Darden School of Business at UVA is known for its case-method teaching, second only to Harvard in case study usage. Darden students experience an immersive, discussion-based classroom environment. The school has strong placement in consulting, finance, and general management.
With a class size of 350 students, Darden offers a mid-sized cohort balancing personal attention with network breadth. The program's 24.0% acceptance rate makes it a highly competitive program.
Graduates report a median starting salary of $178,000, yielding an estimated 5-year ROI of approximately 516% after accounting for two years of tuition at $72,200 per year.
How Darden ranks according to each major business school ranking.
| Source | US News | FT | BBW | QS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11 | #20 | #9 | #18 |
| Year | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 |
Track how Darden's ranking has changed over time in each major publication.
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #11▼ 1 |
| 2025 | #10▲ 2 |
| 2024 | #12▼ 1 |
| 2023 | #11— |
| 2022 | #11— |
| 2021 | #11▼ 1 |
| 2020 | #10— |
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #20▲ 1 |
| 2024 | #21▲ 1 |
| 2023 | #22▼ 3 |
| 2022 | #19▲ 4 |
| 2021 | #23▼ 2 |
| 2020 | #21— |
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #9▲ 1 |
| 2022 | #10▲ 1 |
| 2020 | #11— |
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #18▲ 1 |
| 2024 | #19▲ 1 |
| 2023 | #20▲ 1 |
| 2022 | #21▲ 1 |
| 2021 | #22▲ 1 |
| 2020 | #23— |
Rankings data compiled from official publications. Global rankings (FT, QS) include international business schools, so positions may differ from US-only lists.