I didnt realize that Michigan had published the ED acceptance rate.
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^Perhaps a typo, âisnâtâ really much of an ED bump?
This gets toward the rub of it. A student applies ED for two possible reasons, for a bump in chances and for an earlier decision, which leads to the question, will ED applicants at Michigan get either? Speculating here as we have no data: the anecdotal sense on social media (whether accurate or not) seems to be that many/most applicants were deferred, not getting an earlier decision.
ED is the ultimate show of interest for a school that considers interest, so a bump in chances would have a logical connection. Perhaps the benefit of having applied ED will turn out to be a show of interest when later evaluated in EA/RD.
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So many schools attempt to control their yields and ED is one such way. This is nothing new. Also there has been a drop of college age students applying to college so many schools are vying for the same studentâs. This is nothing new also. It might not seem like college applications have fallen off since the top 30 schools or so get like the most applications. But talk to smaller less known regionals and they will have a different conversation with you.
Michiganâs avg family makes something like $160,000. So applying ED makes sense of these families planned for college and have the funds. Every college wants more full pay students with recent decreases in local and federal dollarâs and even with Michiganâs wealth of endowment, it is earmarked prior to acceptance I believe.
This is no different then most schools out there. People applying to Michigan that have actually researched the school would know this. They would know they defer the majority of their students. Logic would tell them they have to. If they only accept around 7,500 students yearly but 90,000 apply⊠they have to do something with these students and also maintain their yield /acceptance rate especially with all schools finally recovering from the pandemic yearâs. Yes, that had a large impact on all schools.
But Michigan does something that not all schools do. They sorta give the applicant a second chance. If the theory of 50% of the first year freshman class is from ED/WA that leaves like 3750 students left (just go with this). RD brings on a whole slew of applicants. But if you were deferred your applications gets a second life of review against the RD class per se. Are you telling me you wouldnât want that second chance at acceptance? True holistic review is their thing and I donât think some really understand the depth they go through. There are many students online that read their holistic reviews after the fact. Itâs real.
For those that apply early and get in later if they truly want Michigan, they are usually thrilled at that prospect.
If you need a quick answer and donât want to wait to potentially April. Then donât apply. This is all written on their websites. Itâs pretty clear.
I wish everyone good luck and Go Blue!
I think this speaks for itself.
Personally Iâll wait for the press release, assuming they do wind up sharing that data. Which they may not. I can think of at least one other school of the top of my head with both ED and EA, and they do not publish that data.
UVA has both, and they do publish this data the day of each decision release. They also make clear that ED deferred applicants will be considered in the RD (not EA) pool.
A little bit of transparency goes a long way.
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Thx, fixed typo!
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To be clear if you apply EA and are Postponed (deferred), you go into the RD pool (water is warm 
) and your decision is in April.
ED can go into either EA or RD or denied.
Postponed Applicants FAQ | University of Michigan Office of Undergraduate Admissions https://admissions.umich.edu/apply/first-year-applicants/selection-process/postponed-applicants-faq
If you are denied, your done and move on to your other choices.
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If in RD you can be denied or move onto the wait list.
For most people this is a very long ride. But can be worth it in the end.
My son has applied EA, and I was thinking about something hereâŠ
In theory, arenât the EA chances likely a little higher now that applicants who were accepted ED to other schools would need to withdraw their applications? Since itâs too late for new EA applicants, the pool should have grown smaller for Michigan EA to some degree. Does that logic hold up?
Isnât this where some of the confusion lies? My understanding is that postponed ED applicants were told they might be considered during the EA round, or maybe the RD round, or maybe both, and that there were different or maybe changing dates in their portals. Does anyone know for sure?
I called Admissions a while back and what I wrote is correct and also on their website. If any questions please email /call admissions.
I believe the above link addresses this also. Let me know if there is something incorrect in which I wrote.
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Heh, who said there is math on this thread .
My answer was going to be no for similar reasons but since I was doing something with AI, I will let Gemini AI give you the answer 
âŠ.
In theory, your logic is soundâif a segment of the applicant pool is forced to withdraw, the âcompetitionâ technically decreases. However, in the world of high-level college admissions, particularly for a school like the University of Michigan (UMich), this effect is often more of a statistical ripple than a significant âboost.â
Here is how that logic holds up against the reality of the admissions process:
- The âWithdrawalâ Reality
It is true that students who get into their Early Decision (ED) schools must withdraw their other applications. Because UMich is a top choice for many high-achieving students who also apply to Ivies or other elite schools (like Duke, Penn, or Northwestern) via ED, a few thousand applications likely disappear from the UMich pool in mid-December.
