The University of Michigan announced that it will start taking early decision applications this November for prospective undergraduate students.
Students who choose this option will have to sign a contract, saying they will agree to attend the University of Michigan if accepted, even if they get offers or scholarships from other universities.
“The introduction of Early Decision will allow highly qualified students who know that the University of Michigan is their top choice to affirm their commitment to the university earlier in the annual application cycle,” Kay Jarvis, the Director of Public Affairs at UM, said in a statement.
The University of Michigan has seen a steady increase in first-year applicants in the past five years. This includes an 11% increase in out-of-state applicants.
Ashliegh Taylor said this out-of-state increase could be a reason why the university decided to offer early decision applications. Taylor is a former University of Michigan admissions officer and now works as an independent educational consultant and is the founder of Empowered 4 College Counseling.
“This early decision option, I think, it is going to be very helpful as the institution continues to review this growing out-of-state pool, in ensuring that they are giving that kind of priority to those students who are truly committed to attending Michigan if accepted,” she said.
Taylor added that this can help the university prioritize in-state students because they will know the students they admit will definitely attend.
She also said applying early decision can give students a better chance of getting admitted.
“Early decision allows students who are really interested in that school to indicate that interest earlier in the process,” she said. “As a result of that, when a student is applying early decision, it is enhancing their acceptance chance because it's taking a lot of that guesswork out.”
Despite this advantage, Taylor said she will only recommend applying early decision to students who are confident they want to attend the University of Michigan and whose families can afford the tuition.
“Before a student decides that they want to apply early decision, they also need to really be looking at affordability,” she said.
This can be seen as a disadvantage for students who may be relying on financial aid to attend college. However, Taylor said the University of Michigan’s Go Blue Guarantee is a program to combat this.
The Go Blue Guarantee states that all Michigan residents whose families earn $125,000 and under will qualify for free tuition.
“Those who are looking for financial aid are a lot less likely to choose a binding agreement because finances are going to play a major role in where they decide to attend college. So I do really want those in-state families to look more deeply at the Go Blue Guarantee, and recognize that Michigan does have that commitment to its students,” she said.
