Deposit dates that are too early??

Applying to College
1

Hello all,

So while checking up on my application statuses today, I came to the realization my safety school requires a deposit before the date my choice schools will be releasing their decisions.

What can I do?

My safety is Rutgers-NB, and they require a deposit by May 1st. My choice is Umich, their deposit is also may 1st, but I am anticipating the situation where I am not admitted/financial aid isn’t good enough. My second choice is GWU, and I will not get a decision from them until mid-may, I’m 99% sure I will get in, but what if I don’t and pass up on Rutgers? What if Umich gives me horrible aid and I have to basically take a chance that GWU will provide me with better aid?

Do any of you guys have experience dealing with a similar situation? Is there a way I could plead to admissions for a deposit extension/earlier decision? Because the worst case scenario would be that I am rejected at Umich, don’t deposit at Rutgers and then don’t get accepted at GWU. I’m a transfer (junior), so if that did happen, I would need to take a semester off and reapply for winter/spring or matriculate at a crappy state College that has late deadlines.

Help!

2

U much is stingy in state for freshmen. I think your odds of good OOS fin aid are poor

3

GWU’s decision release date is late March/early April. http://undergraduate.admissions.gwu.edu/dates-deadlines Why do you think you won’t get a decision until May?

4

@bouders I was going to say the same thing until I read that OP is a transfer student, and per that page, won’t receive a decision until mid-late May.

5

I would deposit at Rutgers. If a better acceptance comes up you can switch to that school and forfeit the deposit.

6

are there refund dates at all?

7

I’m OOS transfer, I’ve done the net calc and it seems as though I’ll get “enough” aid for it to be worth it. As long as I get some aid from umich I’ll be satisfied as I will only be paying for 2 years.

8

@bgbg4us have not looked too much for that info, but I would imagine there are not. @happy1 but I would still be losing a significant sum of money, probably just to pay higher tuition elsewhere! Finances are tight, if there was anyway I could not lose the deposit that would be preferable…

9

@T26E4 I am OOS transfer at umich. I’ve done the net calc and it projects me receiving just enough aid to accept. Regardless of the tuition, I think a umich degree would be worth it as I will only be paying for 2 years

10

I thought transfers don’t get as much aid as freshmen, are NPC accurate for transfers?

11

If Rutgers is your financial safety, that means you expect to be able to afford it, then you better deposit if UMich does not work out.

Are you commuting to Rutgers? Is there a housing deadline?

12

If money is tight, it is likely that GW will end up significantly more expensive than Rutgers. I’d deposit at Rutgers.

13

Absolutely deposit at Rutgers or UMich by May 1st and then withdraw if you get into GWU later.

14

Both of your assumptions are not necessarily true for every college; the actual answers may differ from one college to another.

With respect to NPC accuracy for transfers, some NPCs (including Michigan’s) do ask for current class level (12th grade, college frosh, etc.) and what class level the student will enter the college as. Presumably, this is to find if the NPC user is a transfer student and account for that accordingly, if it makes any difference. Of course, NPC accuracy in general does depend on the school’s financial aid office putting the correct questions and calculations into it so that it matches its actual financial aid methodology.

15

Yes Rutgers is definitely the most fiscally responsible choice, but GWU is significantly better for my field of study (poli sci) than rutgers. Also, gwu’s NPC actually projects me receiving cheaper tuition than at Umich, and gwu offers a substantial transfer scholarship I would be eligible for if accepted. The bottom line would come to only about 5-10k more than rutgers. I think that would be worth it for gwu’s strength in my field. @happy1

16

UMich is one of a few schools that meet the needs of all in-state students. The out of pocket cost for my D is basically the same as the EFC. They also pledged to reduce student debt by offering more grant money. For OOS students, they do not meet the need of vast majority. But they do have very generous aids for very low income students. Just check their NPC and also look at their sample aids on the FA website.

17

How much money do you need to send to Rutgers by May 1st as the deposit?