UVA’s Darden School Rises to No. 2 in the World in The Economist’s Rankings

Two people sitting at benches on the Lawn in front of Darden talking

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business was named No. 2 in the world by The Economist.

The Economist today released its annual global ranking of the top 100 full-time international MBA programs and named the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business No. 2 in the world.

The ranking is the highest in the school’s history and moves Darden up from the third position last year. For the fifth consecutive year, The Economist also named Darden the No. 1 education experience in the world.

“A depth of learning happens at Darden that does not happen anywhere else,” Dean Scott Beardsley said. “It’s intensive. It’s inspiring. It’s life-changing. There really is no better place to realize your full potential as a leader and to advance your career.”

The Economist’s ranking methodology is based heavily on student and alumni experiences. In the specialty rankings, Darden ranked globally:

  • No. 1 for “Personal Development and Education Experience”
  • No. 2 for “Student Rating of Faculty”
  • No. 5 for “Opens New Career Opportunities”

“Some of the most prestigious companies in the world – from McKinsey to Goldman Sachs to Google – recruit at Darden and hire our students,” Peter Rodriguez, Darden’s senior associate dean for degree programs, said. “Darden’s Career Development Center is world-class, and Darden alumni receive complimentary career management assistance throughout their lives. Bolstered by a dynamic alumni network, we aim to set the gold standard when it comes to creating career opportunities for our graduates.”

Based in London, The Economist’s team surveys students and alumni and collects data from business schools. The team evaluates career services, job placement, faculty and student quality and diversity, recruiter diversity and salary changes from before and after graduation. The data collected from business schools also include the number of international students, registered alumni and active alumni branches or chapters.

The top five schools in the 2015 full-time rankings are:

  1. University of Chicago Booth School of Business
  2. University of Virginia Darden School of Business
  3. Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business
  4. Harvard Business School
  5. HEC School of Management, Paris

Visit The Economist for full details.

Media Contact

Sophie Zunz

Darden School of Business