UVA Darden

Charlottesville, VA · Public · 2-year full-time

Median GMAT Focus: 665
Average GPA: 3.54
Class size: 361 (Class of 2027)
Median base salary: $175,000 (Class of 2025)
Program tuition: $176,000 (≈ 2 × first-year tuition, nonresident)

Deadlines

Early Action: Sept. 9, 2026
Round 1: Oct. 7, 2026
Round 2: Jan. 7, 2027
Round 3 (March): March 1, 2027
Round 3 (April): April 1, 2027
Round 3 (May): May 1, 2027

Essays

Short answer: Relationships Matter Here (200 words)

What would you want your classmates to know about you that is not on your resume?

Short answer: Careers With Purpose (200 words)

At this time, how would you describe your short-term, post-MBA goal in terms of industry, function, geography, company size and/or mission? How does it align with the long-term vision you have for your career?

Video essay (new) (90 seconds to respond, 10 seconds to prepare; random question)

New this cycle, the video essay affords you the opportunity to showcase your personality and critical thinking skills. You will have 90 seconds to respond to a randomly-generated question, pulled from pool of questions written by the Admissions Committee. We are not looking for perfection here — lead with authenticity.

Additional Comments (optional)

Are there any gaps or ambiguities in the information provided? Consider using the Additional Comments section of your application to provide additional context, if necessary. The Additional Comments section is not an additional essay, just a place to connect the dots.

Editor's notes

Early Action is gone, so Round 1 on Oct. 7 is your first real shot. Darden says plainly that each deadline leaves fewer seats and less scholarship money, and it also says most applicants have historically applied in Round 2. The three spring deadlines are new and decide within a month, but they're drawing on what's left of the scholarship pool. If money matters, don't treat May as a normal round.
Your interviewer won't have read your file. That's Darden's policy, and it changes how you prepare: you have to bring your story in from scratch, in up to 45 minutes, to an admissions officer or a second-year student. Assume they know nothing about you and have your two or three best examples ready.
Only one recommendation is required, so the one you choose carries the weight. Every recommender answers the constructive-feedback question. Pick a supervisor who has actually given you hard feedback and watched what you did with it. Add a second letter only if it shows something the first can't.
Think before you take the test waiver. Darden itself warns that some finance and consulting employers screen on GMAT or GRE scores, and those two industries took 63% of the Class of 2025's accepted jobs. If that's your goal, a score may help you after admission too.