My son will be applying to GW. It has a hefty price tag and we will likely not get any financial aid, however, he’d certainly be a good candidate for merit. It’s a competitive school and he is afraid to go with regular admissions and miss his chance of getting into his dream school. Does applying ED effect merit aid since you are binding yourself, making yourself an early definite number for them?. It seems like they would save the merit money for others who have applied regular admissions and need to compare packages from other schools.
I advise you NOT to allow your DS NOT to apply ED if you CAN’T afford to pay full price .
Merit aid comes from the same “pot” as financial aid and is usually offered to tippy top students that the admissions office REALLY wants to enroll
Applying ED tell them that they dont need to offer Merit aid to get your DS to enroll.
I agree- your son should not apply ED if he is looking for merit aid.
I’ve always been of the same opinion. If you want merit aid, do not apply ED. I’ve always assumed that merit aid was a way to attract those that are not already committed (which you would be with ED).
That said, on other threads there have been counter examples (i.e. people who stated their ED child DID get merit). But I assume that would be few and maybe different based on the school’s policies.
What does the NPC say you will need to pay? Can you afford that?
NPC says we will be responsible for all tuition. We can afford it, yes…but uh, we have other kids too.
I recommend reading this thread about Merit and ED - http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/2016230-early-decision-impact-on-merit-aid.html#latest A super moderator weighed in on this topic on page 2. Basically colleges know that you are not bound legally by early decision. The family can decline ED if they deem the financial aid package as insufficient. It’s the out that they “allow”. I would also recommend asking about this on the GW forum. It’s pretty active and you might get better insight about how GW has handled merit & ED in the past.
If your son’s stats are good enough to get merit money, then I don’t think you need to worry about applying RD. You are much more likely to get the aid you seek if you apply RD. As others have said, the merit offer is designed to entice a top student who might not otherwise attend. If GW knows they are your son’s top choice, they don’t need to do anything to entice him to come, and they’ll give that merit money to someone else.
GW’s overall admissions rate is almost 40% - this included the early decision students who are admitted at 61%. So early decision definitely gives you an edge. I disagree with those who say merit is reserved only to entice RD candidates. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that says otherwise that you can find right here on CC. I think there is a great misconception about ED and merit aid. Why would students still apply ED if merit would be denied to them? I would encourage @Andi75 to speak to someone in the financial aid office at GW. I spoke with financial aid representatives from AU about ED & merit & it was very reassuring. Also my son’s GC recommended he go ED as her last student who was admitted RD thought that the ED students got better merit packages.
Personal opinion, I would definitely have him apply RD, they may give some merit ED but the lions share will go to RD, its really just common sense. Especially if he is in the top 25% of the admitted students stats.
Honestly denying merit aid to ED applicants does not make sense either, especially to a candidate who has high stats for your school. A bird in the hand beats two in the bush. Why deny a high stats ED applicant merit money when they can decline based on financial factors? Is it better to hope that this money will entice another high stats applicant who has not committed to your school? Even if they meet your EFC you are still not legally bound to accept their offer. The lion’s share might just go to RD because there a re a lot more applicants who are RD.
One of the factors that contributes to college rankings is graduation rate. Who is more likely to graduate a high stats ED student who is committed to the school or someone who was shopping for the best merit? At AU they said ED students are their most active students and become leaders on campus. They come in with a commitment and stay.
Personally, I wouldn’t take the chance of my son being denied admittance into his dream school based on speculation that he would not be considered for merit. I would as stated in previous post speak with admissions and financial aid officers to get a feel about that particular school’s policies/leanings on merit aid distribution. I don’t imagine the school wants their ED committed students to come away from this process feeling bitter and deceived.
Making sure that you’ve seen this …
It’s not just a matter of whether or not merit aid is awarded, it is the amount of merit aid. It can make sense to throw out a $10K merit award to a full pay ED applicant, because the family is happy that they got something, and it’s good PR – hence all the anecdotal reports of ED applicants receiving merit awards.
But maybe that applicant would have been offered $20K in merit money in the RD round, or a half-tuition scolarship – or even full tuition. No way to ever know … and no room to bargain. Merit money can be negotiable especially if the person has received a better offer from a peer institution – but again, no bargaining power ED.
