If you just received a rejection from Michigan in the Early Action or Early Decision round, or if you are pondering what to do after a postponement, we can help. This moment is understandably frustrating and overwhelming, but there are things that you can do to turn your application experience around and get into a seriously impressive school. First, though, let’s dig into Mich a little.
Effective for students starting in the Fall of 2026, the University of Michigan made some big changes. Students have long been able to show their passion for Mich (and their time management skills) by applying Early Action. But beginning this year, aspiring Mich students also have the option to double-down on their interest by applying through the binding Early Decision program.
Both Early Action and Early Decision provided applicants like you a statistical benefit, but we can’t know how much the ED option changed the game — yet at least — because the data isn’t out and there is no historical ED data for Mich to look back at. ED is a new option, after all.
Without access to ED data, we can still look at the big picture. Mich receives nearly 100,000 first-year applications annually, and, in recent years, they have accepted around 16% of students. That number is wildly misleading, though, because it includes both in-state and out-of-state applicants. As a public university, Mich prioritizes in-state applicants. About half of enrolled first years each year are from Michigan and half are from outside of Michigan. Despite this, far more out-of-state students apply than there are interested and eligible Michigan seniors. So, the Michigan in-state acceptance rate is actually much higher than 16%, and the out-of-state acceptance rate, while not reported, is undoubtedly much lower.
Whether you applied as an in-state student or an out-of-state student, there are four things that you must be doing to turn your application experience around in the Regular Decision (or ED II) admissions round. Now, let’s dig in.
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These four steps are distinct and critical. None of them are gratuitous, and all of them are critical. No application is perfect, but every application can be improved. This is your moment to learn from the Michigan decision and make your application unforgettable.
Step One: Take a Break
First, you need to breath. After a disappointing decision from Mich, it’s easy to want to distract yourself by diving straight into a fresh set of application essays. That’s the wrong move, though. Going straight from an admissions decision to overhauling your apps will result in poorly ideated changes and imprecise strategy. So, slow down. Take a few days to process and recharge. Eat some ice cream, take your dog on a long walk, and refill your emotional tank ahead of diving back in. This will prepare you to make your best decisions and do your strongest work.
Step Two: Strategize
Ok, so what you were hoping for didn’t work out. You wanted to get into Mich early, and if that had happened you would either be completely set with the ED round — or be able to launch into the Regular Decision round with an awesome Early Acceptance in your pocket. But that didn’t work out, and you need a new plan.
Now it is time to make that new plan.
You don’t need to throw out your college list, but you do need to evaluate it with an eye towards balance. Not getting into Mich doesn’t mean that you can’t get into a highly-competitive school either, but there is work to do. First, you need 3-4 target schools that you have the grades, scores, and profile to get into based on available data. Then, you need 3-4 safeties. These are schools that you should get into easily, but that doesn’t mean that you can phone it in. You need to dedicate time and attention to every school, or schools that you consider “safeties” will reject you simply because they don’t think you really care. Keeping your list manageable, ideally to 10-12 schools at most, is key to accomplishing this.
Once you have your targets and your safety schools, it’s time to add 2-3 reaches back into the mix. You reached for Mich and missed. That doesn’t mean that you can’t get into a highly competitive college, but it does mean that you need to do it differently. That’s where the essay portions come in.
Step Three: Essays
You can’t change your grades or your scores, and making excuses for weak spots won’t help. You can’t change your activities either. What you have done is what you have to work with. How you tell that story, though, can absolutely transform your application outcomes.
We’ve worked with students after an early rejection who proceed to get into multiple schools with acceptance rates under 10% in the Regular Decision round. What didn’t stay between their rejected ED app and submitting RD were any of the essays. This isn’t because their work was bad, necessarily, but it wasn’t acceptance-earning. A supplement can be technically sound, but emotionally flat. What you need to do in this moment is to ask yourself what you want application readers to feel when they review your writing.
Yes, we’re talking about feelings. Strong college writing pulled the application readers from where they try to stay in their heads into their hearts. It’s easy for an admission official to say “no” from their head, but if you can get them into their hearts they will be looking for reasons to say “yes.” That is now your singular goal, and there are many ways to accomplish it. The core of any approach, though, is story. Telling compelling stories leads to enthusiastic acceptances, and that’s exactly the type of reaction that you want to inspire.
Step Four: Ask For Help
Finally, you need to ask for help. And we’re not talking about friend, here. Friends are great for encouragement, but even the best young writer you know isn’t a college essay expert. Tap on true experts for exceptional outcomes.
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