What is Early Action and will an application for Early Action be reviewed differently than an application submitted under Regular Decision?
The chief advantage of Early Action (EA) is that it provides you with a guaranteed decision date. For many students, this enables better planning. You do not have to apply EA, but this approach may suit your needs by providing you with a decision by late January. It's a great option if Michigan is one of your top choice schools. There are, however, a few aspects of the EA process of which to be aware before you apply.
- Early Action is for first-year applicants applying for the fall term.
- The School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) does not participate in Early Action and has a unique Dec. 1 application deadline. All applications to the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning will receive their Taubman College decision as part of the Regular Decision process and are not considered for Early Action. However, any Stamps, LSA, or Engineering dual-degree application submitted with the SMTD or Taubman College application will receive Early Action consideration if completed by the Nov. 1 deadline.
- The Office of Undergraduate Admissions promises no special privileges to Early Action candidates, such as giving your application materials a higher priority or a more lenient review. Choosing to apply through Early Action does not make it easier or harder to gain admission to U-M; it is merely a way to get your decision more quickly.
- Because our decision is non-binding, you are still permitted to apply to and enroll at other schools that use an early admissions program such as Early Action or Early Decision. Depending on the other school's requirements, you may be required to attend their school if admitted and cancel your application to the University of Michigan.
In order to qualify for EA, all required application materials, including transcripts, School Report, and Teacher Evaluation, must be either electronically received or postmarked by Nov. 1, with the exception that test scores can be self-reported by Nov. 15. If you are ordering official electronic test results to be sent to the U-M close to the deadline date, be sure to also self-report your test scores on Enrollment Connect by Nov. 15 because the time frame for delivery may extend beyond the Nov. 15 test deadline date. More information about submitting test results is available on our admissions website.