Collegedunia Team Content Curator
Content Curator
The Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, is located in Charlottesville, East of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and offers one of the best, if not the best, public MBA programs in the United States. The Stern School of Business is also a top business school in the US, coming under New York University which is a private university.
Overview Comparison
| Darden School of Business | Stern School of Business | |
|---|---|---|
| ranking (overall) | # 20 Financial Times 2025 # 11 Financial Times 2021 # 18 Financial Times 2020 | # 31 Financial Times 2025 # 13 Financial Times 2021 # 22 Financial Times 2020 |
| Programs | PG Programs -2 | UG Programs -3 PG Programs -7 |
| Cost to Study | Hostel + Meal - 18176 Per Year | Average Tuition Fees 73021 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 44200 [For PG Program] |
| CollegeDunia Reviews | - | 7.7/10 Read 1 reviews |
Top Courses Comparison
Top Courses Comparison
| ranking | - | # 6 for Business by US News 2025 # 17 for Business by QS World University 2025 # 17 for Business by Times Higher Education 2025 |
| application | - | - |
| exam scores | - | Duolingo - 135/160IELTS - 7/9TOEFL - 100/120 |
| cost to study | Total Cost (Tuition + Living) - | Total Cost (Tuition + Living) -123908 |
| documents required | #Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose | #Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose |
| application dates | - | Sep 15, 2025 (Round 1 Application Deadline For Fall 2026) Oct 15, 2025 (Round 2 Application Deadline Fall 2026 Intake) Dec 1, 2025 (Initial Notification of Round 1) Jan 1, 2026 (Initial Notification of Round 2) Jan 15, 2026 (Round 3 Application Deadline Fall 2026 Intake) Apr 1, 2026 (Initial Notification of Round 3) Apr 15, 2026 (Round 4 Application Deadline for Fall 2026 Intkae) |
Other Popular Comparisons
Comparison Notes
Let’s dig into the detailed comparisons of MBA at the top business schools in the USA:
- Financial Times MBA Rankings 2020 listed Darden at #18 and Stern at #22, while US News ranks them at #11 and #10 respectively.
- The percentage of graduates who received employment opportunities within three months of graduation was 96% for Darden while it was 94% for Stern.
- Majority (35.5%) of graduates from Darden found employment in the consulting sector while the majority (33.5%) of those from Stern found employment in the financial services sector.
- The top hiring companies for Darden were Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey & Company, Amazon, Bain & Company, and Accenture.
- The top hiring companies for Stern were McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Amazon, Strategy&, and Deloitte.
- MBA graduates from Darden got a salary increase of 128% whereas those from Stern only got 122%.
- Both of these colleges have a mediocre number of international students, with 24% of the total class at Darden, and 32% at Stern.
- However, Darden offers international students on F-1 status Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT) that enables them to do summer internships and one year of full-time work in the United States.
- 45.8% of international students at Stern found full-time employment in the United States.
Although both colleges provide similar employment opportunities, NYU: Stern is rated as having much better value for money than UVA: Darden. Moreover, New York city being a business hub will also work to your advantage.
