If you’re looking for a rigorous curriculum that keeps you busy, a small, close-knit community of like-minded people, and an abundance of international education opportunities, then you should check out the Darden Graduate School of Business at University of Virginia. With 94% of students receiving job offers upon graduation, there is no shortage of opportunities for you in UVA Darden’s MBA program.
The Darden MBA program specializes in a case method teaching approach, and the Princeton Review and Bloomberg have rated the teaching quality at UVA Darden very highly. This intense curriculum is referred to by both current and former students as a “bootcamp.” Graduates have been successfully placed in management consulting and investment banking for their hard-earned intense work ethic. Another highlight of the school is the Darden Worldwide Scholarship Program: funding provided for every full-time MBA student to participate in an international business experience.
Business schools publish data on their graduates every year, and in this article you will find that information along with our own analysis. You’ll find some of the world’s leading firms in the data below, including placements at Amazon, Wayfair, Capital One, and Microsoft. On this page, we’ll explore the most important employment data on UVA Darden’s MBA program, including top industries, job locations, and compensation trends.
The Class of 2023 demonstrated a commendable performance in terms of post-graduation job placement, with 94.5% securing full-time job offers within three months of graduation, and 95.8% receiving at least one job offer during that timeframe. While these figures show a slight decrease from the previous year, where 97.5% of Darden MBAs had received job offers within 90 days of graduation, and 96.4% had accepted, the decline is not substantial. Noteworthy is the remarkable achievement of the Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, as all members successfully completed internships during the summer of 2023.
The initial base salary for the MBA graduates of Virginia Darden’s Class of 2020 stood at $139,945, reflecting a noteworthy increase of approximately $4,800 compared to the Class of 2019’s average of $135,168—an uptick of 3.5%. The following year, in 2021, Darden’s average salary experienced another positive surge, reaching $144,933, an increase of $4,988 or 3.6%. The upward trajectory continued into 2022, witnessing a substantial growth to an average salary of $157,090, marking an impressive 8.4% rise. As of the current year 2023-2024, the trend persists with the average salary further increasing to $167,899, indicating a robust additional gain of 6.9%. This consistent upward movement underscores the success and financial advancement of Virginia Darden’s MBA graduates over the past years.
In 2023, graduates from Darden have continued the prevailing pattern of moving away from the declining tech industry, with only 10.5% choosing this field—a decrease from 13.8% in the previous year. Over the span of two years, Darden’s cohort entering the tech sector has nearly halved. Consulting retained its position as the predominant industry for the 2023 graduates, with an increase to 46.3% from 43.5% in the previous year. Finance secured the second spot at 26.2%, showing a slight uptick from 25.4% in the prior year.
The majority of this year’s graduating class opted to pursue employment in the U.S. Northeast, comprising 32.6% of placements, followed by the Mid-Atlantic region at 22.7%. Other notable regions include the South at 12.8%, the Southwest at 10.9%, the West at 10.5%, and the Midwest at 8%. Prominent employers attracting graduates include Amazon, Bank of America, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, and Bain.
UVA Darden Career Center
The Career Center at UVA Darden helps students achieve their goals of becoming purpose-driven leaders by providing tailored career searches, assistance, and resources. Darden’s Career Center provides one-on-one professional career coaching, career management skill development, and superior job support, ensuring that a student personal purpose is translated into professional reward.
