University of Miami Vibe

Updated: Dec 9

The University of Miami is a private university located in Coral Gables, an upscale residential neighborhood in Miami. The university falls in the mid- to large-scale space with approximately 10,000 students, about 2,300 of which are freshmen.

University of Miami Academics

Schools within the University of Miami include:

School of Architecture
College of Arts & Sciences
Miami Herbert Business School
School of Communication
School of Education & Human Development
College of Engineering
Rosentiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science
Frost School of Music
School of Nursing and Health Studies

Students only need to take six classes outside of their major.

Students need to complete three different Cognates, one of which would be a student’s major. Cognates are related courses, and students must complete three courses within a Cognate. At least one Cognate must be outside of a student’s school or college. The University of Miami showed that it has a method of mapping combinations of Cognates to careers during a presentation I attended.

University of Miami Admissions

Students can apply to the University of Miami using:

Early Decision 1
Early Decision 2
Early Action
Regular Decision

Students will likely get a “bump up” in admissions if they apply Early Decision (ED). Recently, the ED admission rate was about 60 percent, while the Regular Decision admission rate was only 17 percent. Over 40 percent of the class is admitted ED.

At a recent conference held by the Private Colleges & Universities of Florida (PCUF), an admissions representative from the University of Miami said that an applicant needs to have at least a 3.0 to be admissible but that a student with a GPA that low would not be a candidate for financial aid. Please note that being admissible does not mean that a student will likely be admitted.

Private Colleges & Universities of Florida Presentation

The University of Miami is test-optional for now. About one-half of applicants submit a standardized test score. With that said, my fellow counselors have shared information about students with high test scores and middle-of-the-road transcripts being admitted.

The student presenter for my information session offered advice to applicants. He was able to review his own admission file, and he discovered why UM liked him. It was because of his letters of recommendation that described his deep involvement in extracurricular activities.

His advice was to avoid writing about extracurricular activities in your supplemental essay. Instead, students can use those essays to highlight other things about them. Students can submit three-four letters of recommendation. A letter of recommendation can often be more persuasive in convincing admission offices about a student’s involvement in an extracurricular activity than an essay written by the student.

Applying Early Action (EA) also gives you a boost. Students are often deferred if not accepted EA, and those students can switch to ED 2 if they are deferred.

According to students, it is not terribly difficult to change majors.

Unanue Graduate Career Advancement Center

University of Miami Students

The University of Miami attracts, well, students who are into the “Miami vibe.” The most popular clubs on campus are salsa dancing and scuba diving. While students tend to be attracted to the vibrancy of Miami, most of the students come from out of state.

UM funds club activities and related trips students take. Students average participating in five clubs at UM.

About 20 percent of students participate in Greek life. Most of the students participating in Greek life, however, are in preprofessional Greek organizations rather than social Greek organizations.

University of Miami Outcomes

Students of all political stripes have been gravitating to Florida partly because of the improved and diversified job market. Because of Covid and warm temperatures, both people and businesses relocated to Florida.

Miami ranks in the top five cities on the East Coast for Fortune 500 company locations. Miami has only one other college with a significant number of students, Florida International University. Miami is not as saturated with colleges as Boston, so the competition for internships is not as fierce.

The University of Miami takes advantage of that with a robust internship program. Students can travel to internships using a light rail system since a station is on campus. Students can also use Zip cars and bring a car to campus after their freshman year.

Ninety-eight percent of students are placed in jobs or graduate school within six months of graduating. One tool that students and alumni use to find jobs is Canes--a LinkedIn-style network for U Miami students and alumni.

University of Miami Affordability

With a cost of attendance of $98 K per year, UM affordability is tricky for most families. A pro bono client of mine came from a family with an income of about $40,000 a year, and his family was expected to pay $20,000 a year. He decided instead to attend Dartmouth at a cost of $1,000 a year. UM recently announced that it is need-blind and will meet full need, so the prospect for financial aid will likely improve.

Students interested in receiving Premier Scholarships should apply by 11/1. Students hoping for merit aid should carefully watch email accounts as Christmas approaches. UM has a history of sending out a request for an additional essay to obtain a large merit scholarship, and the email in the past has implied that the students might not be admitted if they fail to provide the additional essay. The essay request comes with a short deadline of around one week.

Housing provides an additional barrier to affordability.

University of Miami Housing

The University of Miami has struggled to provide enough housing for its students. Those problems might be addressed by 2026, when it will have finished an ambitious project of building more student housing.

While students can live off campus after freshman year, the cost of rent in the upscale area is high. Housing costs may increase significantly as a student progresses at UM. The cost of remaining on campus will likely increase, but the quality of housing offered might also increase. The University of Miami is located in the high-cost Coral Gables area, so living off-campus is more expensive than living on-campus.

Educ8Fit Consulting

I work with students and families on the college and graduate school admission process. I help them navigate such complexities as merit aid and international admissions. Please contact Educ8Fit Consulting at either Jim@Educ8Fit.com or College Admission Counseling | Educ8fit Consulting | United States, contact for a free 30-minute consultation.