University of Michigan Acceptance Rate: In-State, Out-of-State and Early Action

Last updated: November 6, 2026

The University of Michigan acceptance rate is 16.1% for fall 2026: U-M's Ann Arbor campus admitted 17,495 of 108,774 first-year applicants, according to its Office of Budget and Planning. That is about 1 admit for every 6 applicants. U-M does not publish separate in-state and out-of-state acceptance rates, but it does publish who enrolls: 51% of the fall 2026 first-year class pays in-state tuition. Below you will find U-M's own numbers for five years, what is and is not known about residency, the Early Decision and Early Action plans, test scores and GPA, and both U-M essay prompts, word for word.

U-M asks how your work "inspired original thinking." Saying you are curious is not an answer. Showing what you made is. Send me insider tips on this question →

University of Michigan acceptance rate for fall 2026

The Office of Budget and Planning (OBP) published the fall 2026 first-year class profile on September 29, 2026:

Applicants: 108,774
Admitted: 17,495
Enrolled: 8,659
Acceptance rate: 16.1% (our calculation: 17,495 ÷ 108,774)

About 49% of admitted students enrolled. The class grew from 8,178 in fall 2025 to 8,659, and the University Record called total enrollment a record.

How the Michigan acceptance rate changed

OBP's profile covers five years. Rates are our calculations:

Fall	Applicants	Admitted	Enrolled	Rate
2022	84,289	14,914	7,050	17.7%
2023	87,632	15,722	7,466	17.9%
2024	98,310	15,373	7,278	15.6%
2025	109,112	17,915	8,178	16.4%
2026	108,774	17,495	8,659	16.1%

First-year applications grew about 29% from fall 2022 to fall 2026. The rate did not fall in a straight line, because U-M also admitted more students as the class grew. U-M's Common Data Set (CDS) for fall 2025 gives the same totals: 17,915 of 109,112.

In-state vs out-of-state acceptance rate

U-M does not publish an in-state or out-of-state acceptance rate. The CDS has a section that asks for applicants, admits and enrolled students by residency. In U-M's fall 2025 CDS, those cells are blank, and only the totals are filled in. We found no other U-M office that reports admit rates by residency. Any in-state or out-of-state rate you see elsewhere did not come from a U-M publication.

What U-M does publish is the residency of the students who enroll:

Fall	In-state enrolled	Out-of-state enrolled	In-state share
2022	3,667	3,383	52.0%
2023	3,849	3,617	51.6%
2024	3,848	3,430	52.9%
2025	4,284	3,894	52.4%
2026	4,436	4,223	51.2%

OBP counts residency by tuition rate, so international students are in the out-of-state column. The University Record reported that more than 5,000 of all incoming fall 2026 students, first-year and transfer, were from Michigan, from 78 of the state's 83 counties.

Two facts help you read this. First, U-M's CDS lists state residency as "considered" in admission. Second, Michigan residents pay far less (see the cost section). The in-state share of the enrolled class has stayed between 51% and 53% for five years. Students from outside Michigan, including international students, fill the rest.

About half of each U-M class comes from outside Michigan. Out of state, you compete with strong applicants from everywhere. Show me how to stand out →

Early Decision, Early Action and Regular Decision

U-M added binding Early Decision (ED) for fall 2026, next to its nonbinding Early Action (EA) and Regular Decision (RD). The University Record reported that 65% of first-year applicants for fall 2026 applied early, through ED or EA, and that EA was the most popular plan.

U-M's admissions office published one early rate: "13 percent of Early Decision applicants for fall 2026 were admitted during the initial Early Decision binding decision release in December 2025." U-M has not published the number of ED or EA applicants, or an EA or RD admit rate. The 13% covers only the December release, so it does not count postponed ED applicants who were admitted later.

Early Decision: binding. If admitted, you must withdraw all other applications. A postponed ED applicant is "no longer bound to attend U-M if they are later admitted."
Early Action: nonbinding. You have until May 1 to decide.
Regular Decision: nonbinding, with the latest deadline.

U-M says its review is the same "rigorous, holistic review" for every plan, and it is need-blind. ED admits get no priority for housing or course registration. Students in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance can apply only through RD. Applicants to most preferred admission and dual-degree programs must use EA or RD. For the tradeoffs, see early decision vs early action.

University of Michigan SAT, ACT and GPA

U-M is test-optional for the 2027 cycle. Its admissions office says, "an applicant will not be disadvantaged if they do not submit an ACT/SAT score for consideration." If you submit scores, U-M uses your highest superscore and accepts self-reported scores. ED and EA applicants must report scores by November 1.

