Announced in summer 2017 and launched in winter 2018, the Go Blue Guarantee 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.
Year Four Progress
In fall 2019, 1,612 current students were eligible and collectively received $19 million in institutional and federal support for that term. Overall,19 percent of all in-state undergraduates had family incomes below $65K. Of these students, 93 percent received institutional aid and 86 percent paid no tuition.
Marketing for the program, which is ongoing, promotes the significant funding available for Michigan residents who attend classes on the UM-Ann Arbor campus. The campaign includes Spanish language ads targeting Latinx audiences which, in year four, resulted in 1,188 clicks to the espanol.umich.edu website and reached nearly 11,000 people. Compared to the prior year, when this campaign was not active, espanol.umich.edu website traffic was up by more than 84 percent.
Meanwhile, paid advertising to English speaking, low- and moderate-income audiences appeared more than 15 million times on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and the Google Ad Display network. Visitors were directed to a redesigned GBG landing page and registration form which consolidated the former “You Can Go Blue” messaging for families earning more than the established limit. Form fills increased 163 percent to a total of 3,712 forms submitted. Also, Early Action applications among this group were up from 80 to 108, representing a 35 percent increase.
Significant inclusion of GBG materials (brochures, video testimonials, displays, banners, and digital and print brand elements) in admissions and financial aid outreach packages resulted in over 2,300 prospects and parents reached.
More details and a message from President Mark Schlissel are available at goblueguarantee.umich.edu.
Responsibility: Office of Enrollment Management