University of Virginia Darden School of Business
3 required essays for the 2026-27 cycle.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Action | September 9, 2026 |
| Round 1 | October 7, 2026 |
| Round 2 | January 7, 2027 |
| Round 3 (March) | March 1, 2027 |
| Round 3 (April) | April 1, 2027 |
| Round 3 (May) | May 1, 2027 |
Essays
Goals essay · 200 words · required
At this time, how would you describe your short-term, post-MBA goal in terms of industry, function, geography, company size and/or mission? How does it align with the long-term vision you have for your career?
Program supplement · 200 words · required
What would you want your classmates to know about you that is not on your resume?
Program supplement · 90 seconds video · required
Video essay: applicants have 90 seconds to respond to a randomly-generated question, pulled from a pool of questions written by the Admissions Committee. Additional details about the video essay format, timing and prompts will be available when the application opens.
Page is Darden's own 2026-27 announcement (Class of 2029, matriculating August 2027). The 2025-26 cycle had one 200-word short answer plus the goals question; 2026-27 keeps the two short answers and ADDS a video essay whose prompts are random and not published. Deadlines confirmed on darden.virginia.edu/mba/admissions/apply/deadlines. No optional or reapplicant essay listed.
Checked against www.darden.virginia.edu/programs/blog/darden-full-time-mba-application-2026-27 on September 9, 2026. Programs change their prompts between cycles; confirm on the program’s own page before you submit.
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Pick which of Darden’s prompts it answers. The first look is free.
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Prompt
Your essay
Common questions
- How many essays does University of Virginia Darden School of Business require for 2026-27?
- 3. The prompt is listed on this page word for word, with the length it states.
- How long should the Darden essays be?
- 200 words. That is the length the program states on its own page, which this record was read from on September 9, 2026.
- When is the Darden 2026-27 deadline?
- Early Action: September 9, 2026. 5 other rounds are listed on this page.