As per the 2018 Global MBA Rankings published by the Financial Times, New York University’s Stern School of Business stood 23rd and University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business was at the 32nd spot. However, ranking is not everything! Darden’s recruitment prospects from investment banks, consulting firms and an overall management experience make it attractive to students. Stern, on the other hand, provides many face-to-face networking opportunities in the bustling city of New York.

So, which one should you go for? And which one is the right fit for you? Let us break it down for you.

Location
University of Virginia’s Darden is based in the quaint city of Charlottesville. Downtown in Charlottesville is a center of business for Albemarle County. Darden was also ranked the highest for its campus environment by The Princeton Review in 2017^[1]. You have the best learning facilities with a university campus experience.

Stern, on the other hand, is in New York - an international hub for business, commerce and innovation. New York is a gateway to verticals of many industries including fashion, entertainment, politics, business analytics, and more.
 

Expenses
The tuition for full-time MBA students at UV Darden is $68,510. The total estimated cost of attending school for the first year including tuition and fees, insurance and living expenses—is $96,276^[2]. Darden offers financial aid in the form of scholarships and loan programs. For more information, visit here.

Full-time MBA students at NYU Stern can expect to pay approximately $71,676. The total estimated cost of attending the school for three quarters (9 months) including tuition and fees, books, rent, transportation, and miscellaneous—is $113,166^[3]. Stern offers financial aid in the form of scholarships, loans, teaching and graduate fellowships. For more information, visit here.
 

Class Statistics
For the class of 2020, Darden had an acceptance rate of 27 percent. 31 percent of the students were international and originated from 36 countries. In a class size of 335 students, the GMAT score was around 718 with median work experience of about five years^[4][5]. Darden offers its graduates a network of approximately 15,000 alumni in 90 countries^[6].

For the class of 2020, Stern had an acceptance rate of 23 per cent with nearly 39 per cent being international students from 39 countries. In a class size of 876 students, the GMAT score was around 720 with average work experience of about five years^[7]. Stern’s graduates join a network of nearly 105,000 alumni in 125 countries^[8].
 

Curriculum
Darden offers a degree in MBA in three formats namely Full-time, Dual Degree and Executive MBA. The duration of the full-time program is 2 years with the first year focusing on providing an integrated outlook on general management that comprises finance, marketing, accounting and leadership. Students also have the opportunity to gain real-world experience through domestic and international field trips alongside consulting projects as well as entrepreneurship and innovation courses like iLab.

Stern offers a degree in MBA in six formats namely Full-time, Tech, Fashion & Luxury, Part-time, Dual Degrees MBA and Executive MBA. The duration of the full-time program is 2 years and the required core subjects are Financial Accounting & Reporting and Statistics & Data Analysis. Students can choose from over 200 electives in a Doing Business In (DBi) course in over 10 locations worldwideand select up to three specializations for their MBA.
 

Careers
For the class of 2017, Darden graduates were in strong demand in the job market with a total of 90 percent of the class receiving job offers within three months of graduation. The average base salary of a 2017 graduate was $124,684. Nearly 35 per cent of the class was working in Consulting, 28 per cent in Finance and 22 per cent in General Management^[9]. The source of nearly 84 percent of accepted job offers were all school-facilitated activities.

For the class of 2017, 94 percent of the Stern graduates had received job offers after three months of graduation. The average base salary of a 2017 graduate was $121,146. Nearly 26 per cent of the class was working in Consulting, 32 per cent in Finance and 14 per cent in Technology^[10]. Similar to Darden, the source of nearly 84 percent of accepted job offers were school-facilitated activities.