Outstanding Scholars, Outstanding Citizens, Outstanding Leaders

Darden Jefferson Fellowships are granted to the most exceptional candidates who have applied for admission for the MBA at Darden, demonstrating qualities such as ethical leadership, diplomatic decisiveness, a track record of putting ideas into action and a superb record of academic achievement. Awarded solely on the basis of merit, this Fellowship is consistent with Thomas Jefferson’s belief in developing scholars and leaders who would share their talents with the wider world for the common good.

Fellowship Benefits

Each Darden Jefferson Fellow will receive full tuition, fees and living expenses. Additionally, Fellows may receive a $3,000 stipend in each year of their MBA program to defray the cost of the required laptop computer, support another research-related activity, fund a Global Business Experience or costs related to the fellow’s research project (such as travel to a conference, access to special databases, etc.).

A core element of the Darden Jefferson Fellowship is the one-on-one relationship that will be established with a distinguished professor at Darden. Each fellow will select a faculty member as his or her advisor prior to the beginning of the first year of the MBA program, with whom he or she will work closely on an independent research project.

Application Process

Fellowship candidates will be selected from those applicants who have applied and been offered admission to the Darden MBA program. To be considered for a Darden Jefferson Fellowship:

• Candidates must submit their application by Round 2.
• Applicants who are applying to Darden using the Consortium application will be considered as long as they as they have submitted a completed application for the Consortium's Round 2 deadline.
• Candidates should possess superior intelligence and academic excellence, but must also demonstrate leadership, citizenship, integrity and honor.

Finalists selected to compete for a Darden Jefferson Fellowship will be invited to Charlottesville in February or April for one of the Jefferson Fellows Selection Weekends. The schedule will include meetings with Darden faculty and alumni, current Darden students and Jefferson Fellows in residence from the Law School and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences of the University of Virginia. The weekend concludes with an observed case discussion among the finalists and an individual interview.

For additional information, visit the Jefferson Scholars Foundation.