Through the University of Michigan’s Early Action program, you can apply earlier in the admissions timeline—by Nov. 1 of your senior year in high school—and receive a decision on admission earlier on in the process. The Early Action decision will be one of three: admit; postpone for a final decision by early April; or deny.

You do not need to apply Early Action, but this fast-paced approach may fit your needs by providing you with a decision by late January. It's a great option if you know that Michigan is one of your top choice schools. There are, however, a few aspects of Early Action to be aware of before you jump in, particularly:

The Chief Advantage of Early Action

Early Action provides you with a guaranteed decision date. For many students, this enables better planning.

To Apply

Applying for Early Action typically involves the same steps and materials as regular admissions. A complete application includes the following forms and information and must be postmarked by November 1:

  • The Common Application
  • The U-M Questions
  • High School Transcript (and a second transcript translated in English if you took any classes at a non-U.S. high school)
  • School Report
  • One Teacher Evaluation (core academic teacher, or other non-relative who is familiar with a student's academic aptitude)
  • Students who wish to have an ACT/SAT score considered as a part of their application should self-report their ACT/SAT score on their application or through Enrollment Connect by Nov. 15 for Early Action consideration. Those who do not wish to have an ACT/SAT score considered as a part of their application should indicate that on the testing question within the application and self-report any other score information they wish to have considered as a part of their application, such as AP or IB exam scores.

Deadlines and Decisions

Complete application and materials — postmarked by Nov. 1
Early Action decision release — by late January
Final equal consideration deadline — Feb. 1

Note: Students who apply via Early Action but don’t meet the requirements or deadlines will be rolled into the regular decision applicant pool. All materials must then be postmarked by Feb. 1 and decisions will be released by early April.

Sending Test Scores

EA candidates have through Nov. 15 to self report test scores to qualify for EA consideration. EA applicants who are otherwise complete, but who have not self-reported an ACT/SAT score to our office by Nov. 15 will be reviewed as test flexible candidates for early action. We encourage students to send test scores to U-M immediately after taking the exam; students who submit their requests for test results after they have taken an ACT or SAT will need to ensure that scores be sent to us by the deadline. Check with ACT or SAT regarding individual policies. You may also self-report your scores on your application, but will be required to submit officials scores to validate your self-reported scores upon enrollment. 

Notification

All admissions decisions will be posted on Enrollment Connect. When your decision is ready to view, you will be sent a notification via email from [email protected] with the subject line "Your University of Michigan Application Status Has Been Updated." The decision notification email will NOT be sent if you have already viewed your decision. Please add this email address to your safe list so that your notification does not go to your junk or spam folder. However, given variations in online security, we recommend that you check both your inbox and junk mail folders just to be sure. Notifications will be released to the email address you provided on your application. If you need to update your contact information, you can do so using the “Verify Application Answers" button on the Application menu of Enrollment Connect.

Applicants who have been admitted will also receive paper correspondence. We will send your admissions decision to the address you provided in your application; if you have provided a mailing address, we will send the decision there. If you have only included a permanent address, that is where your decision will be sent.

We are unable to give decisions over the phone; it is your responsibility to monitor Enrollment Connect for your decision.