ED Acceptance and then still applying to other Colleges.

If one were to be accepted ED, but the need blind financial aid package didn’t cut it, is it still possible to apply to other schools during the RD round, while NOT losing your place at the school that accepted you ED?
Or would you have to give up your spot at the ED school completely?
Would the ED school let you apply to others and hold your spot, so that you could shop around financial aid packages?
Thanks for your thoughts.

You’d have to inform the ED school that you can not accept their offer and have the spot withdrawn after exhausting payment options and discussions. If you need to shop fin aid packages, you should not apply to any school under ED, only EA.

Your HS would have to be complicit in this unethical activity – and probably won’t play along unless you have a particularly dull guidance counselor. The ramifications can be your school gets black-balled and future applicants, for a while, will be rejected out of hand.

Got it. Thanks!