U-M applications down, yield up

Updated 5:10 PM June 17, 2004

U-M applications down, yield up

By Laurel Thomas Gnagey

Freshman applications to the University are down about 18 percent, and fewer students have been admitted compared with last year, but paid enrollment deposits—a rough indicator of how many students actually will come to campus—are up 8 percent.

Applications from underrepresented minorities are down 21 percent and paid enrollment deposits for underrepresented minorities are down 5 percent when compared to last year.

Spencer

Applications for new freshman admissions totaled 21,261 as of May 16, compared to 25,918 year-to-date in 2003. To date, 6,571 enrollees have paid a deposit, compared with 6,060 last year. The University's summer/fall freshman enrollment target is 5,545.

Director of Undergraduate Admissions Theodore Spencer says it's too early to predict exact numbers, as students sometimes pay enrollment deposits and later decide not to attend the University. Preliminary estimates, however, are that there will be more freshmen coming to campus in the fall than in previous years, he says.

Spencer says the increased yield may be the result of a new admissions process adopted in response to the U.S. Supreme Court admissions decisions. The new application requires the completion of several essays.

"We believe the dramatic increase in our yield is because our application required somewhat more work on the part of students, and therefore those we admitted have a higher level of interest in attending the University of Michigan," Spencer says. "In addition, because of the richness of the information in our new application, our counselors have been better able to identify students with a strong interest in Michigan."

He says other colleges and universities, including The Ohio State University, which also altered its process to conform to the Supreme Court ruling, are experiencing similar drops in applications. Other universities that previously changed their processes to require more essays typically have seen the total number of applicants drop in the first year or two. Admissions directors across the nation are discussing whether the trend for students to apply to multiple universities is changing.

"It makes sense that as college applications become more demanding, students will be less inclined to fill out a large number of them," Spencer says.

He says the new process has resulted in better identification of applicants with unique talents and attributes, whose high school grades and scores on the ACT and SAT equal or top those of the class that entered in 2003.

"The new review process worked very well in selecting an academically outstanding incoming class that is broadly diverse," Spencer says. "Although it is too early to tell precisely what the makeup of our freshman class will be, we are pleased with both the academic preparation of our admitted students and with the wide range of experiences, backgrounds and talents that they will bring to campus."

Spencer says he is concerned about the drop in minority enrollment but believes it is for the same reasons as the overall decline in the applicant pool. He is optimistic that the University will yield a higher percentage of highly qualified minority students as well.

"Our admissions staff—in cooperation with faculty, current students and alumni—worked very hard to reach out to prospective minority students to encourage them to apply, and to admitted students to encourage them to enroll. We see some positive signs from their hard work."

With the increased yield comes the need for more first-year student housing. University Housing is making plans to ensure that every student will have a comfortable space, says Director of Housing Public Affairs Alan Levy.

"We will be prepared to accommodate all of the students who enroll in the fall," Levy says. "We guarantee University housing to every first-year student who applies within the deadline."

U-M applications down, yield up

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