<p>Will applying Early Action to a safety school cause them to not offer me as much money to attend as they would if I applied Regular Decision, since they know I want to attend the school?</p>
<p>Are you talking early ACTION? If so, this is non-binding and the school has no guarantee you will attend. You don’t make your matriculation commitment until May 1.</p>
<p>My kid applied to two schools EA. Clearly, there was no guarantee she would attend both.</p>
<p>Very often, early ACTION accepted students get their financial aid (both merit and need based) at the same time as RD accepted students.</p>
<p>NOW…if you are talking early DECISION…that’s a whole other story!</p>
<p>@thumper1
Yes, I mean Early Action, and I understand it is non-binding, which is exactly WHY it leads me to my question. If I apply to a school Early Action, does it not let that school know I am more interested in them than if I applied Regular Decision? Would this maybe make a school think they do not need to offer as much scholarship money to me, if any scholarship at all? That is my question</p>
<p>Nope…it just means you applied early. Like I said…EA applicants are not required to attend, and at many places the merit and need based financial aid packages are sent out at the same time as RD ones.</p>
<p>From what we were told (by college reps and HS guidence) EA apps have a better chance of recieving merit aid. The sooner you send the app and compete the CSS the better. This was also what we expirenced as well. 75% the EA schools my daughters sent EA applications to responded befor December 25 with merit award. Some of the schools even gave extra merit $$ for EA apps! EA is smart move if your apps are strong. </p>
<p>Re: increased merit aid…this can happen. But it’s because schools have a limited pool of merit money…and some award it on a first accepted basis. </p>
<p>Check the deadlines for EA financial aid applicants. If there is an early priority deadline for EA applicants for the Profile, or a school form…get it done to meet that deadline.</p>
<p>First of all, any school can use their own money any way they want to do so. In my experience and from what I have seen, EA students often have opportunities for merit awards that RD students do not There are some schools that have merit awards ONLY for EA students. So I don’t think that applying EA is going to be of a disadvantage for getting merit money or financial aid, JMO. With the caveat that there are many, many schools in this country, and each and every one of them can do as they please with that money.</p>
<p>In fact, studies have shown that though EA is non binding, students tend to have a better chance of admissions so applying It is a fact that some students, and I know many in that category will end the college app process if they get into an EA school. Why continue the torture? Or they just go after the lottery ticket selective schools for RD, since they already have a good catch for themselves. I’ve been seeing EA schools giving out merit packages earlier lately When my older kids applied EA, they got merit money in the spring along with RD kids> Some of those schools are now giving out the awards earlier for EA kids. </p>
<p>You can ask the admissions office outright if there is better consideration for EA vs RD for merit money. My guess is that there is not.</p>
<p>My kids forund that schools who responded the eariliest were the schools which offered merit $$. Not surprising these schools rose from the middle of the list to tops for consideration. I would venture a guess that early merit $$ increases yield.</p>
<p>Many schools actually only offer merit aid to EA admitted students. There is no point to discriminate EA admitted students in Financial Aid as there is no commitment to attend that school.</p>
<p>We’ve had 3 of the 7 schools my son is interested in say yes apply early action because once the merit money is gone it’s gone. Two of the schools said if you EA and accepted you’ll get best pick of housing too. The housing deposit in those cases is also refundable if you choose not to go there. One school told us the reason they have EA is it helps them spread out the applications so they aren’t pressed for time later. Another said once the Engineering School is full it’s full. Lots of good reasons for Early Action I think!</p>