This is it. All of your late-night studying and volunteer weekends are about to pay off in a big way. You're about to apply to Michigan Ross — one of the best B-schools in the country. Time to channel all of that hard work into a standout (and complete!) application.
1. Check the deadlines.
Early Action Deadline: Nov. 1.
We give preference to applications completed by the University of Michigan's Early Action deadline, Nov. 1. Your application will be considered complete only after you have submitted your Ross Admissions Portfolio. We will consider applications completed after Nov. 1 as space permits.
Regular Decision Deadline: Feb. 1.
Feb. 1 is the last day to submit an application to the University of Michigan’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions and your Ross Admissions Portfolio for Regular Decision.
We consider all applications that we receive on a rolling admissions basis. Preference is given to complete applications, which include the Ross Admissions Portfolio.
2. Start the Common Application.
Please choose only one application. The university will consider only the first application you submit.
3. Select your “U-M First-Year Admitting Unit” and “Preferred Admission” for the Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the first step to getting into Michigan Ross as a first-year applicant is being admitted to another school or college at the University of Michigan. Regardless of your “First-Year Admitting Unit” here at U-M, you will take some classes at Ross as a first-year and begin your pre-requisite courses. You can choose from:
The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA)
The School of Kinesiology (Sport Management only)
The School of Music Theatre & Dance
Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design
Ross students who apply through LSA enroll in Ross as a Direct Admit student. Students who choose one of the other schools will be Preferred Admit Students.
- In the Academics section of the Questions tab, choose a U-M College or School to which you are applying to. This is your “First-Year Admitting Unit.”
- To proceed to the Ross Admissions Portfolio, you must select the Stephen M. Ross School of Business as your choice for preferred admission.
- You must select "Yes, I understand and acknowledge the Stephen M. Ross School of Business will be my first preferred enrollment unit if offered admission.” for the following statements
- Please note: Applicants who apply to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, if admitted to both units, will enroll in Michigan Ross as a first-year and forfeit their admission to LSA. This is the primary path for admission to Michigan Ross.
Please know that applicants who are not offered admission to Michigan Ross will retain their offer to enroll in LSA. However, engagement with Michigan Ross in the future as a U-M student will be limited to programs other than the BBA. Please visit the Michigan Ross Admissions website for more information.
- Please note: Applicants who apply to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, if admitted to both units, will enroll in Michigan Ross as a first-year and forfeit their admission to LSA. This is the primary path for admission to Michigan Ross.
- Please know that applicants who are not offered admission to Michigan Ross will retain their offer to enroll in LSA. However, engagement with Michigan Ross in the future as a U-M student will be limited to programs other than the BBA. Please visit the Michigan Ross Admissions website for more information.
- You must also select "Yes" for the question- Are you applying to one of the programs listed above (Art & Design, Architecture, and Business) and do you understand you must submit a portfolio by the application deadline so that your creative work or skills will be considered as part of the admission process to University of Michigan?
- Once you have properly and completely filled out the Academics section, a section titled Portfolio with a subsection of Instructions will appear on the left-hand side of the application. Click the link, and follow the instructions.
- In SlideRoom, (the system through which you will submit your portfolio), create an account and submit your portfolio.
4. Complete the essays.
The writing portions of the Common Application and Ross Admissions Portfolio are meant to help you. We want to get to know you and let your best qualities shine through — this is our chance to learn more about the person behind the numbers.
For the final supplemental U-M essay, focus on your unique interests and goals and explain how the Ross BBA supports them. Your answer should clearly explain your interest in business and/or Michigan Ross. We are not looking for a description of U-M, the BBA program, or our rankings and statistics. This is the place to demonstrate your passion for business!
When completing the Common Application, you will also submit the Ross Admissions Portfolio.
5. Complete the Ross Admissions Portfolio.
The Ross Admissions Portfolio is your chance to fully express your interest in business in a more open-ended format. It’s also an opportunity to tell us more about what makes you unique.
The link to submit your portfolio is MichiganRossUndergrad.slideroom.com
There are two components of the Ross Admissions Portfolio:
1. Business Case Discussion: Choose a current event or issue in your community and discuss the business implications.
Propose a solution that incorporates business principles or practices. The review panel will look for creativity, drawing connections, and originality. Please limit this response to approximately 500 words.
2. Artifact & Description: Upload a document or artifact that represents something significant about your life to show your learning in action.
Describe how your artifact demonstrates your learning in action. Please limit this response to approximately 250 words.
