<p>I would love to apply early action to a few schools, but I'm concerned about the colleges lowering my financial aid. I cannot attend college on a full tuition, and of course, the fact that I'm EA means that the schools have less incentive to give me a good aid package.</p>
<p>So should I bother to apply EA? Does EA even affect aid?</p>
<p>EA is not binding, and you can apply to other schools, too. You don't have to respond to their acceptance until the May 1 candidate reply date. It shouldn't have any effect on aid (even merit aid). You WILL want to apply for aid by the school's deadline to get the best aid.</p>
<p>Yes, I could apply to other schools but my goal is to get into my favorite schools AND get great financial aid. Just because I can reply to the admission letter at May 1 doesn't change the financial package, right?</p>
<p>Also...is the financial application due the same time as the rest of your app?</p>
<p>No. The only thing EA does is put your mind at ease earlier. Financial aid won't be affected one way or the other. The nice thing about EA is that you might find out your financial aid package early (although not all schools give the EA kids their package earlier than RD).</p>