The University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus announced July 9 they would be implementing Early Decision as an available application plan for the 2026 undergraduate admissions cycle. Early Action and Regular Decision plans will still be application options for first-year applicants.
Applicants who select Early Decision will submit their applications by Nov. 1 — the same deadline as Early Action applications. However, unlike Early Action applicants, Early Decision applicants who receive letters of acceptance will enter a binding agreement to attend the University unless their financial aid package is insufficient. Once accepted, Early Decision applicants are required to withdraw any pending applications to other higher education institutions.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, University Regent Sarah Hubbard (R) said she approved of the recent implementation of Early Decision.
“It will allow us to secure the best students that are interested in (the University),” Hubbard said. “I believe we’ve been losing some of the best students to other schools and colleges that offer Early Decision — binding Early Decision — where they were waiting to hear from Michigan but were forced to make a decision on other places first. This will make us more competitive with some of those schools and colleges by offering a similar timeline and a similar commitment.”
The University has witnessed a decrease in the percentage of accepted students in recent years as the number of applicants continues to climb. University Provost Laurie McCauley, executive vice president for academic affairs, wrote in the press release the implementation of Early Decision aims to target high-achieving undergraduate students.
“As we approach the start of an academic year with what is likely to be a record number of undergraduate students, we are excited to offer this new approach to the undergraduate application process at the university,” McCauley wrote. “The introduction of Early Decision at U-M allows high-achieving undergraduate students to affirm their commitment to the university earlier in the application process and enjoy peace of mind during the rest of their senior year of high school.”
In an email to The Daily, LSA rising senior Elijah Wiseman, president and founder of the Leadership, Education, and Achievement Program, a volunteer organization that serves underprivileged members of the Ann Arbor community through free college counseling and test preparation services, wrote the change did not surprise him given the University’s reputation as a top university.
“Upon initially hearing about the addition of an Early Decision option, I wasn’t particularly surprised,” Wiseman wrote. “If anything, I think the decision makes sense given the academically rigorous standard for acceptance to Michigan and how high up it is on many prospective students’ list of colleges and universities.”
In an interview with The Daily, LSA rising senior Celine Fawaz said for students like her, who are looking for the best financial aid package available, applying Early Decision could be limiting their prospective options.
“I’m actually the kind of person that’s really against Early Decision in general,” Fawaz said. “You never know what your financial aid packages will look like. Early Decision is really risky, because (the University) is such an expensive institution, so I feel like Early Decision is a privilege.”
Fawaz said she felt Early Decision plans put less well-off students at a disadvantage compared to their more affluent counterparts because of the ability to commit regardless of financial aid.
“The fact that Early Decision is becoming an option now kind of puts us even a peg lower,” Fawaz said. “We have to fight even harder to get in now because all of those people that have the financial abilities to commit Early Decision probably will get priority over us.”
Wiseman wrote that he hopes the addition of Early Decision will benefit the underprivileged students he works with.
“As an organization that helps low-income or disadvantaged students with academics and college admissions, I see this as potentially very beneficial,” Wiseman wrote. “A lot of our students are highly motivated to do well in school and attend prestigious schools – especially the University – but due to a lack of resources may not have the same academic, extracurricular, or mentorship opportunities as other applicants, and as a result their college admissions results sometimes suffer. My hope is that access to the option to show a commitment to the University will give these students an even better chance of being accepted.”
Fawaz said she believed the Early Decision change will harm marginalized communities.
“I feel like Michigan switching to Early Decision kind of opens that door for a lot of more privileged communities and less underrepresented and underprivileged individuals to access,” Fawaz said. “The University made their stance clear when they cut DEI. At the end of the day schools are businesses. I don’t know if the intention was to cut down anybody with an underprivileged background, but also it’s definitely considered. There’s a lot of us that have to fight tooth and nail, and we have to run and fight 20 times, it’s hard to get half the recognition.”
Besides the student body and administration, Hubbard said she felt alumni were excited about the enactment of Early Decision.
“I heard alumni are really excited about it because it puts us on the playing field with other universities that do this, and alumni are looking at it as a real positive for the University of Michigan,” Hubbard said. “I think at this point it is to be determined, but if it works like we hope it will work, it should be something we have for some time.”
Daily Staff Reporter Anjali Budhram can be reached at abudhram@umich.edu.
