Agreed @Alexandre. Michigan is ranked 29 for the 2016 USNWR list (which is still high, lol) and beyond that, ranked by US news as one of the top 20 universities in the world. Times also ranked it 14th in the world this year. In short- Michigan will never not be prestigious and will always hold a name
Michigan currently has an acceptance rank that is in line with its ranking. It doesn’t need to artificially lower it to gain additional prestige. Matriculating and graduating near/over 6000 undergraduates/year, well over most of its peers, will make it nearly impossible for it to ever get down to levels of other top schools. In my opinion, it behoves Michigan to graduate as many people as it comfortably can. More graduates in the work force = more boosting (and boasting) of the quality of the university.
I agree rjk…with a caveat; that Michigan has the resources to provide those 6,500+ freshmen, and 30,000 undergraduate students, with the experience befitting a school of Michigan’s standing. I don’t think Michigan has such resources. We need to build more classrooms and dorms, and hire far more instructional faculty, to meet those numbers.