Princeton Review ranks Darden No. 1 for best professors, best management MBA

July 28, 2025
the steps of the UVA Rotunda and lawn on a beautiful day at noon

(Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

The University of Virginia Darden School of Business is No. 1 for best professors and No. 1 for best MBA for management programs in the country, according to new rankings of graduate business schools from The Princeton Review.

The Darden School surged to its best Princeton Review result ever, with more top-10 category rankings and more top-five finishes than any school, public or private, in the “Best Business Schools 2025” rankings. Princeton Review does not provide an overall ranking, but instead uses a combination of student survey results and school-reported data to compile rankings of on-campus programs in 18 categories it deems important to students and prospective students.

The Darden School finished in the top five in nine categories and top 10 in 10 – its strongest overall finish. No business school has had more top-10 finishes in the last three years. 

“These Top 10 rankings affirm what our students experience every day: world-class professors, a dynamic case method-driven classroom with multiple viewpoints, and preparation that leads to top career outcomes and lifelong leadership and management success,” Darden School Dean Scott Beardsley said.

The Darden School’s Top 10 Princeton Review rankings:

  • No. 1 for Best Professors (2024 placement: No. 1)
  • No. 1 for Best MBA for Management (No. 2)
  • No. 2 for Most Family Friendly (No. 8)
  • No. 2 for Best MBA for Finance (No. 3)
  • No. 3 for Best MBA for Consulting (No. 2)
  • No. 3 for Best Campus Environment (No. 1)
  • No. 5 for Best Classroom Experience (No. 4)
  • No. 5 for Best Career Prospects (No. 7)
  • No. 5 for Best Administered (No. 8)
  • No. 6 for Most Competitive Students (not ranked)

Most of the on-campus MBA rankings are derived from 22,800 student surveys and administrator surveys The Princeton Review collected across 244 business schools. Among survey respondents, one Darden School student reported, “The access to professors is unparalleled. I walk through the Faculty Office Building all the time just to meet professors and discuss their research and interests.”

The Princeton Review results follow several top rankings for the Darden School.

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U.S. News & World Report ranked the Darden School as the No. 1 public business school in America in April, driven by top marks in graduate salaries and career outcomes. It was the school’s first time reaching U.S. News’ top position among public schools, after reaching No. 2 the previous year and No. 3 before that.

In the 2024 academic year, the Darden School earned the No. 1 public business school ranking from Financial Times and topped Poets & Quants’ list of U.S. public business schools, while Bloomberg Businessweek placed it No. 3 overall nationwide.

“The schools that made our lists for 2025 share four characteristics that inform our criteria for designating them as ‘best’: excellent academics, robust experiential learning components, outstanding career services and positive feedback about them from enrolled students we surveyed,” The Princeton Review Editor-in-Chief Rob Franek said.

Find more about The Princeton Review’s rankings and methodologies at its website. 

Media Contact

McGregor McCance

Darden School of Business Executive Editor

Article Information

July 29, 2025

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