What is the Residential College (RC), and how do I apply to it?
The Residential College (RC) is a four-year interdisciplinary liberal arts program within the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). RC students live and learn in the same physical space: East Quadrangle Residence Hall. By combining typical residence hall facilities (dorm rooms, lounges, dining halls, etc.) with the academic and artistic resources required for a liberal arts education (classrooms, creative arts studios, faculty offices, performance and exhibit spaces, and student support services) the RC makes a unique contribution to higher education—a small college fully integrated with a major and highly respected public university.
Highlights of the RC
- Best of Both Worlds: All RC students are LSA students; but NOT all LSA students are RC students. RC students get insider access to the RC, as well as everything in LSA!
- Academic Independence: Flexible and responsive to change, the curriculum offers students the freedom to challenge themselves and independence in how they are being educated.
- Learning in the Real World: Encouraging citizenship along with scholarship, RC students practice global curiosity, commitment to social justice, and community engagement.
- Unique Class Dynamics & Small Class Sizes: RC students collaborate with peers and faculty to engage with material head-on while in small classes of 9-20 students.
- What We Teach: RC courses promote new material and ways to learn! The RC has its own majors, minors, and experiential courses, but RC students can pursue any LSA major or minor.
Admission to the Residential College is available to any prospective student who has first been accepted to the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA). There is no additional application, essay, or interview required of applicants to the RC.
You may indicate interest in Residential College directly on the Common Application by selecting Residential College as your "Program of Study." This selection does not impact potential admission to UM-LSA.
If you missed marking your interest in the Residential College program on the application, and you have not yet received a decision on your application, you may do so on Enrollment Connect under the Application menu by choosing "Verify Application Answers"and selecting "Request to Update Personal Information." If you are an admitted student and wish to apply to the Residential College, you can indicate interest in joining by filling out the form on the apply page of the RC website.
If you have any questions about the Residential College or admission into this program, please contact the Residential College directly at rcadmissions@umich.edu or 734-763-0032.