University of Michigan Deferred You: Now What?
Your most urgent task is completing the Expression of Continued Interest (ECI) form, available in your Enrollment Connect portal under "Action Items." Do not wait. Submit this as soon as you can put together a compelling response. Michigan's admissions officers are already reviewing postponed applications, and you want your ECI in front of them while they're actively making decisions, not sitting in a queue of last-minute submissions.
Unlike traditional letters of continued interest, Michigan has a specific format they want you to follow, and they're serious about it. Michigan is explicit: "Our preference is to receive only the ECI… anything outside of this will not impact your final decision." In fact, submitting additional materials may actually delay your decision. The university wants to hear from you through their designated channel, and anything else risks being seen as not following instructions.
But here's what matters most: your ECI needs to be exceptional. This is your one shot to change the trajectory of your application. A generic, forgettable update will do nothing for you. This form should be one of the most inspired pieces of writing you've ever composed, a piece that makes an admissions officer stop, take notice, and see you as someone they need on their campus. You need to let your heart write a love song for Michigan and translate that into giving the reader a concrete picture of exactly who you will be as a person there.
How to Write a Compelling ECI
I personally recommend starting with something lighthearted or positive, addressed to your regional admissions officer. It's naturally awkward for an admissions officer to read an update from someone who wasn't admitted in the first round. To make the experience as comfortable as possible for the reader, avoid explicitly referencing the postponement or conveying disappointment.
After a positive opening, talk to the reader about something related to your academic niche, perhaps a new cutting-edge development in your field or something you recently learned. Connect this to what's happening at Michigan. Whether it's groundbreaking research in the Michigan Engineering labs, opportunities at the Ross School of Business, or the interdisciplinary programs in LSA, explain how leveraging specific opportunities at Michigan will help you achieve your goals.
Then paint them a picture of you on their campus. Have fun here. Feel free to write a hypothetical scenario of you making some of the best memories of your life there, cheering at the Big House, collaborating in the Duderstadt Center, or engaging in late-night discussions at your residential college. You want the reader to feel like by not admitting you, they will be denying you the opportunity to live your best life for four years. Show them you doing activities that have garnered you friends in high school on their campus. Show them how your hobbies or talents will brighten up the days of your future Michigan classmates.
To conclude, add something to the effect of thanking them for the opportunity to share your favorite subjects and hobbies. Finally, tell them that no matter what other decisions you receive, you are absolutely resolute in attending Michigan, and that if offered a seat, you will immediately accept it.
Let Your Guidance Counselor Advocate for You
When it comes to bragging about grades, prizes, or publications, save it for your counselor. If you made it this far in the admissions process at an elite public university like Michigan, you already have enough academic credentials to be a strong candidate. If you didn't, you would have been rejected outright rather than postponed and reevaluated.
Your guidance counselor should be the one sharing updates about your accomplishments with the admissions office. When they do it, it carries much more weight and shows Michigan that there is something beyond those accomplishments to consider. By your counselor going out of their way to share your achievements, it demonstrates that there is something compelling enough about your personhood for them to be doing this. Given how accomplished you must be to be even postponed from a university with a 16% acceptance rate, this intangible quality they can infer is what will distinguish you from other high achievers.
What NOT to Do
Michigan is very specific about what they don't want:
Don't send additional materials beyond the ECI. No extra letters of recommendation, no portfolios, no supplementary essays unless explicitly requested.
Don't email your regional territory counselor repeatedly.
Don't obsess over social media. Scrolling through acceptance videos while you wait will only heighten your anxiety. Stay present and focused on what you can control.
If you'd like help writing your letter of continued interest for UMich or any other school, please schedule a free consultation with us.
