LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — After years of multimillion-dollar investments in diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, the University of Michigan is now shifting its funding toward expanded financial aid for in-state students pursuing careers in nursing, teaching, and social work.
The changes, announced April 22, come just weeks after the university shut down its central Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
While university leaders framed the shift as part of a student-facing strategy, the timing coincides with growing national scrutiny of DEI initiatives. The Trump administration has called for such programs to be eliminated entirely, arguing they promote race-based preferences.
President Santa Ono, Provost Laurie McCauley, and Vice President for Student Life Martino Harmon said in a joint statement that “these investments aim to increase the number of students entering nursing and teaching fields, which require a bachelor’s, and social work, which requires a master’s, in order to help address the critical shortage of skilled professionals in these vocations locally and nationally.”
Under the expansion of the school’s Go Blue Guarantee, U-M will now cover not just tuition, but also housing and university fees for qualifying undergraduates entering nursing or education programs—provided they commit to careers in those fields. Graduate students in social work who received the Go Blue Guarantee as undergrads are also eligible.
The Go Blue Guarantee offers free tuition to in-state students with family incomes under $125,000 and assets below the same amount, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Reactions online have been mixed. While some praised the shift as a more practical use of funds, others questioned whether the move really marked a departure from DEI programming.
“A far better use for all that money,” one commenter posted on X. Another replied, “That’s still DEI…”
Other voices raised concerns about who’s being left out. “Low income students already get majority of their education paid for through financial aid,” one user wrote. “Why is no one concentrating on the middle class who are forced to take out loans because they don’t qualify for grants & can’t pay tuition outright like the wealthy?”
Still, the university maintains that its new approach is focused on measurable impact.
“Our commitment to supporting people from all backgrounds and perspectives remains steadfast,” Ono wrote.