The AP reports that the University of Michigan “more than doubled the financial aid it awarded this year to students through its tuition-free Go Blue Guarantee — one year after the university shut down its multimillion-dollar DEI initiative, officials say.” Thus, the Go Blue Guarantee “awarded an estimated $55.97 million to 6,387 students on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses in 2026 to cover tuition and fees.”
Nearly 70% more students have received aid through the Go Blue Guarantee in 2026 compared to the 3,786 students that received aid through the Go Blue Guarantee in 2025, according to University of Michigan data.
The Go Blue Guarantee offers free and reduced tuition for up to four years for qualified in-state students from families with incomes $125,000 and under and assets below $125,000, according to Go Blue Guarantee’s website.
According to the AP, the University of Michigan “said a year ago it would shift its DEI investment into programs for students, such as financial aid, mental health services and academic success programs, when it shuttered the eight-year-old initiative to diversify the campus community and change its culture.” Notably, the participants in the Go Blue program are racially diverse; 44.5 percent are white, 17.4 percent are Black, 12.4 percent are Asian, 5.6 percent are Hispanic and 20.2 percent are other or more than one race. At the Ann Arbor campus, 55.8 percent of students identify as white, 19.6 percent identify as Asian, 9.1 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino/Latina, 4.5 percent identify as Black, 0.1 percent identify as Native American and 0.1 percent identify as Hawaiian. Another 5.5 percent identify as multiethnic while 5.3 percent are unknown.
In a statement obtained by The EDU Ledger, a University of Michigan spokesperson stated, “The University of Michigan is focused on ensuring that every qualified student has access to the resources they need to succeed. Expanding need-based financial aid initiatives like the Go Blue Guarantee reflects our commitment to affordability, accessibility and student success, particularly for students from a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds.”
