<p>MaineLonghorn, I agree, but what if the school has early registration for those sending money in early and the kid who sends in a deposit in April is left with leftover time slots?</p>
<p>Same for forced triples, or being housed off campus once beds on campus are filled.</p>
<p>Good advice, except that there is no such thing as a “student bill of rights,”–we only have the NACAC principles that call on colleges not to require a decision before May 1. I suppose one way to stop colleges from pressuring students to make a decision before May 1 is to publicly shame them. If you don’t want to name the college involved, PM me and I will post the miscreant’s name for all to see.</p>
<p>^^Agree with Northeastmom. Again, it’s a personal decision whether or not to make that deposit, etc. I would be more leary of a school that did not promise a refund or a school that wanted a large chunk of change (more than $100 or so with the acceptance). The private schools are more likely to back off the pressure…the publics have greater interest in locking kids down and there is more benefit for the kids to make the decision and commit in terms of dorm, registration, orientation, etc.</p>
<p>John, I like the way you think! Bad publicity will eventually nip that kind of thing in the bud.</p>
<p>We’ve had none of this as an issue, but I agree that people should name the schools in a PM to John and he/she can post them!</p>
<p>^^^The situation is that the school may not tell you in writing that depositing late (defination of late being between 2/1 and 5/1, so hardly late) will end in xyz possible result. You may just get an envelope that asks for a refundable deposit (if you notify by 5/1) to hold your spot for next fall and then attend a pre-orientation, an orientation, speak with an advisor and register soon etc. (in March or April). If you read what is written, NACAC rules are being followed. If you contact them personally, you might hear about the xyz if you wait too long ;)</p>
<p>I wish people would name the schools involved. I can’t imagine that they would take the time to try to figure out who your kid is from an anonymous post buried on the parent’s section of an internet bulletin board. And if they ARE ■■■■■■■■ the parent forum here, it would do them good to know that their practices are viewed as slimy. Maybe they’d stop. </p>
<p>I have sympathy for college administrators struggling to balance budgets in these times, but the kind of shenanigans described here are beyond the pale, IMHO.</p>
<p>John, I highly doubt that any college or university would rescind an acceptance from a kid that won’t commit until spring. I’m not sure I see where all the moral indignity is coming from. If you can’t commit early you don’t need to. Thousands of kids apply to a couple rollilng decision schools and/or EA schools and know in January just where they are headed in the fall and have no problem making the commitment. My S1 was in that situation. He was finished (all rolling and EA) and deposited by early February, had his dorm space, finaid, and classes registered by April. Easly peasy. From my perspective there is no harm no foul here. Just as it is a personal decision where to apply and whether to take advantage of ED/EA/SCEA and other options, it is a personal decision at what point in time a student makes a decision regarding the college choice. Granted you can’t simultaneously double commit, but to commit to a school in February and to pull that acceptance in April doesn’t seem ignoble. Think about kids that are waitlisted until August and switch when they get off the waitlist or kids that need to pull out because they can’t line up the finances during the summer. These things happen.</p>
<p>Step back for a second…from the college’s perspective a kid applied because he/she wanted to attend. If he wants to attend then the perspective from the college is "we accepted him/her and here’s the next step, send a housing deposit or a commtiment card or whatever. If you need more time, call the college and tell them you need more time. We did that with one of my S1’s colleges. No problem. In general they aren’t going to say “no.” I’m totally not understanding all the indignity here. Every single college both my kids applied to sent a merit scholarship offer with the acceptance. The only thing we were missing was how they would package up any federal aid and if my kids would get any ‘bonus’ money in the form of a department scholarship etc. If that ‘bonus’ grant/scholarship money is important then don’t make a commitment until you can figure out the finances, if you can make a commitment what is wrong with that? Unless the colleges hold your feet to the coals and threaten to rescind the offer they haven’t broken any rules. The NACAC are guidelines. They aren’t laws. I’m really at a loss here to understand what is so horrible.</p>
<p>The only issue I have is the circumstance where they said they could make a refundable housing deposit but then had to make the commitment within 30 days of that. I think that’s slimy. The other stuff – about giving preferential treatment to those who commit early – I don’t have a problem with. It’s like being an early-bird shopper to get the better deal! :)</p>
