Admission as a First-Year Student

Freshman students are admitted to the College of Engineering by the University of Michigan's Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Appropriate forms and instructions are available by contacting:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
1220 Student Activities Building
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1316
(734) 764-7433
http://www.admissions.umich.edu/

Applicants are encouraged to use the online application which is available (see URL above).  Applications for admission can also be requested from a high school counselor or by contacting the Undergraduate Admissions Office.  Please note that first-year students are admitted to the College of Engineering and not to a specific degree program. Students applying for first-year admission must submit the application and all required credentials by February 1 in order to receive equal consideration. Allow sufficient time for schools to process requests for official documents and for mail services to deliver materials to the Undergraduate Admissions office prior to the deadline. Applications will be considered after these dates only if space is available.

Freshman applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible in the fall of their senior year. Schools and colleges, including the College of Engineering, may close admissions before the "equal consideration" date.

Admitted students are encouraged to submit their enrollment deposit prior to the May 1 deadline in order to notify the University of their intention to enroll for fall term. Students submitting enrollment deposits that are received after the May 1 deadline may not be allowed to enroll due to space considerations. Enrollment is contingent upon completion of the student's high school program with grades consistent with those on which admission was granted.

Both the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the College of Engineering welcome the opportunity to provide information for prospective first-year students and to host them and their families for information sessions and tours. Online tour reservations are available at http://www.admissions.umich.edu/visiting/   

Criteria

The admission requirements are designed to assure that each student who is admitted to the College of Engineering has aptitude for the profession of engineering as well as intellectual capacity, interest, and motivation to pursue college work successfully. Students' qualifications in these respects vary widely, and from long experience it is evident that no single criterion is sufficient to judge the ability of every applicant.

The admission application review, therefore, takes into account the following criteria for admission:

• subjects studied in high school
• scholastic performance
• standardized test scores
• high school counselor and teacher recommendations
• student's essay

1. Subjects Studied in High School

A unit for admission is defined as a course covering a school year of at least 120 sixty-minute hours of classroom work. Two or three hours of laboratory, drawing, or shop work are counted as equivalent to one hour of recitation.

The following subjects and units are minimum requirements for admission:

College of Engineering Guidelines

2. Scholastic Performance

The student's grades, particularly in mathematics, laboratory sciences, and courses that indicate verbal ability, together with the standing in the class, are considered important in determining admission to study engineering. Interest and high achievement in these subjects will also help the student to decide whether or not the right choice of career is being made as well as predicting the likelihood of success in the engineering profession.

3. Standardized Testing

Tests in verbal and mathematical abilities have proven helpful for predicting success in engineering courses. Applicants are required to take the College Entrance Examination Board Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT I) or American College Testing (ACT) during their junior and/or senior year in high school. (The writing section is required for either test.) SAT II scores are not required, but will be considered if provided.

For information and time schedules on the Scholastic Assessment Test, students should consult with their high school advisor,  write to the College Entrance Examination Board at Box 592, Princeton, NJ 08540, or to Box 1025, Berkeley, CA 94701, or see www.collegeboard.com.  For information and time schedules on the ACT test, students should consult with a high school advisor or write to The American College Testing Program, Iowa City, IA 52240, or see www.actstudent.org.

4. High School Recommendations

Statements by representatives of the applicant's high school are required. This may relate to such qualities as the character and seriousness of purpose of the applicant, interests and attainments (both scholastic and extracurricular), intellectual promise, and potential for success. A counselor's recommendation and a teacher's recommendation are  required as a part of the application for admission.

5. Essay

Brief essays will be required that pertain to specific questions asked on the admissions application. There are also opportunities to include your activities, interests, accomplishments, and talents. Such information provides additional background that may not be evident from the other criteria listed above. 

Advanced Placement

Many students take Advanced Placement courses through the Advanced Placement Program in their high schools. Credit for these courses can be applied toward a degree, provided the student has performed satisfactorily on the Advanced Placement Program examination conducted nationally by the College Entrance Examination Board.

Any questions regarding the examination, scores or results should be directed to the Advanced Placement Program.

http://www.collegeboard.org/ap/students/index.html

By Mail: 
Advanced Placement Program
PO Box 6671
Princeton, NJ 08541-6671

By Telephone:
(609) 771-7300 or (888) CALL-4AP

By Fax:
(609) 530-0482

By TTY:
(609) 882-4118 (for the hearing impaired)

By Email:
apexams@info.collegeboard.org

All other questions about Advanced Placement should be referred to Engineering Advising Center, 1009 Lurie Engineering Center, College of Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2102. (Phone # 734-647-7106)

The following Web site lists the satisfactory scores required to receive credit in the College of Engineering. http://www.engin.umich.edu/students/prospective/undergraduate/admissions/apibtransfer.html

University Placement Examinations

There are a number of courses for which credit may be received by getting a satisfactory score on a Placement Examination offered by a department of the University.

Note: No credit is granted for math and chemistry placement exams given before or during orientation.  The purpose of these exams is to determine your preparation for these entry level courses. 

1. Foreign Languages

A student may take an examination in a foreign language regardless of how the language skills were developed. To receive credit by examination, the foreign exam must have both a written and listening component. Language credit earned by U-M examination, Advanced Placement, A-Levels of IB examination will be granted up to a maximum of 8 credits. If the language credit earned is at the first-year level, then the credit hours may be used only as general electives. If the language credit earned is at the second-year level, then the credit hours may be used as humanities or general elective credits. Students may not receive foreign language credit by exam above the second-year level. Students earning language credit by completing qualifying courses at the University of Michigan, designated by LR or HU, or by transfer credit of equivalent courses from any other institution of higher learning, may apply all credits earned towards humanities. 

2. Transfer Credit for Entering Freshmen Students

Incoming freshmen who took a course(s) at a college or university while dually enrolled in high school may potentially receive transfer credit. The guidelines for transferring credit in these situations include that the course(s) must:

a.) be taken on the physical campus of an accredited college/university.

b.) be taken with other college/university students.

d.) not be counted toward high school completion.

Students seeking approval to transfer credit are required to submit a Freshman Admission Transfer Credit Form from both their high school counselor and from the registrar at the college/university verifying the above information along with an official transcript from the college/university. The Freshman Admission Transfer Credit From can be downloaded and printed at http://www.engin.umich.edu/admissions/undergraduate/firstyear/ . Both forms should contain an original signature and an official school stamp and should be mailed directly to the Office of Recruitment and Admissions at 1221 Beal Avenue; Robert H. Lurie Engineering Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2106 from the high school and /or the college/university..