So, bottom line: if the student has the stats to qualify for significant merit aid at any school, they are likely to be offered more if admitted during RD round.
“At AU they said ED students are their most active students and become leaders on campus. They come in with a commitment and stay.”
Most ED students probably can afford to go to AU [ and other private colleges] EASILY, because they come from a well-off, educated family.
ED benefits affluent students, who dont have to worry where the $ for the next tuition payment is coming from, DONT have to compare FA offers and can afford to apply ED to their “dream” colleges without regard to how much it will cost. They make up a very large % of ED applicants, and it should be no surprise, given their background, that they end up with higher overall graduation rates, and can also take the the time to be more active than students who need to watch every penny, and work part time in order to afford to go to college.
Wow @menloparkmom! I’m not sure what your post has to do with the OP’s question. She stated that they could afford to full pay, but had other kids to consider also. I’m sorry that what an AU rep said really bothers you. They did not discourage kids who needed financial aid from applying ED. In fact they gave two examples of financial aid packages for ED students that included grants & merit in their ED presentation. The point of my comment was that you shouldn’t blanket generalize all schools as taking advantage of ED students by not giving them the merit they deserve. Some schools value ED students or treat them as least as equal to RD in merit aid.
They way one particular college treats its ED students is one data point.
The OP asked a question regarding ED and merit and other posters, many, like myself , who have been here for decades, posted responses advising she use caution when making any decision regarding applying ED and expecting merit aid.
We have all seen that at competitive colleges it is not so easy to be awarded merit aid.
Most “deserving” students receive zip, despite their parents often high expectations.
what you choose to believe is up to you.
yes @menloparkmom one particular data point or even a pervasive opinion about ED should not be relied upon. That’s why I encouraged OP to investigate the school specifically. It’s funny that you mention competitive colleges not being easy to get merit because on the thread I posted previously there are two examples of great merit with full-pay ED students. In fact one was a full ride to Vanderbilt. I guess I choose to believe that admissions officers and financial aid officers are not liars whose sole goal it is to deceive full-pay students into applying ED so that they can trick them out of being able to “negotiate” better merit. Which I’m not sure why you couldn’t negotiate aid as financial is the only out you have in ED.
"Which I’m not sure why you couldn’t negotiate aid as financial is the only out you have in ED. "
Applying ED means that students CANT apply to ANY other peer private colleges, at the SAME TIME, and THAT means that the ED college is the one holding all the money cards. A FA letter from another peer college is the ONLY leverage an accepted student has when trying to increase a FA offer. ED students CANT “negotiate” because they will have NO other letters of acceptance and “COMPETING” FA OFFERS , or merit awards, from other colleges to show !!
They have no fall back position other than withdrawal- that is not a position of strength as a “negotiating” tactic. And the college knows it.
A plea from parents that they cant afford to pay unless the FA award / merit $$ is increased will fall on deaf ears in the ED round. ED FA offers are a take it or leave it proposition, because there are many other just as wonderful students in the regular round vying for the same spot . Why should they bend the rules for ED applicants who dont want to follow them?
That is why we suggest parents NOT allow students to apply ED unless they REALLY can afford to pay what the college is likely to offer them, based on their financial conditions.
And BTW- college financial aid offices dont “negotiate” with students or parents.- to use that word when asking for more FA $$ is to get on the fast track to denial.
OK - You win. I’m done. With this post and CC. I find you can’t have a divergent opinion on certain topics here so I see no reason to continue frequenting this site.
I just want you to know how offensive your post was regarding ED students being wealthy and all the privileges they have. As if these students don’t know about or appreciate this reality. My kids are quite familiar with this attitude and in fact I had to pull one of my children off of a school bus because they were being bullied by other kids because they were “rich”. Which never in a million years would I allow my kid to discriminate against someone because of the income of their parents.
" guess I choose to believe that admissions officers and financial aid officers are not liars whose sole goal it is to deceive full-pay students into applying ED so that they can trick them out of being able to “negotiate” better merit".
wow. just wow… 
the rules of applying ED are clearly stated, and only those parents who think they can “negotiate” their way around them, by virtue of their wealth, or connections or who knows what else, would take offense that those who know how the process works are being “offensive” .
The CC community is here to educate all students and parents of the realities of the college application process, regardless of their fortune. We do not “discriminate”.