This afternoon, Darden Admissions announced wide-ranging flexibility for its full-time MBA Round 3 application deadline. Given the challenges many of you may be facing, the Admissions team recognized a need to provide additional support and opportunities for candidates who are in the process of applying to Darden, especially given the suspension of testing at many locations around the world.
Full-Time MBA Program: Round 3 will now transition to rolling admissions through 15 July 2020. The application will remain open until this date to enable applicants to submit missing elements of their application.
Applicants should take note that:
- The sooner you apply, the sooner you will receive a decision.
For those whose applications are complete, we recommend that you submit your materials by the original Round 3 deadline of 6 April 2020. Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received. Therefore, the earlier you apply, the earlier you will receive notification of your admissions decision. - Darden already accepts multiple standardized tests, and in these extraordinary circumstances, with widespread, global closures of test centers, we will accept undergraduate university entrance exam scores for consideration as part of our longstanding holistic admissions process.
We understand that some of you may not be able to take a standardized test due to widespread test center closings. As a reminder, Darden accepts the GMAT, GRE, LSAT and MCAT exams.If you have not taken one of these standardized tests, we encourage you to submit your SAT, ACT or country-specific university entrance exam. You can enter your SAT or ACT score in the application. If you took a country-specific university entrance exam (e.g., Gaokao), please include your score and any relevant notes in the Additional Comments section of the application.
These steps are compatible with Darden’s holistic admissions process and enable us to show pragmatism, flexibility and compassion for our applicants while upholding our standards of demonstrated strong academic merit. Applicants are encouraged to document all alternative evidence of strong academic merit and ability to thrive in Darden’s purposefully intense education experience. In addition to undergraduate GPA, Darden Admissions will take into strong consideration the following examples of academic merit: certification programs, CPA, CFA and post-baccalaureate relevant coursework, among others.
- To writers of recommendations, we will provide flexibility and send reminders.
As always, we will be flexible with recommendation writers, knowing that they also may be impacted by COVID-19. We encourage them to submit the online form within two weeks of your application submission and will send reminders to any outstanding recommendation writers. - Even if you are missing one or two elements of your application, we encourage you to submit.
For those candidates who are missing elements of their application, we recommend that you submit your application as early as possible so that we can begin our evaluation. We will hold the final decision on your application until we receive all requirements. For example, if you have completed all elements of your application but are still missing a recommendation and test score, please move forward with submission. - Round 3 interviews will be conducted by invitation on Zoom. This process will enable us to continue to model safe social distancing.
- If you experience difficulty fulfilling various requirements, please e-mail us or schedule a conversation with an Admissions Committee member. Again, we recognize this is a challenging time, and we are here to help.
- Please connect with us! As always, we are pleased to offer one-on-one opportunities to speak with us through our Schedule a Conversation program. This is a great chance to learn more about the application process and discuss your candidacy. We will also host an application tips webinar on Friday, 3 April. Please register here and join us!
Executive Director of Admissions Dawna Clarke emphasized the importance of flexibility in the School’s press release, shared on The Darden Report.
“Our message to prospective students is one of caring and flexibility,” said Clarke. “We know how stressful applying to business school can be in the best of times; in a time of unprecedented disruption, we stand ready to work with applicants to make this process as flexible as possible.”
Darden’s deferred admissions program, The Future Year Scholars Program has announced an additional 1 June deadline to allow applicants additional time for standardized testing. This is in addition to the 6 April and 1 August application deadlines. Please refer to the Future Year Scholars webpage for more information. The Executive MBA program will continue to accept applications for the Class of 2022 through the end of June.
Read the full press release on The Darden Report.
For the latest updates on UVA’s and Darden’s response to the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, visit the School’s coronavirus information and resources webpage and the University’s coronavirus website.
Check out faculty thought leadership published on Ideas to Action. And stay connected with us via social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, WeChat
