@TooOld4School OK, those are all possible explanations. But let’s look at some other numbers that are associated with the exact same time frame as the post-2009 drop in in-state-acceptance rates:
In-state students in UM freshman class:
Fall 2009: 3,924
Fall 2017: 3,553
Net change: -371 (down by 9.5%)
Out-of-state students in UM freshman class:
Fall 2009: 2,155
Fall 2017: 3,294
Net change: +1,139 (up by 52.9%)
http://obp.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/pubdata/factsfigures/freshprof_umaa_fall13.pdf
http://www.ro.umich.edu/report/17enrollmentsummary.pdf
Meaningless coincidence? Or does it seem possible that a growing preference for out-of-state students during 2009-2017 could have also contributed to the falling in-state acceptance rate during 2009-2017?
Of course, this theory would only make sense if there was some compelling reason to prefer out-of-state students. Like if they paid more in tuition, or had higher stats. Or both.