Basic information about SORC Balloon Service
Our purpose is to serve the University of Michigan community. We welcome requests from outside the University, but we may not always be able to accommodate them.
All prices below include weights and curling ribbons, unless otherwise specified.
We offer a 5% discount on a future order when you return the weights from a previous order.
- Must be a comparable number of weights. You can't return a single weight for a 5% refund on an order that uses 6+ weights.
- Discount must be requested before the contract is completed.
- The ideal time/place to mention the weight discount is in the "Special Requests" box on the order form.
- Offer does not apply if weights are substantially damaged/moldy.
Payment
- Since we provide this service primarily for student organizations and UM departments, payment is expected via shortcode.
- SORC does not accept cash or check.
- SORC does not accept credit cards for balloons ordered for student organization or department events. If you request balloons for personal use (even if you are a student or staff member at U of M), we can provide instructions for credit card payment via a secure third party. When possible, please submit your request in advance.
- As long as we can accommodate the request, there is no further information needed for departmental reservations. An SBC will send you an estimate of the charges, allow you to make alterations if needed, and upon mutual agreement, the contract is then final. The Student Life Billing Office will process the transfer after we complete the order.
- For student organizations, there will be an additional step in the approval process:
- SBCs will forward the request to the person listed as the authorized signer.
- That person will need to reply to SBC's email from their umich.edu e-mail account to authorize the transfer of funds from the SOAS account number provided.
- SORC will verify funds and authorized signer status with SOAS; the contract is then final.
- Submitting a request implies a financial obligation to SORC for the cost of the balloons, delivery, and any other charges.
- Once mutual agreement is reached (thereby finalizing the contract), you remain financially obligated even if your event is canceled.
- If you cancel the balloon request, a full refund may not be possible.
- Unless the amount of prep work is extensive or we custom-ordered a special item for your group, you can generally expect a 75% refund as long as you notify us 3 days in advance.
- If you give us less than 3 days' notice, the eligible refund may be less. A significant amount of staff labor is devoted to preparation for your order. Labor costs and the cost of materials to prepare for your order cannot be fully recouped.
- Read SORC's cancellation policy here. Note: the timeline for balloon cancellations is much more lenient than what you read on the Cancellation web page. It depends greatly on the complexity of the order and how far along our preparation is. A full refund is sometimes possible.
Balloon prices
Individual Mylar/Foil Balloons
| 20" plain mylar star* | $3.25 |
| 18" round Michigan block M mylar | $4.25 |
| 18-20" mylar balloon with occasion greeting or block M | $4.25 |
| 36" jumbo mylar star (plain) | $10.00 |
| 30-42" jumbo mylar balloon with greeting | $10.00 |
Tabletop Bouquets (3-4 feet) (click to see photos)
| For tabletop bouquets, we recommend no more than 4 balloons. | |
| two 20" Mylar Stars | $6.50 |
| three 20" Mylar stars | $9.75 |
| four 20" Mylar stars | $12.00 |
| One imprinted block M balloon can be included in the above bouquets for no extra charge. | |
| substitute a block M mylar for any plain mylar star | $1.00 extra |
Floor Bouquets (6-8 feet) (click to see photos)
| For floor bouquets, we recommend no fewer than 4 balloons. | |
| four 20" Mylar stars | $12.00 |
| five 20" Mylar stars | $16.25 |
| six 20" Mylar stars | $19.50 |
| One imprinted block M balloon can be included in bouquets of 4 for no extra charge. Two imprinted block M balloons can be included in bouquets of 5 or 6 for no extra charge. | |
| substitute a block M mylar for any plain mylar star | $1.00 extra |
Recognition Bouquets (click to see photos)
| Hail Yeah! | $10.75 |
| The Arb | $14.00 |
| Go You, Go Blue | $12.75 |
| The Yost | $23.75 |
| The Crisler | $28.00 |
| Oh My Stars SMALL (3 stars) | $9.75 |
| Oh My Stars LARGE (6 stars) | $19.50 |
| Recognition Small | $23 |
| Recognition Medium | $25.50 |
| Recognition Large | $37.00 |
| The League | $28.00 |
| The Little House | $18.25 |
| The Big House | $30.00 |
Click here to see delivery prices for Recognition Orders
Delivery and Set-up for Event orders
Note: these are estimates; delivery costs vary by size and complexity of order. If an order consists of more than 60 balloons, it will require two van loads / trips. Delivery fees for larger orders will be higher than what is listed below.
