The University of Michigan unveiled a new undergraduate admissions policy Thursday, which both promises substantial changes to the mechanics and structure of undergraduate admissions and a continued commitment to diversity.
The announcement comes a little over two months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in a landmark decision a point-based system previously employed by the school.
The new application will require more essays and recommendations, a practice which administrators said will allow for a highly individualized, more holistic review of prospective students. Each application submitted will be evaluated by two separate reviewers.
"Our fundamental values haven't changed," University of Michigan President Sue Coleman said in a press release. "We believe that in order to create a dynamic learning environment for all our students, we must bring together students who are highly qualified academically and who represent a wide range of backgrounds and experiences."
Questions included on the new applications are tailored to gather a broader understanding of the prospective student, eliciting more information on a student's background.
Applicants will be asked whether their parents attended college, about their socio-economic background and about any significant obstacles they have had to overcome.
Non-academic factors -- including race and ethnicity -- will be considered in determining whether an admissions offer will be extended to a student, said Julie Peterson, Michigan associate vice president for media relations.
These factors, however, will not be awarded a specified weight. The previous 150-point admissions system awarded 20 points to students of underrepresented minority groups.
Even with the new holistic approach to evaluating applications, academic requirements, including high school grade point average and test scores, will continue to be important criteria to ensure an academically qualified class, Peterson said.
In the first of two decisions handed down in late June, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected by a vote of 6-3 Michigan's undergraduate admissions policy reliant on a point system which awarded points to an applicant based on different criteria.
The University of Virginia does not use a point-based system when evaluating applications.
In a separate 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld in its entirety the University of Michigan Law School admissions policy which gives race less prominence.
Justice Sandra O'Connor, in the majority opinion, wrote that a restricted use of race represented a "compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body."
Additional first time start up and operational costs -- including the hiring of 15 new part-time readers and five full-time admissions counselors -- during the first year of new system will cost between $1.5 and $2 million, according to Peterson.
In successive years though, the more intensive application review process should cost $1 million more annually than the previous system.
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