Does Michigan Require the SAT or ACT in 2026? Test-Optional, 1350-1530

As of October 2026: No. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is test-optional, and its own admissions page lists the policy as optional for fall 2027 applicants. Enrolled first-years who sent a score carried a 1350 to 1530 SAT or a 31 to 34 ACT, and 52 percent sent an SAT while 18 percent sent an ACT.

Michigan stays test-optional, but 52 percent of the class still sends an SAT. Here are the bands, the odds, the price, and what we tell families to do.

By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

Michigan is test-optional, not test-blind The policy on Michigan's own admissions page is optional, and it applies to fall 2027 applicants. Optional means the school still reads a score if your child sends one. Among enrolled first-years, 52 percent sent an SAT and 18 percent sent an ACT. Our file reports those two shares on their own, so we do not add them together. A score is a door you may open, not a door that is shut.

The middle of the class sits at 1350 to 1530 on the SAT Enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT scored between 1350 and 1530. The ACT band for submitters was 31 to 34. Those bands cover the middle half of submitters, so a quarter scored below 1350 and a quarter scored above 1530. We use 1530 as the line that clearly helps and 1350 as the line where we start to think hard.

Michigan admitted 15,686 of 87,632 applicants, a 17.9 percent rate That is fewer than two seats for every ten people who apply. The application fee is 75 dollars. With that many applicants, a strong score is one of the few parts of the file your child can move in a few months. Grades are set by years of work; a test score can change in 6 to 12 weeks.

Does University of Michigan-Ann Arbor require the SAT or ACT?

This row comes from the college's own admissions page. Read the policy column first, then the group it covers.

College	Test policy	Applies to	Where it is stated	Note
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	optional	fall 2027 applicants	Michigan's own admissions page, fall 2027 applicants	public university: see Reach's state test-policy page

The source_url field is blank in our file, so we cite the admissions page by name only.

Michigan by the numbers: scores, odds, price, and payoff

Every row below is copied as reported. Score bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test in the fall 2023 class, the latest federal file.

Measure	Value
applicants	87632
sat_25	1350
sat_75	1530
act_25	31
act_75	34
sat_submit_pct	52
act_submit_pct	18
test_policy_2026	Test-optional
admits	15686
admit_rate	17.9
application_fee	75
net_price_with_aid	13138
full_price	34654
npc_url	https://npc.collegeboard.org/app/umich
earnings_10yr	83648
ten_years_pay	836480
four_years_cost	52552
net_gain	783928
four_year_grad_pct	93.2
median_debt_completers	19500

Duplicate applicant rows in the source file were collapsed to one. Source: IPEDS Admissions 2023 and College Scorecard, via highschoolreach.com.

Does Michigan require the SAT or ACT for 2026 applicants?

No. The policy listed on Michigan's own admissions page is optional, and it applies to fall 2027 applicants. Our 2026 policy field says the same thing in plain words: Test-optional.

Optional has a precise meaning. Your child may apply with no score at all, and the file still gets a full read. If a score is sent, the office reads it along with grades, courses, essays, and letters. Nothing is thrown away.

That is different from test-blind. A test-blind school ignores a score even when it arrives. Michigan does not do that. So the choice sits with your family, and the choice matters.

The applies-to line is the part to watch on any policy row. Ours reads fall 2027 applicants. We checked the row in October 2026, and that is the group the policy names.

One honest gap: our file has no source link saved for the policy row, only the name of the page it came from. We say so rather than point you at a link we cannot show. The policy text itself is what we recorded, and it says optional.

What SAT score does the admitted class actually carry?

Enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1350 and 1530. That is the middle half of submitters in the fall 2023 class, the latest federal file we have.

Read the band this way. A quarter of submitters scored under 1350. A quarter scored over 1530. The rest landed in between. So 1530 is not the price of entry; it is the line where a score clearly helps the file.

A 1350 is not a rejection either. It sits at the bottom edge of the middle half, which means plenty of enrolled students sent scores at or below it. Those students usually brought something else that stood out.

We tell families to treat 1350 as the think-hard line and 1530 as the clear-help line. Between the two, the rest of the file decides. Below 1350, a score rarely adds much at a school with these numbers.

One caution about the band: it describes students who enrolled and who submitted. It does not describe everyone who applied, and it leaves out the students who sent nothing. So it is a guide, not a cutoff.

