Fewer Minorities Have Applied to U-M This Year Fewer Minorities Have Applied to U-M This Year
Overall applications down with new system
Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/news/education/dadmit15_20040415.htm
By Maryanne George, Free Press Ann Arbor Bureau
April 15, 2004; Section: Education
Although undergraduate minority applications to the University of Michigan are lower than they were last year, the numbers are improving as the admissions cycle comes to an end, according to preliminary data released this week.
Minority applications were down 23 percent in early February, but the gap closed to 20 percent by March 30.
Last year, 2,776 minorities had applied to U-M by the end of March, compared to 2,223 this year.
U-M Admissions Director Ted Spencer said the drop in minority applications mirrors a drop in overall applications, which are down 18 percent so far. The percentage of applicants admitted has risen from 50 to 60 percent and the quality of those students' academic credentials has also improved, he said.
The drop in applications, for minorities and nonminorities, may be due to a tougher admissions process, which requires students to provide more information and write essays, according to Spencer.
But he said it was too soon to draw conclusions about the effect of the new process. The number of students admitted will not be available until the end of May, and the number who enroll will not be available until fall.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down U-M's undergraduate admissions system, which awarded extra points to minorities, but permitted the use of race to achieve campus diversity. Since then, U-M has hired 51 people and spent $1.8 million to implement the new admissions process.
For the first time, students are asked to provide information about their socioeconomic status. Spencer said counselors do not yet know whether applicants represent more diverse economic backgrounds.
Last year, 53 percent of the first-year students came from homes with incomes of more than $100,000. About 13 percent of the first-year class were underrepresented minorities.
"This is a transitional year for us," Spencer said. "We will look at the process, and if we think we can improve it -- not just about the question of race -- we will make changes."
But the question of race is very much on the minds of U-M's critics.
Curt Levey, a lawyer for the plaintiffs who sued U-M, said preliminary data showing minorities admitted so far has remained at about 10 percent under the new system suggests U-M is overemphasizing race.
"The Supreme Court said you can use race, but you can't engage in racial balancing," Levey said. "I don't want to say that's what Michigan is doing based on one year's data. But if the numbers stay the same every year, it's not an accident. It's because they have a target figure."
Spencer denied U-M has targets or quotas.
"Race is one of many factors today, and it was one of many factors in the past," he said. "We are not cooking the books."
Contact MARYANNE GEORGE at 734-665-5600 or mageorge@freepress.com.
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