As shared earlier today on the Darden Report, the application for the Executive MBA Class of 2024 is now live!
Interested in applying? We invite you to join Senior Director of Admissions Brett Twitty and Director of Admissions Katherine Alford Wednesday, 9 June for an Application Launch webinar.
Executive MBA Application Launch Webinar
Wednesday, 9 June | 12:00 p.m. EDT
Register
Fun fact: Attending this session will satisfy 50% of our Executive MBA application fee waiver offer.
Here are a few things to know about the Executive MBA application:
Monthly Deadlines. We will continue to offer monthly application deadlines to give our busy Executive MBA applicants maximum flexibility. As you will note from our Deadlines page, each deadline functions as its own discrete round within the broader admissions cycle, and all deadlines are focused on one start date — August 2022.
Our first deadline is 10 August, and we will continue to accept applications until the class fills. As a general rule, we have more flexibility and more scholarship money earlier in the cycle, and we encourage you to apply as soon as you feel you can put together a strong application.
Reapplicants. We value candidates who remain interested in our program across multiple admissions cycles, and a number of our current students applied to Darden a couple times before gaining admission.
If you applied to Darden in the prior admissions cycle (2020-2021), we would be happy to copy your application to our new admissions cycle. To request this action, please submit the Reapplicant Request Form.
Here are a few more tips for reapplicants:
- As we generally recommend for all Executive MBA applicants, think about your application as our Admissions Committee will – objectively and holistically. What are your strengths? And what are those areas you would like to strengthen?
- As noted above, we have new short answer prompts for this year’s application. You will need to answer these new questions, and be sure to review all previously entered information to ensure it is still accurate.
- All re-applicants will need to submit one (1) new recommendation with their application materials to be eligible for review.
- Even if you previously interviewed with Darden, a new interview is required. In our Executive MBA application process, all interviews are post-submission and by invitation-only.
New Short Answer Questions. As with Darden’s full-time MBA application, this year’s Executive MBA application features updated short answer questions inspired by the School’s core values, including diversity and inclusion, leadership, collaboration and team-based learning.
As we’ve shared previously, the application is a storytelling exercise, and we ask multiple short answer questions – rather than one long essay – to give applicants an opportunity to share more about themselves. There is no “right” answer to our short answer questions, and we encourage you to consider how your responses contribute to your overall narrative.
Did you know? For two of the short answer questions – Leadership and Impact as well as Diversity and Inclusion – applicants will respond to one of two prompts. Choose the prompt that best aligns with your experience and your story.
Standardized Tests. We will continue to offer Executive MBA applicants two options when it comes to standardized tests: Submit a test score or submit a test waiver request with your application.
Planning to take a test? We accept the Executive Assessment (EA), GMAT, GRE, MCAT and LSAT, and candidates can even apply with an older or expired test score.
We encourage you to choose the test that best aligns with your strengths and plans, but we also recommend learning more about the Executive Assessment (EA). The EA is the most popular test with our Executive MBA applicants, and, unlike other standardized tests, it was designed with Executive MBA applicants in mind. For the past three years, our average EA score has been around 153. We invite you to join Brett Twitty and GMAC’s Eric Chambers on Thursday, 17 June at Noon EDT for an Executive Assessment Overview webinar.
Planning to submit a test waiver? You will find the test waiver request form in the Test Scores section of our application, and we encourage you to use the text box to highlight any aspects of your academic and/or professional background you feel are relevant to our Committee’s consideration.
Waiver requests will be evaluated along with the full application, and we will provide an update regarding your waiver request at the time of decision. Over the past couple years, we have found this approach allows our Admissions Committee to think about the waiver request holistically, with all of the information in the application at our disposal. However, when reviewing waiver requests, our Admissions Committee will be particularly focused on those aspects of your candidacy that indicate your readiness for a rigorous MBA curriculum, including coursework (degree-related and non-degree-related), advanced degree, professional certifications and work responsibilities.
Additional Reading: For more insights about these options, check out our blog post all about standardized tests and test waiver requests.
Recommendation. In our Executive MBA application process, we will continue to require only one (1) recommendation. However, applicants are able to include up to two (2) recommendations with their application.
Our recommendation process is entirely electronic, and once you enter your recommender’s information, she will receive an email with a link to our recommendation materials. Be sure to check in with your recommender to make sure she received this email notification. You will also receive an email notification once your recommender submits her recommendation.
Wondering who might make a good recommender? Be sure to read our Recommendations blog post for additional tips and insights.
Application Fee Waiver. We are pleased to continue our popular Executive MBA application fee waiver offer (a $250 value).
To qualify for an Executive MBA application fee waiver, applicants need to complete the following two steps:
- Attend an Executive MBA Conversation OR a Virtual Coffee Chat AND
- Attend an Executive MBA Webinar (or similar Executive MBA-related event)
If you’ve started an Executive MBA application, once you’ve completed these steps, a fee waiver code will be added automatically to your application. If you haven’t started an Executive MBA application, the fee waiver code will be applied as soon as you create an application.
We also offer a number of existing fee waiver codes to select applicant populations – including military veterans, Teach for America volunteers, Peace Corps volunteers, Forte Launch members and more. See our Application Process webpage for additional details!
Ready to apply? Get started on your Executive MBA application today!
