Go Blue Guarantee
Action Item (as stated with DEI strategic plan launch in 2016)
Announced in summer 2017 and launched in winter 2018, the Go Blue Guarantee (GBG) makes an education on the UM-Ann Arbor campus more affordable for low- and moderate-income Michigan residents. For families with incomes of $65,000 or less and assets below $50,000, financial aid packages include scholarships and grants totaling, at a minimum, the cost of tuition and mandatory university fees assessed each semester. Financial aid packages can also include a variety of awards such as Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants, State of Michigan Competitive Scholarships and both institutional and non-UM tuition scholarships and grants. The majority of students eligible for the Go Blue Guarantee may also qualify for financial aid covering costs such as residence hall housing, meals and books.
Progress update
In Fall 2020, 1,428 current students were eligible for the Go Blue Guarantee and collectively received $20.5 million in institutional and federal support for that term. Overall, 19% of all in-state undergraduates had family incomes below $65,000. Of these students, 93% received institutional aid and 86% paid no tuition.
In Year Five, marketing for the Go Blue Guarantee program—which is ongoing—continued to promote the significant funding available for Michigan residents who attend classes on the UM-Ann Arbor campus. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent financial hardship endured by many Michigan residents, the campaign focused on low-income targeting.
Paid advertising to low- and moderate-income audiences appeared more than 20 million times on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and the Google Ad Display network. Visitors were directed to a redesigned GBG landing page and registration form. The updates streamlined the qualifications in a visually appealing way, simplified the income chart and highlighted one student’s experience to help users identify with the program.
Campaign form-fills increased by 50% to 5,561 forms submitted between July 1, 2020 and mid-May 2021. In addition, applications for Summer and Fall 2021 among this group were up dramatically over the prior year, to 842. Of that total, 285 were admitted as of mid-May. The EA application count from this group was 480, up from 108 the previous year. Of these, 194 were admitted.
Most GBG collateral materials were not made available in print form this year, since all in-person high school visits and college fairs were suspended due to the pandemic. The exception was the GBG brochure, which was mailed to 9,000 high school juniors across the state. GBG information also continued to appear in email campaigns targeted to prospective in-state students.
More details and a message from President Mark Schlissel are available at goblueguarantee.umich.edu.
Responsibility: Office of Enrollment Management