ANN ARBOR – According to data released by the University of Michigan on Thursday, this year's admission round saw a 1:4 acceptance ratio.
The university reported an all-time high of 59,886 applications, up 7.9 percent from last year, and offered admission to roughly 26 percent of applicants.
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Of accepted students, 43.1 percent enrolled, making the incoming freshman class larger than expected, at 6,847, with 3,310 of them coming from in-state. Less than half of in-state applicants were accepted, at a rate of 44.5 percent. For out-of-state and international students, it was more competitive, at an admittance rate of 22.2 percent. Of those accepted students, 30.8 percent enrolled.
(Photo: Meredith Bruckner)
Forty-six thousand students are currently enrolled at the university's Ann Arbor campus, marking a 2.9 percent increase from 2016.
"We continue to see strong interest in the University of Michigan, with applications from highly qualified, extremely talented and very passionate students," Erica Sanders, director of undergraduate admissions, said. "In our holistic evaluative process, academic excellence remains the most important component. Likewise, a student's interest in the university and fit with our institutional mission and goals have become increasingly critical in distinguishing top candidates among such a large and qualified pool."
On the financial side, the soon-to-be-implemented landmark Go Blue Guarantee, approved in June, provides in-state students with family incomes up to $65,000 four years of free tuition on the Ann Arbor campus. The guarantee will also apply to enrolled students starting in January who are eligible.
Students attend a home football game at The Big House (Photo: Meredith Bruckner)
This year, U-M increased financial aid provided to undergraduate students to a total of $176.7 million. That's 10.6 percent over the previous year.
The freshman retention rate at the University of Michigan is 97 percent. Nationally, the average is 64 percent. It also has a one of the highest six-year graduation rates in the nation, at 91 percent, far surpassing the national average rate of 59 percent.