<p>If you qualify for need-aid, there will be variances among RD offers, but I have never seen any hard evidence that the same applicant ED will get a worse package. In fact, you may get a better offer ED if the RD app would fall in the last 5-20% of RD acceptances, where many schools start cutting need packages. </p>
<p>So your financial position is a critical issue. If you need merit aid, forget about ED. If you qualify for need aid, and $2000/yr is a big deal to you, ED is also a bad idea. But if you have a strong financial position, or a strong enough position where say a $5000 annual variance does not mean a lot, then ED would seem to be a viable option.</p>
<p>Personally, I'm not a fan of ED. Reasons for selecting a clear first-choice school are typically unrelated to the actual quality or fit characteristics of the school. . .usually driven by prestige issues or questionable reasoning. And if I can editorialize, the idea that one school (or one job, or one car, or one boyfriend etc) is the beginning and end of the world is an idea that should be discouraged.</p>
<p>My son applied ED and we received a very fair package. The package we recieved was actually more than the Princeton calculator said we would receive...and more than the College Board calc said. </p>
<p>In our case, the student loan portion is around $2k yr and the work-study portion is about the same. There are no parent loans involved. The total award package is $30k. Tuition is $44k. Son owes $2k from summer employment and I owe the remaining $12k. </p>
<p>I did my homework in advance and held discussion with the Fin Aid Director. He knew that an unfair package would send us packing because we couldn't stretch. Income is "middle" (low 100s). </p>
<p>Now that I'm paying the bill, it seems ok. I pay the tuition over 10 months, so the monthly payment can't be figured by dividing by 12 . This adds a little more weight to each of the 10 monthly payments - I pay $1,250 month. We don't have anything left over at the end of the month, but we don't starve. We own a home (with a mortgage) and two cars (clear), so we're pretty average folks. I also have 1 D at home in elementary school/tuition based.</p>
<p>I can't say for sure what works and what doesn't. I will say that I'm amazed that some will spend so much time courting the admissions folks and trying to get into the school - for months....but never bother to say hi to the financial aid folks and then expect the package to be good. Do I think it's subjective? Somewhat. Like everything else, I think there can be a human element to it. I wouldn't expect the package ot be more than fair....but if you are looking for fair, your best bet is to let an empowered stakeholder know you really NEED for it to be fair. </p>