What ACT score does Michigan's class carry?

Enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored between 31 and 34. That is a tight band, and it sits beside the 1350 to 1530 SAT range in the same file.

Only 18 percent of enrolled first-years sent an ACT, against 52 percent who sent an SAT. Our file reports the two shares and nothing about why they differ. So we read it as a fact about this class, not as a school preference.

Michigan's policy row names one rule for both tests. If your child tests better on the ACT, send the ACT. A 34 sits at the top of the reported ACT band.

We often have students sit both tests once, then pick the one that fits. Our file does not compare the two tests, so we judge them by your child's own results. The score that lands closer to its band is the one to build on.

Whichever test your child picks, prepare for the whole test every sitting. Students who plan to fix only one section tend to slip on the sections they ignored. The full-test habit is what moves a 31 toward a 34.

Should my child send a score to Michigan at all?

Send it if the score sits at or above 1350 on the SAT or 31 on the ACT, because those are the bottom edges of the enrolled bands. Below that, think hard.

Here is the simple rule we use. If the score lands inside or above the band, it helps. If it lands well under the band, it tells the office something the grades already say, and it uses space in the file.

The submit shares matter here. In the fall 2023 class, 52 percent sent an SAT and 18 percent sent an ACT. A no-score file is read fairly, but it is also a file with one fewer piece of proof.

The no-score path works best when the transcript is strong and the course list is hard. If your child has top grades in honors and AP classes, the file can stand without a number.

There is also a timing answer. A score your child can still raise is not a final score. With 6 to 12 weeks of prep, many students move from below the band to inside it. Test first, decide later.

How hard is it to get into Michigan?

Michigan admitted 15,686 students out of 87,632 applicants, an admit rate of 17.9 percent. That is fewer than two seats per ten applicants.

A pool that size changes how a file is read. Readers move fast. The parts that are easy to check -- grades, course rigor, a test score -- carry weight because they are clear at a glance.

This is why we push the test even though it is optional. Your child cannot redo three years of grades this fall. A score is the one piece of the file that can still change before the deadline.

With 87,632 applicants, there is no single profile that gets in. Michigan builds a class across schools, states, and programs. Our file does not break the admit rate out by program, so we read 17.9 percent as a whole-campus number.

What this means for your family is simple. Aim the score at the band, keep the grades steady this term, and let the essays say something only your child could say. Those three moves are the ones you control.

What does it cost to apply, and what will a year cost?

The application fee is 75 dollars. The full price of a year is 34,654 dollars, and the average net price after aid is 13,138 dollars.

That gap is the heart of the money story. The net price in our file is an average across aided students, and it sits far below the full price. Grants and scholarships are what pull the two apart.

Net price is an average, though. Your family's number depends on income, assets, and family size. Michigan posts a net price calculator at npc.collegeboard.org/app/umich, and running it takes a short sitting with a tax return nearby.

Our file does not report any merit aid tied to test scores, so we make no promise there. What we can say is that a score inside the band helps the admit side of the file.

Our four-year cost figure of 52,552 dollars comes from the Scorecard file we cite. Treat it as a planning number, not a bill. The calculator gives the number that belongs to your family.

Does a Michigan degree pay off after graduation?

Graduates report median earnings of 83,648 dollars ten years after entering. Over ten years that adds up to 836,480 dollars against a four-year cost of 52,552 dollars, a net gain of 783,928 dollars.

Those are federal figures that mix every major on campus. An engineer and a history major do not land in the same place. The median is the middle of a wide spread.

Debt is the other half of the picture. Median debt for students who finish is 19,500 dollars. Our file reports that figure on its own, so we set it next to the earnings number rather than turn it into a ratio.

We like the graduation number here too: 93.2 percent finish in four years. A degree that takes extra years costs more tuition and delays the first full paycheck. Finishing on time is part of the payoff.

For a parent, the takeaway is steady. The price after aid is 13,138 dollars a year on average, the debt at the finish line is 19,500 dollars, and the earnings figure is 83,648 dollars. Those three numbers frame the decision.

When should we test if we want a score ready in time?

Plan on 6 to 12 weeks of prep before the last test date that still lands before your deadline. Our file does not hold Michigan's application dates, so we will not guess at them.

