<p>Globalist…I agree McIntire does give students the most “bang for their buck” if they can get into the program. (The advantage some of the others have is that when you’re accepted into the school, you’re accepted directly into the undergraduate business program. Competition to get into McIntire your second year is fierce from what I understand.) If a student is willing to roll the dice for the chance and gains acceptance, it’s an incredible value for IS and a good value for OOS. (UVa is still somewhat cheaper for OOS students than some of the comparable top 25 privates.) </p>
<p>One thing I found interesting in this article was the drop in some school’s rankings from last year and likewise the increase in others. I understand methodologies are different for composing these lists, but do you wonder how such vast discrepancies can exist between Businessweek and US News?</p>
<p>Our daughter is a happy chem (pre-med) first year at UVa, and her younger brother likes the school so much, he’ll be applying in a few years in hopes of eventually getting into McIntire.</p>
<p>The biggest difference b/t the 2 rankings is that US News’ undergrad business school ranking is mostly (if not totally) based on a peer survey by deans and faculty who nominate the best programs. Business Week looks at more data like input from students and recruiters, MBA placement, % of students w/ job offers and pay at graduation, student/teacher ratio, etc. I feel that US News’ ranking is based on hype while Business Week shows which schools really walk the walk not just with talk the talk.</p>
<p>UVA went through cuts similar to UC’s not that long ago. It seems to be OK. People overreact and on the ground things don’t change that much. How many UC business profs will leave this year? I’d bet a handful at most and most are easily replaced.</p>
<p>UVa was able to survive the previous budgets w/out laying people off or lowering academic standards and still be able to provide great financial aid, because the University has been good at being efficient with its money. Plus, now that the endowment is up to $4.9 billion (only $200 million less that its peak before the recession), UVa has a little bit of a cushion. Luckily, VA’s government is finally willing to give (some) more money to higher education. </p>