Michigan Expands Go Blue Free Tuition Program

Michigan boosts free tuition program after ending DEI.

The University of Michigan Increases Funding for the Go Blue Guarantee

The University of Michigan Increases Funding for the Go Blue Guarantee. DEI funds are transferred to the University of Michigan's Go Blue Guarantee free tuition initiative. One year after ending its multimillion-dollar DEI program, the University of Michigan more than doubled the amount of financial help it gave students this year through its tuition-free Go Blue Guarantee, according to officials. As a result, 6,387 students on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses received an estimated $55.97 million in tuition and fees in 2026 under the Go Blue Guarantee. According to data from U-M's Academic and Budgetary Affairs office that Bridge Michigan received, there are 2,601 more students—nearly 70% more—than the 3,786 students to whom the Go Blue Guarantee granted $26.25 million in 2025. The data shows that 44.5% of the students in the program this year are white, 17.4% are Black, 12.4% are Asian, 5.6% are Hispanic, and 20.2% are other or more than one race.

Transition from the DEI Initiative to Student Assistance

When U-M closed the eight-year-old effort to diversify the campus community and alter its culture, it announced a year ago that it would redirect its DEI investment into student programs like financial aid, mental health services, and academic success initiatives. 163 full-time employees, the majority of whom were staff members, worked on U-M's DEI project, although they also devoted 37% of their time to other tasks. According to officials, the salaries cost almost $15 million a year. Following the program's conclusion, U-M terminated 14 posts, 36 employees departed the university in 2025, and the remaining staff members returned to their units or another unit. Since then, the Go Blue Guarantee, a program that offers free tuition to children from families with earnings up to $125,000, has received the majority of the DEI cash, according to officials. According to U-M Board Chair Mark Bernstein, the millions of dollars allocated to the DEI program "was refocused on the students, and the expansion of the Go Blue Guarantee is clearly a result of that refocus."

Program Expansion and Economic Effects

U-M's Go Blue Guarantee has given $223.8 million to 25,796 students on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses since it was introduced in 2018 as part of the DEI initiative. The annual tuition and fees report from the Michigan Association of State Universities states that the cost of tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students at U-M Ann Arbor was $18,346 in 2025–2026. $16,240 at U-M Dearborn. $15,622 at U-M-Flint.

Increasing the Income Cap and Increasing Coverage

Increasing the income cap Beginning on the Ann Arbor campus, the Go Blue Guarantee offered free tuition to students from households with assets up to $50,000 and salaries up to $65,000 in an effort to increase the economic diversity of students. In 2022, the program was extended include students on the campuses in Flint and Dearborn. The program is now accessible to students from households with assets and income up to $125,000 after the family income ceiling was raised twice. For students participating in teacher preparation, nursing, and social work programs, U-M started paying the entire cost of education in 2026, including living expenses. The entire cost of attendance for students from the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is still outstanding. Without a meal plan, a typical double room at U-M Ann Arbor is $9,456.