- The Nuance: Many of those students were âover-qualifiedâ or âstrong-matchâ candidates. While their removal technically lowers the bar, it doesnât necessarily make it easier for the remaining applicants. Admissions officers at Michigan already know their âyieldâ (how many people actually say yes) and they over-admit to compensate for students who will inevitably choose an Ivy or a similar school.
- The New 2025 Variable: UMich Early Decision
Starting with the Fall 2026 enrollment cycle (applications submitted in late 2025), Michigan has introduced its own Early Decision (ED) round. This changes the math significantly:
- Priority Shift: Michigan now has its own pool of âguaranteedâ students. They plan to fill roughly half the class through the combined ED and EA rounds.
- Yield Protection: Since ED is binding, Michigan will likely prioritize those applicants first. This could actually make the EA pool more competitive than in previous years because there are now fewer âuncommittedâ seats available for the non-binding EA group.
- Volume vs. Capacity
The sheer scale of Michiganâs application volume often drowns out the effect of withdrawals.
- Last year, UMich received over 100,000 applications.
- Even if 5,000 students withdraw because of ED acceptances elsewhere, there are still tens of thousands of highly qualified students remaining in the EA pool.
- The âPostponementâ Factor
Michigan is famous for âpostponingâ (deferring) a massive chunk of its EA pool to the Regular Decision (RD) round. If the withdrawal of other students really created a vacuum, you would see more direct EA acceptances. Instead, Michigan uses the âpostponeâ status to wait and see how the rest of the national pool (RD) looks before committing their final seats.
The Verdict
Your logic holds up mathematically (smaller pool = higher theoretical probability), but it is unlikely to change the admissions standards.
Admissions officers donât lower their GPA or essay requirements just because the pool shrank; they simply move to the next person on their âhighly qualifiedâ list or pull more people from the deferred/Regular Decision pool later in the spring.
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Not to be picky (I have an EA applicant, not an ED applicant, so no skin in the game), but the Postponed Applicant FAQ you linked states:
⊠but your application will continue to be considered under the future decision notifications plans for which you are eligible. The architecture and urban technology programs do not participate in early action, so if you applied to one of these programs, you will only be considered during Regular Decision.
This suggests to me that (except for the architecture and urban technology programs), postponed ED applicants may be considered in EA and/or RD rounds. No? If not, then why specifically call out the arch/urban tech program as not participating in EA?
Hold it.
I hope this explains it.
I think itâs semantics. Maybe it could be better worded.
Applying for the Bachelor of Science in Urban Technology - Taubman College Applying for the Bachelor of Science in Urban Technology - Taubman College
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That link is definitely clearer.
If all postponed ED applicants are pushed into RD only (and not EA), then that may be another factor that impacts the size of the EA pool..
I donât think this is correct. Hereâs the text from the postponed student FAQ:
âWe have decided to postpone making a decision on your application at this time, but your application will continue to be considered under the future decision notifications plans for which you are eligible. The architecture and urban technology programs do not participate in early action, so if you applied to one of these programs you will only be considered during Regular Decision. As a postponed applicant, you will no longer have a binding commitment if admitted.â
The bolded portion indicates that only architecture and urban technology definitively move to RD (which then aligns with the language on the Taubman page) because those programs donât participate in EA.
ETA: also heard from a private college counselor that Michigan admissions told them ED deferred kids could be considered in EA or RD.
Not from my information that came from admission at Michigan. Also the Urban program doesnât have an EA option and why it goes into RD from ED.
If you call /email them on Monday and the information is different please let me know.
There was definitely confusion when the ED was first announced and even the undergraduate admission was having a hard time understanding it from what I was told personally.
I just put it into my calendar for a todo on Monday. I do want accurate information being reported here.
So for the fun of it while I wait for people to come over for the Bears /Packers gameâŠ. 
âŠ
I went into a Reddit and many OOS were accepted with many Instate ED it seems and many from some feeder East Coast schools. The GPA and Act /Sat didnât really seem that different from the EA acceptances the last few yearâs. Also some denials.
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ED applicants are considered for both EA and RD. Some will be accepted during the EA round, others postponed again to RD
ED applicants are considered for both EA and RD (unless you are an architecture or urban planning major). Some will be accepted during the EA round, others postponed again to RD
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