Traditionally, the mean signing bonus is around the $25,000 to $30,000 range, but for Darden Full-time MBA, the bonus crossed $31,000, although the total mean base salary was below the $125,000 range seen in top 10 MBA programs. However, Consulting – the most preferred job function attracted offers with $134,770 base salary and total mean salary of $161,700. Finance, the second favorite attracted much lower base salary ($119,585) but attracted the best signing bonus ($41,863) for the class.
Among the Finance function, Investment Banking pulled in close to $50,000 in signing bonus a $126,960 mean base salary, taking the total compensation to $175,898. General Management and Marketing were the 3rd and 4th popular function. 
Darden MBA didn’t break the trend of following the Consulting and Financial Services industries, the former attracting 38% of the class while Investment Banking (18%) job offers was a sizable portion from the Financial Services (27%) sector.
On total mean salary, Consulting and Financial Services were on equal footing, both crossing $160,000. Technology was far behind at $144,194, but Virginia’s strength as the state with the largest density of technologist materialized in the post-MBA career path when 17% of the class chose the industry.
Reference: Darden MBA Employment Report
About the Author
I am Atul Jose, Founding Consultant of F1GMAT, an MBA admissions consultancy that has worked with applicants since 2009.
For the past 15 years I have edited the application files of admits to the M7 programs: Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia Business School, together with admits to Berkeley Haas, Yale School of Management, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, SDA Bocconi, IESE Business School, HEC Paris, McCombs, and Tepper, plus other programs inside the global top 30.
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