The Jefferson Fellowship is the premier graduate fellowship offered at the University of Virginia and is awarded by the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, an independent merit-based scholarship and fellowship program at the University. Darden Jefferson Fellowships are granted to the most exceptional candidates from anywhere in the world who demonstrate qualities such as ethical leadership, diplomatic decisiveness, a track record of putting ideas into action and a superb record of academic achievement.

Each Darden Jefferson Fellow will receive full tuition and fees, health insurance, and a $20,000 living stipend. Additionally, Fellows may receive a $7,000 stipend for their MBA program to defray the cost of the required laptop, support another research-related activity, fund a global learning experience or cover costs related to the fellow’s research project.

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. The fellow will work closely with the advisor on an independent research project.

The Jefferson Scholars Foundation will invite candidates to apply for the fellowship in late summer. In addition, the Darden School nominates a select number of candidates who apply in the Early Action and first application rounds. International students are invited to apply in Darden's Early Action round to be considered for a nomination to the Jefferson Fellows Competition. The first round of Fellowship application review may include a personal interview.

For selected finalists, the Jefferson Fellows Competition includes a case discussion led by a member of Darden’s top-ranked faculty; and a two-day visit to the historic Grounds of the University of Virginia and the Darden School of Business. Candidates will spend a day exploring the Darden community, including observing an MBA class, touring Grounds, and meeting with members of the faculty, administration and current students. The day concludes with a dinner at the Jefferson Scholars Foundation with distinguished alumni of UVA and Darden and other special guests. The competition begins the next day and includes a panel interview.

For further details, check the official website of the scholarship, and the admission page of Virginia University.