Work backward instead of forward. Find the date the application is due. Pick the test sitting that comes before it. Count back 6 to 12 weeks from that sitting, and start then.

A finished file shows the best transcript, the best essays, and the best score your child has on that date. A rushed file is weaker than one that had time to settle.

That is the timing risk with a no-score plan. If your child is one sitting away from 1350, the due date may arrive before that sitting does. Scores take time to arrive as well.

If the score comes in under the band after that sitting, apply without it. Michigan is test-optional for fall 2027 applicants, and a thin score is not a rule your family has to meet.

How long should my child prepare for the SAT or ACT?

We plan on 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. The goal is a score inside the 1350 to 1530 SAT band or the 31 to 34 ACT band.

A first sitting under real timing sets a real baseline. It shows the gap between today's score and the band. Without that gap in writing, a prep plan is only a guess.

Through those weeks, prepare for the whole test. Students who drill only math often lose points in reading, and the total score stalls. The band is a total, so the plan has to cover the total.

We start with a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT. Two mocks under timing tell us which test fits and how far the gap runs. That decision alone saves months.

One more point on cost. The application fee is 75 dollars, and test fees sit outside our file. Plan the testing calendar early so you are not paying late fees on top of everything else.

What does the note about Michigan being a public university mean?

Our policy row carries one note: public university, see Reach's state test-policy page. The policy itself is optional for fall 2027 applicants, and that is the only policy our file holds.

The note is a pointer, not a warning. It sends you to the page where we track test rules state by state. Our file does not say that Michigan's rule is set by anyone but Michigan.

For a family building a list, the useful habit is to read the applies-to line each year. Ours names fall 2027 applicants. A rule written for one class may not name the next one.

There is also a size angle at a school this large. Michigan drew 87,632 applicants in the file we cite. Our file does not split that pool by state, so we do not read in-state odds from it.

Our advice holds either way. A score inside the 1350 to 1530 band helps at a test-optional school, and a real score in hand keeps your options open.

What should we do this month?

Sit a full-length mock SAT and a full-length mock ACT, then compare the results against the 1350 to 1530 and 31 to 34 bands. That one step turns a vague plan into a number.

If the mock lands inside the band, keep the plan short and steady. Light practice holds the score, and the test stops taking up the whole fall.

If the mock lands below the band, start 6 to 12 weeks of prep now and aim at the next test date. Cover the whole test every week, not just the weak section.

At the same time, run the net price calculator at npc.collegeboard.org/app/umich. Knowing whether your number sits near 13,138 dollars or near 34,654 dollars changes how the whole list gets built.

The move: take a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT with us. Call 949.229.5359 or go to prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step. We will read the results with you and set the testing calendar in one sitting.

Questions parents ask

Does Michigan require the SAT or ACT in 2026?
The policy listed on Michigan's own admissions page is optional, and it applies to fall 2027 applicants.

What SAT score does the admitted class carry?
Enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored between 1350 and 1530.

What ACT score does Michigan's class carry?
Enrolled first-years who sent an ACT scored between 31 and 34.

Should my child send a score if Michigan is test-optional?
Send it if the score sits at or above 1350 on the SAT or 31 on the ACT, because those are the bottom edges of the enrolled bands.

How hard is it to get into Michigan?
Michigan admitted 15,686 students out of 87,632 applicants, an admit rate of 17.9 percent.

What will a year at Michigan cost?
The application fee is 75 dollars. The full price of a year is 34,654 dollars, and the average net price after aid is 13,138 dollars.

Does a Michigan degree pay off?
Graduates report median earnings of 83,648 dollars ten years after entering.

How long should my child prepare?
We plan on 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts.

Method and sources: The policy row comes from University of Michigan-Ann Arbor's own admissions page and reads optional for fall 2027 applicants; our file saves the page name but no link, so we cite it by name. Score bands, submit shares, and admit figures come from IPEDS Admissions 2023, which covers enrolled first-years in the fall 2023 class, the latest federal file. Price, earnings, debt, and graduation figures come from the College Scorecard, which reports federal aid recipients only and mixes all majors into one median. We do not hold Michigan's application deadlines or any early-plan dates, so no date is given here, and we hold no combined submit rate across the two tests. There is one table row per measure, listed in the order our file reports them.