The is easily one of the best public universities in the country, and is globally recognized as an outstanding education institution. It’s also an athletic powerhouse. It has long ranked in the for national undergraduate public universities in the US, and the reputation globally is just as strong. Michigan, or Mich, is also massive. There are about undergraduate students, making Mich basically the size of a small city.

Mich is well-known for innovation across the board, but especially around research, engineering, technology, and entrepreneurship. The university ranks #2 in research volume in the United States among research universities, and their researcher and labs report nearly $2 billion in research expenditures annually. Mich has 15 programs and centers in entrepreneurship, plus more than 30 student-run entrepreneurship organizations. On the sports side (because that’s why you’re here), they over 400 Big 10 Athletic Championships, 58 team national championships, and 330 individual national titles. Basically, they’re impressive. And , their massive stadium, seats over 100,000 enthusiastic fans.

Because Mich is so highly respected, it’s extremely hard to get into. This is even more true for students outside for Michigan because, as a public university, Mich prioritizes in-state applicants. of students at Mich are from within the state, so there are lots of out-of-state applicants vying for not all that many spots (relatively speaking). They received over 84,000 applications for the class of 2026 and accepted only 18% of applicants — but, again, that’s wildly skewed by in-state acceptance as opposed to out-of-state acceptance rates. Since the breakdown isn’t available, though, it’s impossible to know exactly how much of a difference there is between in-state and out-of-state rates of admission.  

In this post, we’re going to look at what it takes to become an athlete at the University of Michigan whether you want to join a varsity team or play in an indoor soccer tournament before going out on the town with friends.

If the University of Michigan is your dream school, send us an email. We help top students get into outstanding schools.

What is Michigan looking for in Student Athletes?

The University of Michigan fields 29 NCAA Division I teams that involve over 900 student-athletes, and they have some of the most successful teams in the history of collegiate athletics. As a highly-competitive NCAA Division I school, the university is looking for the best of the best when it comes to athletes. But Mich is more than a collective of awesome sports teams — it’s a top-tier university. So, you also need to be more than just an athlete. You have to bring some major academic chops to the game, especially outside of the ‘big ticket’ sports like football.

The average high school GPA of at Mich is 3.9-4.0, and the SAT and ACT scores are sky high. While there is some wiggle room for athletes if their skills are truly outstanding, you’ll want to really invest time and energy in driving your grades and scores as high as you can.

Recruited Athletes

Recruiting at Mich is serious. For football and other major (and mostly men’s) sports, it’s extremely serious. Many students who go on to join the football team know that Mich is interested in them years before they actually need to apply to college. Whatever sport you play, though, you need to start by getting to know the Division I NCAA to get a sense of what your next few months (or years) should look like if you’re going to pursue recruitment.

Next, you need to confirm, and protect, your to play in Division I, including with the NCAA. Then, you need to go to the individual sport page for your prospective team (for example, ). Click on the menu on the left side of the window on a computer web browser (don’t do this on your phone). In that menu, you’ll see a link to contact information for the coaches as well as, for most sports, a link to a recruiting questionnaire. Fill out the questionnaire carefully, then follow up to confirm that you’ve submitted the questionnaire by reaching out to the coaches over email.

This whole process is like applying for a job, so do everything slowly, deliberately, and carefully. Spend a lot of time proof-reading before you press submit, and ask for help even if you think you have everything under control. This is even more important because, as an NCAA Division I school, Michigan can offer athletes financial incentives to attend that DIII schools can’t. Playing at Michigan can be lucrative, saving you and your family buckets of money. But it is important to remember that playing DI also takes a lot of time and commitment. So, if you want to play for Mich, expect it to define your collegiate experience, influencing what courses you can take and even what majors you can pursue. Things like study abroad, too, are often off the table.

If the coaches are interested in you, they may ask to see highlights videos, and the next steps often include interviews with coaches, official campus visits, early review by admissions, and more.

Walk-Ons

Most of the teams at the University of Michigan are filled through recruitment, but there are sometimes spots that open up on teams because of low recruitment, injuries, or simple chance. So, if you’ve missed the window for recruitment or simply aren’t sure whether you want to play yet so want to keep your options open, walking on may be an option.

If this is the route you may take, you should still take the same steps as a potential recruit. Confirm your NCAA eligibility, fill out the questionnaire, and reach out to the coaches to express your interest. If they want to see more of you, they may ask for a highlights video. Once you’re on campus, they’ll likely want you to do a try out or test period to make sure you fit well on the team before committing.

While walking onto a DI team doesn’t come with the perks of being a recruit from the scholarship side, those can come with time as you define your place on the team.

Club Sports and Intramurals

at the University of Michigan are sort of akin to playing a NCAA Division III sport at a small liberal arts school. For most teams, the time commitment is real. It’s intense, and many of the teams compete nationally. But it’s also lower stakes than playing on a varsity squad. At the same time, you don’t get the perks of being a DI athlete either. There are about 30 club sports teams at Michigan including fencing, rowing, running, sailing, rifle, artistic swimming, and so much more. These teams are student-led and student-run, and these students are formidable. Teams frequently win national tournaments, including Women’s Rugby, Running, Gymnastics, Women’s Water Polo, and Men’s Rowing in 2022-2023 alone.

If you want to have a ton of fun in a low-stakes way, join ! You can form a team for kickball, soccer, or even cornhole, or join one as a free agent. Intramurals are low-cost, accessible, and fun. And if you get really into it, you can even make money working as a referee for sports like indoor soccer and flag football.

The University of Michigan is a powerhouse of a program whether you’re in a lab, a discussion group, a lecture, a locker room, or on a field. We find that top-performing student-athletes love this fire and thrive in the competitive environment.

If you’re trying to find your perfect fit, reach out. We help students get into their dream schools.