<p>I think that--in addition giving up the ability to compare FA offers that bethivt mentioned--the other part of the logic of helping less affluent students by eliminating ED is that you have to be fairly savvy to get it all together to apply ED: first you need to realize that you get an admissions advantage by using ED programs. Then, you almost surely need to take either the SATs and SATIIs (for the types of colleges that have eliminated ED) in your junior year, have all the research done, have thought about interviews, etc. The sort of coaching that makes this possible is more typical of prep schools and affluent suburban high schools than schools in more economically hard-pressed areas.</p>