Dive Brief:
- As the Supreme Court considers a Texas case that could upend admissions policies across the U.S., the University of Michigan is finding early success with a new strategy that does not include affirmative action, which was banned by voters in the state in 2006.
- The New York Times reports that the university increased the number of minority students in its freshman class by 20%, reaching the highest percentage of the class than any year since the affirmative action ban took hold.
- The strategy, led by a new enrollment manager, includes working to increase yield by making personal calls to admittees, increasing student aid and calling it a tuition scholarship, cutting the size of the freshman class, and choosing not to admit anyone off the waiting list.
Dive Insight:
The New York Times reports the branding change for financial aid to a “tuition scholarship” has been better received by students and their families. The waiting list has historically favored white and Asian students from higher income families who can afford to hold their spot at another institution while waiting to see if the University of Michigan ultimately accepts them. The practice of admitting no one from the wait-list contributed to a drop in the number of whites and Asians in the freshman class. The number of black and Latino students, together, jumped 23.5% from last year’s class to the current year’s.
It’s too soon to tell whether this year’s data is the start of a trend or a fluke but such obvious success will certainly encourage other admissions teams to reconsider their strategies as they try to shape their own diverse student bodies.