove applicants to include the impact they hope to have throughout their career.
Clear Admit Resources
The Clear Admit website offers up-to-date advice and admissions information for UVA Darden. Clear Admit LiveWire provides admissions updates submitted in real time by applicants to Darden. Clear Admit DecisionWire provides school selections in real-time by admits to Darden.
We are sharing several link for more information.
Letter of recommendation questions
The UVA Darden MBA recommendation questions are designed to assess the applicant’s leadership potential, their fit with the Darden community, and their personal qualities. The questions are grouped into five categories:
- Achievement
- Initiative
- Results Orientation
- Influence
- Communication, Professional Impression & Poise
- Influence and Collaboration
- People
- Respect for Others
- Team Leadership
- Developing Others
- Personal Qualities
- Trustworthiness/ Integrity
- Adaptability/ Resilience
- Self Awareness
- Cognitive
- Problem Solving
- Strategic Thinking
- Analytical Thinking
- Judgment
For each competency, the recommender is asked to select the one button that corresponds to the behavior that they have seen the applicant most consistently exhibit. The recommender is also given the option to select “No basis for judgment” if they do not have enough information to make a judgment.
The recommendation questions are designed to be comprehensive and to provide the admissions committee with a holistic view of the applicant. The recommender’s insights can be very helpful in the admissions process, so it is important to take the time to answer the questions thoughtfully.
Here are some additional tips for writing a strong recommendation letter:
- Be specific and provide examples to support your claims.
- Focus on the applicant’s leadership potential and their fit with the Darden community.
- Be honest and objective in your assessment.
- Proofread your letter carefully before submitting it.
We are sharing several link for more information.
Admissions events in your area
All the information you need is in this link.
If invited for an interview this resource is useful: Interview reports submitted by interviewees
All the information you need is in this link.