<p>I heard that ED reduces your chance of getting the FA you want. How true is this for Columbia and Swarthmore? I plan on EDing either school.</p>
<p>Columbia and Swat both have need based financial aid, so your aid is pretty much going to be the same whether you apply ED or RD. What you do give up is the ability to compare packages and you could be stuck if even after finanical aid it is not affordable to you . You may not have room to negotiate because you have nothing to use as leverage. You must also read the fine print as Columbia does make it very difficult to get out of their ED agreement (only to allow you to go to your state U.)</p>