Middle 50% scores of students who enrolled in fall 2025 (CDS):

SAT composite: 1370 to 1530 (median 1470)
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 690 to 750
SAT Math: 680 to 780
ACT composite: 32 to 34 (median 33)

55% of the class submitted an SAT score, and 18% submitted an ACT score. See what is a good SAT score.

GPA. U-M has no minimum GPA, but its numbers are clear. The fall 2025 CDS gives an average high school GPA of 3.9. Of enrolled students who reported a GPA, 38.8% had a 4.0 and 55.1% had 3.75 to 3.99, so 93.9% had at least a 3.75. OBP gives a middle 50% range of 3.9 to 4.0 for every class from fall 2022 to fall 2025. To compare your own grades, read weighted vs unweighted GPA and use the high school GPA calculator.

Scores get you into the pool. U-M's own essay advice points to the research that draws you. Send me the research tips our PhD mentors share →

What the University of Michigan looks for

U-M's CDS rates two factors "very important": the rigor of your high school record and your GPA. Test scores, the essay, recommendations, character and first-generation status are "important." Extracurricular activities, talent, state residency and level of interest are "considered." Class rank, the interview and alumni relation are "not considered." The admissions office confirms that "Legacy status is not considered."

Multiple evaluators in the admissions office read each application. Reviewers rate five areas:

Secondary School Academic Performance
Educational Environment
Counselor and Teacher Recommendation
Essays
Awards/honors, involvement, leadership, and service

The selection page is direct about what matters beyond grades: "Show us how the combination of course work and related activities inspired original thinking on your part. What you've done beyond simply taking AP courses is a very important consideration for admission."

Original thinking is exactly what a research project shows. You start with a question, you test it, and you write up what you found. That gives your essays and your recommendations specific material. See whether research helps college admissions.

University of Michigan supplemental essays

Every first-year applicant writes the Common App personal essay (250 to 650 words) and two U-M essays. Word for word:

"At the University of Michigan, we are focused on developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future. In your essay, share with us how you are prepared to contribute to these goals. This could include the people, places, experiences, or aspirations that have shaped your journey and future plans. (Required for all applicants; 100 word minimum; 300 word maximum.)"
"Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate college or school (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? (Required for all applicants; 100 word minimum; 550 word maximum.)"

The second essay is the one most applicants underuse. U-M's own advice is to consider "Highlighting faculty, courses, and research opportunities that attracted you to the university, or a specific school/college." That works best when you can connect a U-M lab or course to work you have already done.

U-M's second essay asks how its curriculum fits your interests. General praise for the campus does not answer it. Send me the mentors' ideas for this essay →

University of Michigan deadlines for fall 2027

Plan	Apply by	Decision by	Commit by
Early Decision	November 1, 2026	December 24	January 6
Early Action	November 1, 2026	January 29	May 1
Regular Decision	February 1, 2027	April 2	May 1

ED applicants who want aid must submit the CSS Profile and FAFSA by November 15. The suggested aid filing date for EA and RD is December 15, and the aid deadline is March 1. The ED and EA deadlines for this cycle have passed, so Regular Decision is the open plan.

How much does the University of Michigan cost?

U-M estimates the 2026–27 cost of attendance for a first- or second-year student in its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at:

Michigan residents: $40,194, including $18,896 in tuition and fees
Out-of-state students: $88,394, including $67,096 in tuition and fees

Costs differ by program. The Go Blue Guarantee gives free tuition for up to four years to qualified in-state, full-time students from families with incomes of $125,000 or less and assets below $125,000. The University Record reports that more than 5,000 in-state undergraduates pay no tuition.

Frequently asked questions

What GPA do you need to get into the University of Michigan? U-M sets no minimum. Its fall 2025 class had an average high school GPA of 3.9, and 93.9% of students who reported a GPA had 3.75 or higher.

Why is UMich so hard to get into? From fall 2022 to fall 2026, applications grew about 29%, to 108,774, but admits grew only about 17%. U-M admits about 1 in 6 applicants and rates course rigor and GPA "very important."

Is UMich a top 20 university? Rankings differ by publisher and year. We use official sources only, so we do not repeat a rank here. U-M describes itself as "one of the nation's premier universities," and it admitted 16.1% of applicants for fall 2026.

Is UMich as good as an Ivy? U-M is a public university, so it is not in the Ivy League, which has eight private schools. It is easier to get into: the eight Ivies together admitted about 5.6% for fall 2025. Cornell, which had the highest Ivy rate that year, admitted 9.2% for fall 2026. See the Cornell acceptance rate.

Is Duke or Michigan harder to get into? Duke. Duke admitted about 4.7% for fall 2026 (2,930 of 61,935). U-M admitted 16.1%. See the Duke acceptance rate.

Sources

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