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 the Early Action (EA) program 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 the University of 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 College of Pharmacy, the Marsal School of Education, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD), and the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning do not participate in Early Action. All applications to these schools/colleges will receive their decision as part of the Regular Decision process and are not considered for Early Action. However, any Stamps School of Art & Design, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, or College of Engineering dual-degree application submitted with an 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 sooner.
- 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 the Common Application, high school transcript(s), School Report, and Teacher Evaluation, must be either electronically received or postmarked by Nov. 1. EA candidates have through Nov. 15 to self report test scores if they wish to have them considered. 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-optional candidates for early action. More information about U-M's test-optional policy is available on our Application Changes webpage.