With so many great business schools, it’s no wonder people struggle to decide which MBA programs to apply to! Arguably the most important step of the MBA admissions process, you may be wondering, which schools you should apply to, and which schools you will likely receive an offer from. To help, we’ve put together some fast facts covering key admission factors to help you determine your odds of getting accepted into the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
If you’re wondering how difficult it is to get into the UVA Darden School of Business, then you’ve come to the right place. On this page, we’ll give you a quick overview of what it takes to get into UVA Darden’s MBA program and help you understand whether your profile is a good fit for school.
(Note: This page highlights Darden’s full-time MBA program. The other program option at Darden is the Executive MBA program.)
| Acceptance Rate | Does not disclose |
| GMAT Average | 718 |
| GPA Average | 3.56 |
| Avg. Years Work Experience | 5.7 |
Source: UVA Darden, Class of 2026 data
The top undergraduate majors represented in Darden’s MBA program are Financial Services (23%), Government (15%), and Consulting (12%).
Very! Earning a competitive GMAT or GRE score is critical for admission to top MBA programs (competitive meaning 90th percentile or higher) . That’s partly because a high score reflects your potential to succeed in the classroom—and it’s also because business schools rely on high test scores to maintain their position in the rankings.
As with everything else MBA-related, at Menlo Coaching, we take a practical, no-nonsense approach to GMAT and GRE prep. Our curriculum is based on 100% official material and is designed to help you earn a high score in as little time as possible. So if you’re applying for a top MBA program, let us help you get started on the right foot.
The undergraduate universities most represented in Darden’s MBA class profile are:
If your undergraduate college is listed above, that means that Darden has accepted many applicants with your education background in the past. It also shows that candidates who have gone to these schools have considered applying to Darden, and it is one indication that the business school has found students who have completed their undergraduate education at these universities to be successful.
Darden’s top pre-MBA industries are Financial Services (23%), Government (15%), Consulting (12%), and Technology (12%).
Looking at the pre-MBA industries shows you whether your profile is well-represented at Darden. Don’t worry if you don’t see your industry on the list—there might not be many students enrolled from your industry simply because many candidates didn’t apply to the program in the first place. The same goes for the pre-MBA employers data we’ve provided below.
The pre-MBA companies that are most represented in the Darden MBA class are:
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business seeks a wide variety of abilities, leadership, work experiences, and academic backgrounds in its MBA candidates. Darden interviews are conducted by either admissions committee members, students, or alumni who will be looking for you to demonstrate soft business skills like communication and interpersonal skills.
Interested in finding out more about Darden? Visit our UVA Darden overview page.
Maximize your chances of acceptance to the UVA Darden MBA program with tailored guidance from our expert MBA coaching team.
Joy Pincus
Sr. Consultant & Director
Education: BA
With over 20 years’ experience in MBA admissions and marketing communications, Joy helps applicants develop persuasive, goal-oriented messaging. Joy is also a master of confident delivery and nonverbal presentation, drawing on her days in Theater Arts at NYU to prepare clients for the crucial interview stage.
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