Preferred Admission (PA) is a way for you to indicate an interest in later transferring to an upper-level program, or the Ross School of Business. Acceptance guarantees placement in that academic unit if you meet certain prerequisites during your first year at U-M. The prerequisites vary, of course, depending on which unit is chosen.

Preferred Admission within U-M is a two-step process:

1. You must be admitted to a first-year-level school or college.

2. You will then be evaluated for PA and — if selected — will later be able to transfer into the unit if you choose.

preferred admission 2024

Any questions regarding requirements and selection criteria for preferred admission should be directed to the Preferred Admission school or college to which you have applied. Preferred admitting units include:

*Please note Preferred Admission to the Marsal School is for teacher certification programs. In addition to their upper-level programs, the Marsal School offers one first-year admitting major — Learning, Equity, and Problem Solving for the Public Good (LEAPS).

**Please note Preferred Admission to the College of Pharmacy is for the PharmD program. In addition to their upper-level programs, the College of Pharmacy offers the first-year admitting program in pharmaceutical sciences.

***Please note Preferred Admissions to Taubman College is for the Architecture program only. Applicants will receive their Taubman College decision as part of the Regular Decision process and are not considered for Early Action. However, any Art & Design, LSA, or Engineering dual-degree application submitted with the Taubman College application will receive Early Action consideration if completed by the Nov. 1 deadline.

****In addition to applying via the Preferred Admission process, first-year students may alternatively choose to apply directly to Ross on the Common App.

When should you apply for Preferred Admission?

  • If you have an interest in further exploring (Architecture, Information, PharmD, Teacher Certification) and may want to transfer into the program at a later date.
  • If your interest in both Business and Art & Design, Engineering, Music, Theatre & Dance, or Kinesiology (Sport Management) is equally strong and you think you would like to ensure you have the opportunity to pursue a dual degree to earn a BBA.