<p>My D has been accepted into her financial safety but as a state school in a state where the economy is in a state (CA), they are unable to offer any need based award beyond loans. In talking to the admission counselor yesterday I was told that because of the state of CA's economy that my daughter needed to plan on accepting the offer before May first because it may turn out that some students will be turned away if this campus run out of space before then.</p>
<p>That just sounded like a violation of some kind to me. I asked her to repeat and rephrased what she had told me in the form of a question and she reiterated a couple of times that it may happen.</p>
<p>Is she just using scare tactics to try to get kids to commit sooner? Other than this "information" she was very helpful supportive and solicitous. </p>
<p>When she said “if the campus run out of space before then,” might she have been speaking of housing? Many state schools allow for a refundable housing deposit prior to May 1 and allot housing on a first-come first-served basis. That wouldn’t be any sort of violation.</p>
<p>What is the “official” deadline provided in the formal acceptance letter? Certainly that would take precedent over any casual conversation you had with an admissions counselor. If they told her in writing that she had until May 1 to accept, wouldn’t the school have to honor that deadline unless it formally notified you the terms had been changed? Or does the letter also indicate that an actual spot in the freshman class is on a “first come-first served” basis?</p>
<p>Just saw Chedva’s response and that does make sense. Housing is always an issue at the State schools because there’s never enough on campus to meet full demand.</p>
<p>you know I didn’t ask that specifically. Thanks I will call again. Things are so chaotic here in CA but what she said yesterday just didn’t seem to make sense. If she does say that D could loose a spot, not just in housing, but as a student at that campus and 5/1 is the stated date (which it is), that would be a violation wouldn’t it?</p>
<p>During a college fair last year, I asked a couple of schools, offhand, how late you can sign up for housing. All of them told me to sign D up as soon as she was accepted (unless they guarantee housing for freshman). A few colleges said that by April they are usually 90% at capacity.</p>
<p>Yesterday I received a letter in the mail from another college D was accepted to. It mentioned the mandatory immunizations and said that if they do not receive the form by May 15th they would recind her application. I’m assuming this is after you have already sent in deposits. I was surprised, the college D is attending asked that immunizations records are required in their office a few weeks before Orientation.</p>
<p>So it’s best to follow up on EVERY college that you are interested in and make sure that you know ALL deadline dates!</p>
<p>It doesn’t make sense from an admission perspective but I agree the counselor may have been referring to housing. However, make sure your kid doesn’t wait until the last few hours since the school’s servers can be too busy then causing one’s anxiety to go up. It’s best to go ahead and make the decision and login and commit at least a few days before the cutoff date. </p>
<p>
This actually depends on the particular school since a number of campuses guarantee housing for Freshmen but I wonder if the strain on housing will actually be relieved a little since many campuses indicated they’d accept fewer students this year.</p>
<p>If I recall, we didn’t have to fill out the health survey (with info about required immunizations) until much later in the summer. Good heavens, let the kids graduate first!</p>
<p>May 1 is a pretty standard deadline by which most colleges require a yea-or-nay response. That’s when they start going to their waitlists to fill the remaining openings, if any exist.</p>
<p>May 1 is THE National College Tuition Deadline. No school can legally insist that your daughter make her deposit or accept her spot prior to that deadline. A school can allow for a later deadline, but not an earlier one.</p>
<p>We have been reminded by many a college that no school can require my son to accept a spot earlier than May 1, but that some will try. If they do, we were told, don’t feel like we have to take the bait. Some schools, we were told, will try to apply this pressure so that they can start firming up their plans and finances.</p>
<p>So, if the counselor really meant that your daughter had to decide BEFORE May 1, as opposed to BY May 1, then I would say it is a violation.</p>
<p>When I first read your post, though, I somehow read it as, “Be sure to accept by May 1 at the latest, or you’ll lose your spot.” I don’t know if it’s because I knew that May 1 was the national deadline, so my prior knowledge colored my interpretation of your daughter’s remarks, or if that’s what the admission counselor meant all along … “don’t wait until after May 1 to accept, or else.”</p>
<p>One of my son’s state schools allows for acceptances well past May 1. So if an admissions counselor from there were to say something to him like what the guy told your daughter, we would probably just interpret it as, “This year, be sure to make your deposit and hold your spot NLT the National Tuition Deposit Day of May 1, or we might no longer have space for you.”</p>
<p>May 1st is a typical date to have made decisions by. You have to decide sometime, and schools need to finish the admissions process for waited listed students, figure out housing, et al. No school is going to hold your place indefinitely, and the sooner you decide the sooner someone else will know where they can go.</p>
<p>I doubt the National Deposit Day is in the legal code of any state. It is just a school policy that could be changed without notice. I don’t believe you have any contract protection just by making an application and being accepted.</p>
<p>All colleges that are members of NACAC must follow these rules (taken directly from NACAC’s “Students’s Right and Responsibilities in the College Admissions Process”):</p>
<p>“When You Are Offered Admission:
• You have the right to wait until May 1 to respond to an offer of admission
and/or financial aid.
• Colleges that request commitments to offers of admission and/or
financial assistance prior to May 1 must clearly offer you the opportunity
to request (in writing) an extension until May 1. They must
grant you this extension and your request may not jeopardize your
status for admission and/or financial aid.
• Candidates admitted under early decision programs are a recognized
exception to the May 1 deadline.”</p>
<p>It is likely a housing issue–can you go on ahead and pay a deposit towards housing w/o having made an official acceptance? Some colleges may allow this; just confirm that the deposit is refundable and by which date a full refund may be obtained.</p>
<p>I think it’s possible they would rescind if they found they had a much higher yield than expected and cannot accomodate the extra students. In fact, we were told by last summer by one of D’s potential schools that this was entirely possible and to send her nonrefundable $400 deposit in as soon as possible. They will only accept the first XXX deposits received and then you’re out of luck! We haven’t sent it yet, pending FA, but it’s possible we will although she’s also had to deposit at a state U already just to guarantee housing would be available. I understand they don’t like kids to do this, but then why pressure them to make that decision so early?</p>
<p>Wow. Thanks, worried_mom, for putting it all out there in detail. I was looking for the paragraph I read about that. I couldn’t find it. I appreciate the reference!</p>
<p>Most housing deposits are well under $100. I’d say it’s worth signing up for fresh housing even if it’s non refundable. Most schools date and even time stamp the housing application, so if your child is seriously considering going to a school, consider loggin onto housing section and signing up if you can. Many let you even if you haven’t accepted yet. If you wait too long, you get what is left - IF fresh housing is guaranteed…</p>
<p>From what I understand that many states are limiting enrollments at flagship schools. If you can not take the chance that enrollment will be limited, take the advice of the college admission advisor. If the advisor is correct and you enroll on May1, whereas others enrolled earlier, toobad. If you enroll early and decide on another school on May 1, then you rescind the early enrollment.</p>