not important, but it definitely helps
Do you think it would be helpful in terms of being accepted instead of deferred? Since it probably indicates the student would go there, and yield protection is a big deal
the only reason it would help is if it’s down between you and another student with the same stats and one has legacy and one doesn’t
Got it. Thanks!
My son is an OOS legacy from Texas. He was deferred and then waitlisted before he got in last year (in April). Not sure if legacy helped or not, but definitely did not keep him from being deferred. It might be a whole different thing for instate v. OOS. I have no idea. Hoping the fact that he did end up at Michigan might help my 2021 twins not get deferred if legacy does help–they now have a legacy father and a current student brother. We shall see! They also have different stats and are applying to different schools/programs, so who knows how all those differences play into their outcomes versus his last year. It all seems like a crapshoot at this point. lol
Slightly different topic: Many “safety” liberal arts schools don’t necessarily admit the most qualified applicants when they feel that likelihood of the student joining their school is pretty low (for example, a kid with great credentials who may look like an Ivy-bound one). They typically look at demonstrated interest as one of the factors.
2 Likes
Yes, that is yield protection. A lot of schools do it, not just liberal arts schools.
This may have been true in the past. But in March of 2019, a spokesperson for Michigan said that legacy is not considered in the admissions process but rather is a consideration taken into account in deciding how likely the offer of admission they are making will be accepted (they know they have higher yields with legacies).
The implication being, they claim to not consider legacy any longer in the admission decision. But in deciding how many offers they have to extend, they consider legacy as a factor in how likely a particular student will attend (eg they may have to accept 15 non-legacies to get same yield from 10 legacies–totally made up numbers but you get the point).
“Rick Fitzgerald, a spokesman, told Inside Higher Ed that legacy status is used for only two purposes. He said that the college does want to acknowledge family relationships to alumni when communicating with parents of applicants about the admissions process. Further, he said that legacy status is an important factor in calculating yield, the percentage of admitted applicants who enroll. Legacy applicants who are admitted enroll at a higher rate than do other applicants. So it’s important for enrollment planners to know whether those in the applicant pool are legacies, he said.But he insisted that legacy status plays no role in actual admissions decisions.”
Michigan also updated their admissions FAQ to say this:
"Is being a legacy applicant a factor in U-M’s holistic review process?
Legacy status is not a preference in the admissions process but does serve as context - outside of the admissions review - in understanding a student’s interest. Most importantly, it helps us calculate the likelihood of enrollment. Information about a student’s status as a legacy can also be used to acknowledge their relationship to U-M in communications with families during both the application process and when it renders their admissions decisions."
FYI, I am not at all sure I believe they really don’t consider legacy any longer in admissions. But it was said. And it is probably the right thing to do. There seems to be a slowly growing realization among colleges that considering legacy status is not a particularly fair way to form a class and likely perpetuates inequalities.
you just wrote a whole essay in this…
1 Like
Yes. I’m bored and sick of waiting and thought I would do a public service to the legacies out there to warn that legacy status may not be the boost one might have hoped or expected in the past. If the information isn’t useful to you, feel free to ignore it.
1 Like
I wasn’t anticipating a boost- I have the grades and test scores to get into Michigan or at least to be considered. I was just wondering if it has any part in the process as a large portion of my family has attended/attends. Thanks for the information!
1 Like
Never great especially OOS. They have an awesome admissions blog that might be useful.
I know you don’t want to hear this but the last few years siblings didn’t get in even with same /similar stats. Legacy is not what it used to be. My son is OOS and legacy. He had all the stats. Did legacy help? I have no clue but it surely didn’t hurt.
1 Like
I cannot get into my UMich Portal anymore and it has a message. Is this a good sign that they are coming soon?
Been like that for so long
yes! It is also a good sign that they are coming by end of month and don’t come out on weekends. So Wed, Thurs, or Fri it is! Good luck!
3 Likes
One of my daughters has better stats than my son did (higher grades & test scores+varsity athletics), the other has not quite as good grades/rank, but better test scores (she also has varsity athletics), and she is applying to LSA v. my son’s major of engineering, so I think they both have a decent chance legacy or no (and we were never counting on legacy anyway), but I know applications are up everywhere, so who knows! We will see soon, or get deferred. Thankfully they both already have acceptances to schools they are excited about.
hello everyone! so sorry if this has already been answered, but does anyone have an idea of what percentage of out-of-state students are accepted in early action and how many are deferred/rejected? thanks so much!
i know oos georgia tech decisions were brutal (as an oos student with a pretty strong application imo, i was only offered their guaranteed transfer pathway for fall 2022), so i’m incredibly nervous about umich now. good luck everyone! the wait is almost over 
1 Like
They really don’t take legacy into consideration. I know a valedictorian who was a double legacy obviously with high stats, didn’t get in during EA. Wound up going to a higher ranked program instead. I’ve heard that legacy only means something at UM if you’re a big time donor.