<p>I just read an article in the GW Hatchet stating that their EDI applications are up 30% form last year so far and they have extended their EDI deadline till the end of November to accommodate more ED applications. The article also stated that ED applications at NYU and Georgetown are up 2%. The reasoning seems to be the large and competitive pool of 2009 high school seniors. "David Wheeler, a reporter for the Chronicle of Higher Education, said the increase could be attributed to higher selectivity among top tier schools and a record number of high school students applying to college."</p>
<p>George Washington reference article:
Early</a> decision applications rise - News</p>
<p>some more news....</p>
<p>Middlebury ED1 up 12% thus far
Early</a> decision group expands 12% - News</p>
<p>Northwestern ED up 15%
Early</a> applications rise by more than 200 for Class of 2013 - Campus</p>
<p>Georgetown EA up ~2%
Early</a> Applicant Pool Rises Despite Financial Crisis | The Hoya</p>
<p>Many more reports should be coming soon.....</p>
<p>Very interesting. Makes you wonder how many early apps these schools would have had without the financial meltdown. Or it could be that full pay students thought that ED was the best way leverage their ability to forego financial aid into getting an acceptance.</p>
<p>Interesting - - I assumed the apps would be up at the HYP-level schools that cap loans or require that families w/ income under $180K pay only 10% of their income.</p>
<p>so surprising....can't wait for Papachicken to get other numbers for us........guys, is it possible that many, many of these students are aware that the ONLY reason you can opt out of ED is for financial reasons, so they decided to take the chance??? just curious.....</p>
<p>Here in NYC, I don't see the affluent reconsidering college choice. I know we're a bubble, but I still think it's interesting. Many people are out of jobs or have suffered a major pay cut yet they are determined their kids will still go to the best college. These are bankers, lawyers and other high paid professionals who are seeing the impact of global competition at every turn and believe a top flight education will best position their kids. They are cutting back on most things, but not education.</p>
<p>Here I am on CC looking to cut my food budget while I have 3 kids in expensive schools!</p>
<p>I think GW's location (a few blocks from the White House) and the fact that more young people than ever became tuned in to politics as a result of a momentous election year had something to do with these numbers.</p>
<p>Yes, but it's not just GW that has large increases, although it does have the largest. As Papa chicken pointed out, Northwestern and Middlebury are both up over 12% I am quite surprised because i was expecting early decision numbers to be lower this year due to losses in parent's stock portfolios and home equity lines of credit. I thought more poeple would keep options open and wait to compare financial packages. Obviously, people are more concerned with getting a spot in the college of their choice this year when numbers of seniors are at their height.</p>
<p>Yale EA up by 10.4% percent so far. Increase of 12.5% expected once all applications counted. </p>
<p>Yale</a> Daily News - Record number of students apply early</p>
<p>Can't you get out of an Early Decision agreement if you don't get enough finaid to afford the college?</p>
<p>This has been discussed many times before on this site. No, you cannot get out of ED if You FEEL the school has not given you enough financial aid. It is based upon what the FAFSA calculates your need to be. If the school provides what FAFSA says you need that is all they are required to do to uphold the ED bargain. If you disagree with what FAFSA says your family contribution should be that does not qualify as an out for the ED agreement.</p>
<p>
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Here in NYC, I don't see the affluent reconsidering college choice.
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<p>Of course, this is year 1 of the slowdown/recession. There is a lot of hope that this downturn, although brutal, will be relatively quick, like the downturns of the past 10 years have been. But if the economic slowdown lasts 2 years, 3 years, 4 years...long enough to kill hope...then I definitely see a re-evaluation and reconsideration coming.</p>
<p>I don't know how the people lived through the Depression...psychologically.</p>
<p>Actually you can get out of ED. It's risky and a pain in the neck to have to do so. It can have bad consequences, even if you have very good reason. You aren't going to be hauled to court for breaking ED, but you can get privately panned and not even know it.</p>
<p>It isn't black and white how you can break an ED contract. I believe it can usually be excused without repercussions to anyone for good faith inability to pay as long as you end up at a college costing a lot less. FAFSA calculations are based on 2008 income; if a parent lost a job at the end of 2008 their inability to pay is not reflected on FAFSA calculations.</p>
<p>With the popularity of 529 plans and the affluence that many in the primary feeder areas for these top private schools have enjoyed over the past few years, I wonder if the case may be for a lot of people that they already have significant cash stashed in the 529 plans, and even if there is economic concern now, that cash is there and can only be used for education. So the choice is still there for the expensive schools for those who have saved enough in those accounts. Especially those who have been shifting those funds to more conservative investments as their kids neared college age, as is recommended.</p>
<p>The problem, Muffy, is the way ED can work. IF you break an ED contract, it is easy to still be on the ED accept list. Schools just do not like kids who break the contract. In the furor of going through the RD process, admissions offices often do not catch things like a good reason to break a contract or someone who was allowed to be off contract. It is a pain in the neck and a risk to break the contract. Not to say it has not successfully done, but it is an additional aggravation in an already stressful situation, especially for someone who needs a goodly sum of aid to go to college. </p>
<p>There are still many folks out there that can pay full freight for a private college. As usual, it's the middle and lower income folks that are really hit. THose families whose mortgages have gone up, whose bread earners have lost jobs or had pay cuts, or not going to get any bonus, or who can't sell their home, or have their credit cut and need these resources to pay for college for their kids are the ones that are really going be moving from the "you can go where ever you are accepted" to "we need to look at the costs".</p>
<p>From NYU's Washington Square New:"The number of early decision applicants is up to 2,936 prospective students, a 2.3 percent increase from the class of 2012....The news is a comfort to those who feared that the economic crisis would cause the number of applicants to nosedive."</p>
<p>not ED, but shows how state schools are becoming more popular:
SUNY</a> applications rise in falling economy - News</p>
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[quote]
With the economy causing a rise in tuition costs, public colleges, specifically those within the SUNY system, are experiencing a dramatic increase in applications for the 2009-2010 academic year........Binghamton's applications are up 50 percent from last year and Oswego's are up by 30 percent.
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</p>
<p>I guess we really won't see what the economic impact is until May. Looks like people are leaving their options open.</p>
<p>I hope college newspapers continue to report on this issue like the ones posted earlier.</p>