6. Finish the Common Application. Be sure to include:
- $75 application fee (or fee waiver request and $5 fee to submit the Ross Admissions Portfolio)
- High school transcript
- School Report (Common App)
- One Teacher Evaluation
- Standardized test scores as required by the University of Michigan
- TOEFL, Michigan English Test (MET), or IELTS scores (for nonnative speakers of English)
For complete information about University of Michigan application requirements, please see the central Office of Undergraduate Admissions requirements and deadlines.
We review applications from February through April, but we aren’t able to review your application until you have been admitted by U-M. The majority of first-year applicants are notified of their decision between February and mid-April.
To provide an idea of when you might hear from us (and to ease the suspense!), we’ll be sharing your decision on one of our scheduled release dates. Decisions are shared in no particular order, so there’s no need to worry if you don’t hear from us on the first release date.
Ross admission decisions arrive by email after 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on select Fridays
The exact decision release dates will be posted in early January.
If you are offered admission as a first-year applicant, you have until May 1 to accept the offer.
Check your Application Status
Your application appears in Enrollment Connect. Please utilize Enrollment Connect to check your application status and view your decision.
Important Dates
November 1: Early Action deadline
Late January: Early Action decision from U-M
February-April: Ross decisions released for Early Action
February 1: Regular Decision deadline
March-April: Ross receives Regular Decision admits from U-M and begins to review
April: Ross decisions released for Regular Decision
To get an idea of the students who join our program, you can check out the class profile below. As the numbers show, they’re a pretty stellar group.
ADMITTED STUDENT COMPOSITION
| 3.93 | Average High School GPA |
| 1480 | Average SAT |
| 34 | Average ACT |
| 47% | Women |
| 4% | International |
| 13% | First Generation in College |
| 8,681 | Number of Applicants |
| 851 | Number Admitted |
| 47% | In-State Attending |
RACE/ETHNICITY
| 32% | Asian American |
| 6% | Black or African American |
| 0.1% | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
| 12% | Hispanic or Latinx |
| 0% | Native American |
| 6% | Two or More Races |
| 37% | White |
| 8% | Not Indicated |
Reflects admitted students for the incoming class in Fall 2021
*Race and ethnicity data is based on United States Department of Education federal reporting guidelines
If you are a Direct Admit, the following are academic requirements for your first year at Ross. If you are a Preferred Admit, you must satisfy all of the requirements below to be admitted to Ross for your second year.
Enroll full time (12+ credits) in both fall and winter terms of your first year.
Complete First-Year Writing, ECON 101, and Calculus I, II, or III at U-M, each with a grade of C or better, by the end of the winter term of your first year. AP credit can be substituted for Calculus I or II (MATH 120 or 121). IB or A-level credit can be substituted for ECON 101 and U-M Calculus I, II, or III.
Complete BA 100 and BCOM 250
BA 100 Introduction to Ross: Foundations in Learning Business, offered specifically for students admitted in their first year
BCOM 250 Introduction to Business Communication
Maintain good academic standing (2.500 GPA or above per term) throughout the first year. GPAs are not rounded up.
Students are also expected to meet the following conditions:
- Attend the Welcome Event at the Ross School of Business.
- Meet regularly with your Ross Academic Advisor and participate in mandatory academic support activities as requested.
- Inform your Ross Academic Advisor and Ross Undergraduate Admissions if you have been accused of or engaged in a form of academic dishonesty, behavioral misconduct, a policy violation (on or off campus), and/or criminal activity (including pending and convicted cases) upon matriculation (e.g., over the summer) and while at the University of Michigan.
The Ross School of Business reserves the right to withdraw your BBA admission offer if: 1) there has been a misrepresentation in or a violation of any of the terms of the application process or failure to meet first-year expectations; 2) we learn you have engaged in behavior prior to matriculation that indicates a serious lack of judgment or integrity; or 3) you do not meet the conditions of your admission offer.
We further reserve the right to require you to provide additional information and/or authorization for the release of information about any matter. Finally, we reserve the right to require the withdrawal of any student whose condition endangers his or her own well-being or the well-being of other students or precludes him or her from doing the required work.
Hear from our Admissions Director
Learn more about the Michigan Ross BBA program in this virtual admissions session with BBA Admissions Director, Dr. Blaire Moody Rideout. Explore aspects of the curriculum, leadership development with Ross, business career paths, in-depth look at the admissions portfolio process, and ways students can engage beyond the BBA.
