The final application deadline for the Executive MBA class enrolling August 2025 has been extended to 7 July. During this period, the Admissions team will continue evaluating applications on a rolling basis.
Things move quickly at this time of year, and applicants can expect a decision within about a week of application submission. Admitted students will have about a week to finalize their decision. If you will be joining us at Darden in August, we want you to have as much time as possible to prepare for the start of school.
We always meet great candidates at this time of year, but many candidates worry there is not enough time to get everything in place before classes start in August. If this is your concern, you should know that there are a number of Executive MBA students (and alumni!) who applied in June and July, and our team is here to help you as you consider taking this step. We offer daily 1:1 phone conversations and we are always available via our inbox – execmba@darden.virginia.edu. We look forward to connecting with you!
We’re Here to Help!
Whether you already have an application started or you want to start one now, an easy next step is to schedule a conversation with a member of our team. We offer 1:1 conversations frequently each week, and a conversation is the best way to ensure you have the information you need before taking the next step.
This Monday (30 June) at 5:00 p.m. ET, Managing Director of Admissions Brett Twitty will host an Executive MBA Overview webinar. During this session, topics will include: Schedule, leadership residencies, weekend residencies, global experiences, distance learning and more. We welcome your questions about the application during this webinar as well. Register for the webinar.
Practical Tips for Starting an Executive MBA Application in July
We have plenty of great resources to help you sharpen your application, including application tips blog posts.
On a more tactical level, here are a few other tips to keep in mind:
- Visit our Application Process web page for a step-by-step guide to our Executive MBA application and a sense of the materials you will need to apply.
- We require unofficial transcripts for all degree-related coursework. An unofficial transcript can be a photo, pdf or screenshot (just make sure it’s readable!) and you will upload transcripts when completing the Education History section of the application.
- Only one recommendation is required, and the recommendation process is entirely electronic. Once you enter your recommender’s information into your application, your recommender will receive an email with a link to our recommendation materials. Most recommenders are deadline oriented, so be sure to confirm they received our materials, and know we are considering applications on a rolling basis.
- The essay questions tend to be the most “overthought” part of our application. There is no “right” answer to any of our questions. Write responses that feel authentic to you and share them with someone who knows you well to view your essay from another perspective. After all, every writer needs a good editor.
- A standardized test score is NOT required to apply. However, applicantscan choose to provide a test score to strengthen their application if theywish. We accept several standardized tests – Executive Assessment, GMAT Focus, GMAT, GRE, MCAT and LSAT – and we view these testsequivalently. We will even accept older or expired scores for any of thesetests, but candidates who wish to submit an expired score will need tohave access to their full score breakdown.
