Ann Arbor, MI · Public · 34,177 undergraduates · urban
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Highly selective
Michigan is the flagship public university that combines top departments, Big Ten athletics, and a college town built around the university. Ann Arbor makes a campus of more than thirty thousand undergraduates feel coherent, but the experience is still large: school choice, course planning, and initiative determine whether Michigan feels expansive or anonymous.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in academic standing, and exceptional in affordability.- Admission
- 17.9% admitted
- Price by income
- Resident and nonresident prices differ
- Completion
- 93.7%
87,632 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$83,648 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Michigan apart
Flagship breadth meets national strength
Highly regarded professional and liberal-arts fields share one university.
Ann Arbor is part of the institution
The college-town setting supplies restaurants, culture, employers, and shared identity around campus.
School choice shapes admission
Engineering, business, nursing, music, art, architecture, and liberal arts follow different routes.
The Michigan build
A large university assembled from smaller homes
Michigan becomes personal through the school, community, and part of campus a student chooses.
Enter an academic home
The undergraduate unit supplies requirements and first advisers.
Join something with a working purpose
Teams, clubs, laboratories, and arts groups create repeated contact.
Use Ann Arbor
The city keeps a vast university connected through shared places and events.
Can I get in?
17.9% admitted
Michigan admits through undergraduate schools and colleges, with additional materials for some programs. Academic context and preparation must fit the route selected.
Recent applicant pool
87,632About 18 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 52% submitted an SAT, and 18% submitted an ACT. Because ACT scores came from few admitted students, the range describes that self-selected group rather than the full class.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Michigan, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Michigan weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Apply to the correct school
Match the student’s preparation and goals to the undergraduate unit reviewing the file.
Show initiative at scale
Demonstrate a record of finding resources and following through without constant direction.
Use Michigan specifically
Identify a department, program, team, or community that fits existing work.
Price residency correctly
Separate resident and nonresident cost before comparing offers.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Michigan offers Early Action and Regular Decision through the Common Application. Applicants should verify the receiving school and any portfolio, audition, or preferred-admission process.
Fee waiver: accepted
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
ArchitectureAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Performing and visual artsAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
BusinessAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Teacher preparationAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
EngineeringAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Health professionsAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
NursingAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Michigan residency changes tuition substantially. Nonresident families should compare the actual aid package rather than assume a public university will be cheaper.
College funding
Scholarships and financial aid
Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor publishes two merit awards, the largest reaching $20,000 a year or more. one renew past the first year.
Open across the university · Merit · First year only
Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year
In the season card
These two awards, by name
What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.
- The name of each award
- What it pays
- The grades and scores it asks for
- How to be considered
- What to send, and where
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Michigan
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Engineering, computing, business, health, research, government, arts, and graduate study benefit from national recruiting and an extensive alumni network.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Computer and Information Sciences, General
Admits separately
Research and Experimental Psychology
Business Administration, Management and Operations
Admits separately
Economics
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
What is campus life like?
Michigan beyond the classroom
Ann Arbor, athletics, residence halls, Greek life, clubs, and school identities create a highly active residential setting. Central and North Campus feel different and require transit.
First-year housing spans several campus zones
Residence halls create early communities, but location changes the daily route to classes and activities.
Campus halls meet a strong college town
Dining plans support residence life while Ann Arbor restaurants are woven into student routines.
Scale creates depth in almost every pursuit
Project teams, performance, publications, service, research, business, politics, and athletics all operate seriously.
Sports and Greek life are visible
Games, fraternities and sororities, clubs, teams, co-ops, and Ann Arbor venues produce a busy scene.
The map matters
Central Campus, North Campus, buses, and winter affect schedules more than a compact-campus brochure suggests.