Central Campus | Delivery fees for event orders (up to 60 balloons) |
| Michigan Union | FREE! |
| Munger Residence | $15 |
| Hutchins Hall | $15 |
| LSA Building | $15 |
| Student Activities Building | $15 |
| Michigan League | $20 |
| North Quad | $20 |
| East Quad | $20 |
| Weiser | $20 |
| Ross | $20 |
| Law School | $20 |
| School of Social Work | $20 |
| Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy | $20 |
| Southern/Western Central Campus Residence Halls (WQ, SQ, Munger) | $15 |
| Northern/Eastern Central Campus Residence Halls (EQ, NQ) | $20 |
| East Hall | $20 |
| School of Education | $20 |
| Ingalls Mall | $20 |
| Modern Languages Building | $20 |
| Hatcher Graduate Library | $20 |
| Shapiro Undergraduate Library (UGLi) | $20 |
| Power Center | $25 |
| Rackham | $25 |
| Weill Hall | $20 |
| School of Public Health | $25 |
| Trotter Multicultural Center on State Street | $20 |
| 1443 Washtenaw (formerly Trotter) | $25 |
| School of Nursing | $25 |
| Hill Auditorium | $20 |
| Mason, Angell, Tisch, Haven Halls | $20 |
| Ginsberg Center | $20 |
Hill Area | Delivery Fees from Michigan Union |
| Residence Halls (Stockwell, Couzens, MoJo, Alice Lloyd, Markley) | $25 |
| BSRB | $25 |
| Medical Science Buildings | $25 |
| Palmer Commons | $25 |
| School of Dentistry | $20 |
| Museum of Natural History | $25 |
| Undergraduate Science Building | $25 |
| Athletic Campus | Delivery Fees from Michigan Union |
| Intramural Building | $20 |
| Oosterbaan Fieldhouse | $25 |
| Crisler Center / Junge Center | $25 |
| UM Golf Course | $25 |
| Michigan Stadium | $25 |
| Track & Field Building | $25 |
North Campus | Delivery Fees from Michigan Union |
| Residence Halls (Bursley, Baits, Northwood) | $25 |
| Chrysler Center North Campus | $25 |
| Lurie Biomedical Engineering Building | $25 |
| NCRC | $25 |
| Pierpont Commons | $25 |
| Dow Building | $25 |
| Duderstadt | $25 |
| GG Brown | $25 |
| Art and Architecture Building | $25 |
| Bob & Betty Beyster Building | $25 |
| EECS Building | $25 |
| Other | Delivery fees from the Michigan Union |
| The Graduate Hotel | $25 |
| Other Off Campus Hotels (not be available at peak times, such as Commencement) | $30-50 |
| Wolverine Tower (not be available at peak times, such as Commencement) | $25 |
Balloon Orders outside regular SORC hours
Mylar balloons a day/days before | Mylar (foil) balloons typically stay inflated for several days, even weeks. If you have an early morning or weekend event, our SBCs will likely recommend mylar bouquets such as Oh My Stars, Hail Yeah, Go You Go Blue, Little House, or Big House. Our Student Balloon Coordinators are trained to help you decide what's the better option for your event. While mylar balloons do stay fully inflated sometimes for up to a week or more, there is a risk they could be partially or fully deflated by that time. We reccomend keeping them in a temperature controlled environment to minimize the chances of that happening. |
Helium Tank Rental
Due to the safety risks of transporting helium and other compressed gases, SORC does not offer helium tank rental.