<p>When one of mine was attending an admitted student day program at a private university, someone in the crowd asked about when the school would start going to its waitlist. The reply included the info that the school receives 50% of its enrollment deposits during the last week in April. Please don’t feel pressured to make a decision you’re not ready to make, especially if all the info is not in place. I don’t think the schools are trying to pressure you, they are just presenting the next steps in the process for those ready to commit.</p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that schools that have several times when new students can register for classes often reserve a proportionate amount of freshmen seats for each enrollment period so kids who do not register first, do no get shut out of desired classes/times. It might be worth a phone call to check with the individual schools regarding their policies in regard to housing selection/class registration. They are usually pretty nice about telling you if you would be risking a dorm room if you wait. Housing for some publics is usually the only place where you may need to send in an early deposit or risk losing out, but it’s always best to check with the individual schools.</p>
<p>We did send in a housing deposit for one public university - I think it was $50, non-refundable. That didn’t seem unreasonable when there are that many students who need housing.</p>
<p>
The NACAC principles of good practice are organized into two sections, mandatory and recommended. The one I quoted at the beginning of the thread, about it not being okay for colleges to use housing deposits to manipulate commitments, is in the mandatory section.</p>
<p>Some colleges are not members of NACAC, which means they have not agreed to follow NACAC’s mandatory principles. For example, I was surprised a couple of years ago to learn that Sacramento State University does not prepare financial aid packages for students until after May 1, when they have already sent in their deposit. When I called to ask about it, they said it’s too much work to do it for everyone and they don’t have the resources. I called NACAC and learned that CSU Sacramento is not a member, though most other CSU’s are. This was two years ago, so the situation may have changed by now.</p>
<p>If one of the colleges being cited here is a member of NACAC and is violating one of the mandatory principles, I think it would be a good idea to talk with someone at NACAC about it. I’m sure they would like to know, and they might even be able to do something to help.</p>
<p>D put her (tiny) deposit down on a an oos public and paid in early April for a non-refundable early May orientation weekend (and bought airfare) even though she wasn’t sure if that was really going to be her school choice. There were a couple of other orientation date options, but they didn’t fit into her schedule, conflicting either with Prom, AP exams, or graduation. This very large public university lets honors college students register early, so the timing is constrained given that they’ve then got to get a bijillion regular freshmen registered. But I didn’t feel pressured by the school, and if we’d really wanted to postpone the decision until May 1 we easily could have.</p>
<p>I have no problem with a small refundable or non refundable deposit -</p>
<p>But this is wrong:</p>
<p>They sent housing forms this week that state they must be returned within 30 days of their receipt of our deposit. The fine print just above where my son is to sign states that his signature acknowledges a financial commitment to pay for a full year of housing regardless of whether he actually moves in.</p>
<p>So an innocuous deposit is morphing into a committment to pay a full year’s housing whether you matriculate or not.</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p>College #2’s financial office told me the school wouldn’t send a grant or financial aid offer letter UNLESS they had a deposit on file.</p>
<p>So the way I read this, the college won’t give you a financial aid package without getting a deposit. The deposit requires you to make a housing deposit within 30 days that locks you into paying a year’s housing. And then they’ll let you know what your financial aid package is. Tell me how this isn’t wrong?</p>
<p>^^IMO, yes, this is wrong…Is there a guidance/college counselor that you can run this by? If you PM me I would be more than willing to ask my daughter’s college counselor…please let me know which school it is if you decided that you want me to check…</p>
<p>this really stinks…</p>
<p>Rodney, this was Scirroco’s problem from the previous page - hopefully he/she checks back. I was just all worked up about it :-)</p>
<p>Martina, I agree. I also wonder what you or other posters consider to be a fair amount for a deposit to hold a spot without having a financial package in front of you? Would that be a $50, 100, 250, 300, 500, or something more? What would be that upper limit?</p>
<p>Any amount feels like you are paying to see your financial aid package.</p>
<p>As long as it’s mostly refundable I’d be OK w/a few hundred dollars. It was the bait and switch from refundable to 30 days to lock in a year’s worth of housing that’s the bigger issue.</p>
<p>agree with both MidwestMom and Youdon’tsay…</p>