Darden Announces Early Action Round, New Scholarships

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business has opened its online application for the MBA Class of 2021 – and in doing so, the school announced several changes for this year’s admissions season.

The first will affect students who know they’re set on Darden and want to get ahead of the game. What’s the same as previous years is that Darden will keep its usual three rounds of admissions, with deadlines of October 4, January 10 and April 3.

What’s new is that Darden is adding an early action round with a September 7 application deadline. The school says it added this option for candidates who know that Darden is their top choice. While the early action round is not binding, students who commit during this round put down a $4,000 deposit.

One perk of the early action round is that it involves open interviews. Candidates in this round can schedule interviews when they submit their application rather than waiting to be invited to interview.

Early action isn’t the only admissions change Darden is making this year. The school also unveiled a new scholarship program targeting students interested in tech, entrepreneurship and innovation.

As part of the Batten Scholars Program, Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will award partial and full scholarships to select full-time MBA students. These scholarships will also involve advising, travel support, networking events and fee waivers.

The new scholarships break down into three categories. Batten Entrepreneurship Scholarships go to students who have been involved in launching a new business or non-profit, and who intend to launch new ventures in the future.

Batten Technology Scholarships are for students with a history of tech entrepreneurship and innovation specifically. Finally, Batten Innovation Scholarships are directed at students who have led innovative efforts within their organizations and plan to do so in the future.

The scholarships are awarded for both years of the two-year MBA program. Candidates interested in the scholarships write an additional 500 word essay as part of the application process.

Besides the new admissions round and set of scholarships, Darden said it had added new admissions events this year, citing its admissions events schedule. It also said this admissions season brought several new opportunities to attend events on the Darden campus.

So what do the new early action round and scholarships in entrepreneurship and innovation mean for this year’s candidates? Do these change the calculus of your admissions strategy?

We can answer these questions based on your individual situation as well as give you feedback on whether Darden is a good match for you. If that sounds helpful, contact us.