Prospective LEAD Students

The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan is an independent, nonprofit organization that supports the University. We offer merit-based scholarships for accepted, underrepresented incoming freshmen who embody Leadership, Excellence, Achievement, and Diversity (LEAD). The LEAD Scholars program awards a minimum of $5,000 per year for U-M Ann Arbor, UM-Dearborn, or UM-Flint students. The scholarship is renewable for a total of four years (eight semesters).
In addition to the scholarship award, LEAD Scholars become part of a greater community with opportunities for networking with alumni, career guidance, and study groups that promote the connection and success of LEAD Scholars.
Since it began in 2008, LEAD has supported nearly 540 students at the three U-M campuses. We seek to attract and retain students who are Black, Latinx, and Native American, supporting the University-wide mission of creating an educational environment that is rooted in equality and inclusion — for the best Michigan.
Hear from our own LEAD Scholars and their parents about the impact of the program on their experience at Michigan.
Applying to the LEAD Scholars Program
We appreciate your interest in the LEAD Scholars program! Students MUST be admitted to the University of Michigan before applying for the LEAD Scholarship.
- The application for the LEAD selection process is now available. Online submission is preferred. You will be able to save, edit, and review the application before you submit.
- Offers were sent on March 31 for applicants who applied for first round consideration. All other first round applicants received a deferred status email on April 8. We will continue to consider your application, you DO NOT need to apply again.
- We are currently reviewing applications submitted after the March 3 first consideration deadline. These applicants were not sent the status email listed above.
- Regardless of when you applied, we will now be using a rolling review and making offers throughout the month of April. We plan to make all offers by April 26.
- Recently admitted students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to get their application into the review process.
- The final application deadline for the LEAD scholarship will be April 26, prior to the May 1 enrollment deadline. We will not be making any scholarship offers after May 1.
- For the 2020-21 application cycle, students who are unable to provide standardized test scores are encouraged to apply and will not be disadvantaged in the selection process. Applications will be reviewed with the information a student is able to provide.
- For those students without access to the internet or to a computer, to complete the LEAD Scholarship Application download a PDF copy of the application. See details on how to submit within the document.
For questions about the LEAD Scholarship and/or the selection process, please contact Phyllis Taylor, Lead Assistant Director of Alumni Student Recruitment & LEAD Scholars, at phtaylor@umich.edu or 734.764.2316.
Looking for additional scholarship opportunities? Many of our alumni clubs and alumni affiliate groups also offer scholarships to incoming and continuing U-M students from their regions.
LEAD Scholars Requirements
To be considered for the LEAD Scholars program, admitted students must:
- Be an incoming freshman at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, or Flint campus)
- Authorize consideration for scholarships on U-M application
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Have undergraduate status
- Earn a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher
- Have an SAT score (R&W + M) of 1220 or higher or an ACT score of 27 or higher. Students will be considered regardless of their ability to test or provide test scores.
- Enhance diversity at U-M as a Black, Latinx, or Native American student
Please note: Students who do not meet the GPA and/or test-score thresholds may still be considered for the scholarship.
To continue receiving the LEAD Scholarship in their second through fourth years of study, students must maintain good academic standing, defined as a U-M GPA of 2.0 or higher. In addition, Scholars are required to participate in the LEAD community by attending two LEAD events per semester.
Check Out the LEAD Scholars and their Parents in their Own Words
LEAD Seniors Reflect on Their LEAD Experience



LEAD Application FAQ
Yes, you can. You do not need to have already paid your enrollment deposit to apply for the LEAD Scholarship. You just have to be admitted to U-M (deferred students must wait to apply for LEAD until they have been officially admitted to U-M).
The LEAD selection cycle for freshmen enrolling in Fall 2020 is now open. Please complete the LEAD Scholarship Application for consideration.
You can find your U-M ID number in the application verification email sent to you by the U-M Admissions Office.
The LEAD selection committee does not receive any essays that you may have written for your U-M Common Application. You can submit them with your LEAD application if they are relevant to our essay prompts.
The LEAD Scholarship is merit-based, and students of all financial backgrounds are eligible. You do not have to fill out the FAFSA or CSS Profile to be considered for LEAD. However, if you do have any special financial circumstances, please be sure to mention that in your essay.
Ann Arbor campus students: If you have also applied to a Preferred Admission (PA) program and are still awaiting a decision, for purpose of the LEAD application, please choose the school/college you are currently admitted to. If that changes during the LEAD selection process, just let us know.
Offer letters will be mailed beginning in March and continue through April. These letters will include the amount of the scholarship award and an official acceptance form for students to sign and return.
Students who were not offered a scholarship will be notified via email by May 6.
If you have questions about the LEAD Scholars Program and/or the selection process, please contact Phyllis Taylor, Lead Assistant Director, Alumni Student Recruitment & LEAD Scholars, at phtaylor@umich.edu or 734.764.2316.