Updated 2 Oct 2026By Gauri DeshmukhReviewed Upamanyu Naskar
T15 · United StatesCharlottesville, VAFounded 1955

The Darden
MBA.

Two years, 361 students, a 730 median GMAT, and the most case-method-intensive classroom in the T15. Everything an Indian applicant needs to know, laid out honestly.

Ask the page. What are you here to find out?
← All schools
01

Get in · 1 of 5

Quick answers.

The questions we are asked most often about Darden, each answered in two sentences. These power the Google rich-result and are what Perplexity and ChatGPT lift verbatim when they cite us.

FAQPage schema · AI engines quote these
02

Get in · 2 of 5

The class profile, with the Indian cut.

The brochure number is the global number. The number you actually need is the India slice, which Darden does not publish, so the India cut below is a Pegasus estimate, clearly marked as such.

Overall: Darden-published · India slice: Pegasus estimate

Overall class

Class of 2027 · 361 students

Indian applicant slice

The India cut

03

Get in · 3 of 5

The admissibility check.

Enter your profile. We’ll place you honestly on the Darden admit band and give you the odds. We will not flatter you. This is the number your consultant should be telling you.

Interactive tool · based on last 3 cycles of admit data

Tool · 01Enter your profile

Where do you stand?

Verdict

Strong fit

-

You vs median GMAT-
You vs median work-ex-
04

Get in · 4 of 5

Deadlines & what to do today.

Three rounds, three different strategies. Which one you file in is often more decisive than any essay rewrite.

Live countdown · Timezone IST
05

Get in · 5 of 5

Essays & interview.

Two 200-word short answers and a new video essay decide whether your file moves to interview. The common Indian applicant mistakes, and what Darden is really looking for.

Cycle 2026-27 · Verified against Darden admissions site
06

Pay · 1 of 2

Cost in INR, the honest number.

The sticker price is in dollars, your loan is in rupees. We’ll give you both. And we’ll show the number nobody puts in a brochure: the real break-even year.

Interactive tool · Live INR conversion @ 83/USD

Tool · 02Scholarship + loan reality

What does Darden actually cost you?

Your net cost over 2 years

INR 1.98 Cr

After scholarship, before any family savings. This is the number you need to borrow or self-fund.

Break-even year, abroad-
Break-even year, India return-
07

Pay · 2 of 2

Named scholarships.

Darden offers merit and need-based aid, with merit awards considered automatically. The named routes below are the ones Indian applicants most often use.

Merit + need · Automatic merit · Amounts not disclosed
08

After · 1 of 2

The visa reality.

The thing nobody tells you until orientation: your two-year MBA is a 24-month lottery ticket for the H-1B, and the odds depend on which sector picks you.

Interactive tool · Covers F-1, STEM OPT, H-1B, O-1

Tool · 03Sponsorship check

Can you stay after graduation?

Reality check

82% get sponsored

STEM OPT eligibleVia STEM track · 3 yrs
H-1B lottery odds (per yr)~30%
09

After · 2 of 2

Who hires here.

Consulting takes more than a third of the class, with finance and technology behind it. Darden publishes industry shares, not employers, so the firms below are indicative with Pegasus-estimated counts.

Industry shares Darden-published (Class of 2025) · per-firm counts are Pegasus estimates
EmployerSectorHiresMedian baseNotes
10

Compare · 1 of 2

Compare live.

Side-by-side with any 1-3 of the 24 schools we cover, built from the same dataset so the comparison is honest.

Interactive tool · Pick up to 3 peers
11

Compare · 2 of 2 · Related reads from WePegasus Atlas

Read next.

§ Sources & last-updated

    Written by Gauri Deshmukh · Reviewed by Upamanyu Naskar · Last updated 02 October 2026