UVA Darden’s Deferred Admit Option For Undergrads

UVA’s Darden School of Business

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business has launched a deferred admission option to its MBA program for undergraduate seniors. Dubbed the Future Year Admissions program, it allows both undergrads and fifth-year master’s degree students to apply and secure a place in a future cohort in Darden’s two-year MBA program.

Similar to Harvard Business School’s long-standing 2+2 program or Yale School of Management’s Silver Scholars program, Darden will require admits under the program to complete two to four years of professional work experience prior to enrolling. In a video posted about the new option, the school is selling potential applicants on the option by making applications free, without the typical $250 application fee. It also is pointing out that students who take the GMAT score as undergrads score an average 39 point higher than those who take the test after they gain their undergraduate degrees.

“By embarking on a professional path with an offer to a top-ranked MBA program in hand, future students may be more inclined to take risks and pursue audacious goals early in their careers, and will also tap into the Darden community before enrolling at the school,” according to the announcement of the program by Darden. “Moreover, the Darden School will benefit by introducing top undergraduate students to the promises and potential of a business school education early in their professional decision-making process.”

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS THROUGH AUGUST 1

Darden said it is currently accepting applications for Future Year Admissions from students graduating from an undergraduate institution with a bachelor’s degree or fifth-year master’s degree between September 2016 and August 2017. The school is currently accepting applications through 1 August.

The Darden School seeks students with a wide variety of academic backgrounds and professional interests, and applicants will be assessed through undergraduate transcripts, college extracurricular activities, internship experience, essays, letters of recommendation and standardized test scores.