Dec 6, 2025
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By Justin Neiman, Former Admissions Officer
If you applied Early Action to the University of Michigan and were “postponed” — Michigan’s term for deferred — don’t panic. A postponement doesn’t mean your application is over. It simply means the admissions office wants to review your file again in the Regular Decision round. Here’s what that means and what you can do next.
If you applied EA to Michigan, there are three possible decisions:
• Accepted under Early Action
• Postponed (Deferred) to Regular Decision
• Denied
Michigan does not publicly release separate Early Action acceptance rates or deferral rates. Acceptance Rates for the Class of 2029 and 2030 have not been released.
However, we do know:
• For the Class of 2028, Michigan received 98,310 applications and admitted 15,373 students, an overall admit rate of 15.6%.
• Historically, Michigan postpones a large portion of its Early Action applicants, making deferment extremely common.
Because Michigan does not share EA-specific numbers, any deferral statistics you see online are estimates rather than official data.
A rejection from Michigan is final. There is no appeal process, and your application will not be reconsidered in Regular Decision.
If Michigan remains a top choice, you may apply again next year as a transfer applicant after completing at least one year of college coursework.
A postponement means your application will be evaluated again in the Regular Decision pool alongside all other applicants. You are no longer bound to any early timeline.
Michigan encourages postponed applicants to submit updates — but only through their official process. They also place real weight on senior-year performance, so your mid-year grades matter.
Instead of a traditional Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI), Michigan provides a dedicated Expression of Continued Interest (ECI) form in the applicant portal.
You may submit it only once, and it is optional — but if you have meaningful updates, it is smart to complete it.
Use the ECI to:
• Reaffirm your interest in Michigan
• Highlight what has meaningfully changed since you applied
• Share new accomplishments, grades, or responsibilities
If you have something new and genuinely important, include it in the ECI. Examples:
• A major academic or extracurricular award
• New or improved test scores (if you choose to submit them)
• A research or publication update
• A leadership role that has expanded meaningfully
Michigan reviews mid-year grades for postponed applicants. Strong senior-year performance can strengthen your application in Regular Decision.
A postponement is a good time to reassess your strategy before January deadlines.
Consider:
• Reviewing your essays to ensure your story is clear and compelling
• Strengthening school-specific supplemental essays
• Updating your activities list with any new accomplishments
• Making sure your college list includes reach, match, and likely schools
A deferral is unpredictable — so put effort into every other application you still plan to submit.
A deferral is not a denial. Many strong applicants are postponed each year, and some are later admitted. Use this time as an opportunity to refine your application strategy and stay focused academically. Many students look back and see the deferral as the moment that pushed them to produce their strongest work.
As one of our past students said:
“If I hadn’t been deferred in the early round, I wouldn’t have realized how much my application needed improvement. I made changes and ended up getting into all of my top schools during regular decision. It was a blessing in disguise.”
If you’d like support with your LOCI or your Regular Decision applications, feel free to reach out.
If you applied Early Action to the University of Michigan and were “postponed” — Michigan’s term for deferred — don’t panic. A postponement doesn’t mean your application is over. It simply means the admissions office wants to review your file again in the Regular Decision round. Here’s what that means and what you can do next.
If you applied EA to Michigan, there are three possible decisions:
• Accepted under Early Action
• Postponed (Deferred) to Regular Decision
• Denied
Michigan does not publicly release separate Early Action acceptance rates or deferral rates. Acceptance Rates for the Class of 2029 and 2030 have not been released.
However, we do know:
• For the Class of 2028, Michigan received 98,310 applications and admitted 15,373 students, an overall admit rate of 15.6%.
• Historically, Michigan postpones a large portion of its Early Action applicants, making deferment extremely common.
Because Michigan does not share EA-specific numbers, any deferral statistics you see online are estimates rather than official data.
A rejection from Michigan is final. There is no appeal process, and your application will not be reconsidered in Regular Decision.
If Michigan remains a top choice, you may apply again next year as a transfer applicant after completing at least one year of college coursework.
A postponement means your application will be evaluated again in the Regular Decision pool alongside all other applicants. You are no longer bound to any early timeline.
Michigan encourages postponed applicants to submit updates — but only through their official process. They also place real weight on senior-year performance, so your mid-year grades matter.
Instead of a traditional Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI), Michigan provides a dedicated Expression of Continued Interest (ECI) form in the applicant portal.
You may submit it only once, and it is optional — but if you have meaningful updates, it is smart to complete it.
Use the ECI to:
• Reaffirm your interest in Michigan
• Highlight what has meaningfully changed since you applied
• Share new accomplishments, grades, or responsibilities
If you have something new and genuinely important, include it in the ECI. Examples:
• A major academic or extracurricular award
• New or improved test scores (if you choose to submit them)
• A research or publication update
• A leadership role that has expanded meaningfully
Michigan reviews mid-year grades for postponed applicants. Strong senior-year performance can strengthen your application in Regular Decision.
A postponement is a good time to reassess your strategy before January deadlines.
Consider:
• Reviewing your essays to ensure your story is clear and compelling
• Strengthening school-specific supplemental essays
• Updating your activities list with any new accomplishments
• Making sure your college list includes reach, match, and likely schools
A deferral is unpredictable — so put effort into every other application you still plan to submit.
A deferral is not a denial. Many strong applicants are postponed each year, and some are later admitted. Use this time as an opportunity to refine your application strategy and stay focused academically. Many students look back and see the deferral as the moment that pushed them to produce their strongest work.
As one of our past students said:
“If I hadn’t been deferred in the early round, I wouldn’t have realized how much my application needed improvement. I made changes and ended up getting into all of my top schools during regular decision. It was a blessing in disguise.”
If you’d like support with your LOCI or your Regular Decision applications, feel free to reach out.
Former Admissions Officer, Harvard University
Former Assistant Dean, Stanford University
As a College Counselor I help students navigate the college admissions process. My goal is to help students stand out and get accepted to their top-choice schools.
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