<p>Hello. I applied to Northwestern ED and another school EA. I got into both schools and was wondering if it is possible to get out of Northwestern's early decision agreement. I know that some schools will let you out of the agreement over financial issues and some just let you out of it without question. Is Northwestern one of those schools.</p>
<p>I also know that some colleges send out other schools their early decision acceptances and other schools will tear up a student's application or acceptance because they are under ED at another school and are "dishonest." Does Northwestern send out their ED acceptance?</p>
<p>I still may attend Northwestern, but my mind has changed a little since applying. I would like to keep my options open. Can anyone help?</p>
<p>I may be mistaken, but I believe all schools with binding ED do send out a list of admitted students, and that it really is not ok with either school for you to renig just because you prefer the EA acceptance. Bottom line- you and your parents should not have signed a binding ED contract unless you were serious. </p>
<p>You could ask the schools involved. I know there are plenty of kids who would LOVE to have your ED slot at NU!</p>
<p>Well, it may come down to which school gives me the better FA. I’m not getting too much money from my parents, but they make too much for me to receive a lot of FA. So I will probably try to go with whatever school gives me the most FA.</p>
<p>^ Exactly my situation. I did not get a lot of money. But I still signed the ED agreement. Not only did my counselor warn me, several other sources (CC) did as well. If it comes down to a difference of a few dollars and you still choose them (EA school), I wouldn’t see WHY they wouldn’t withdraw their offer.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can legitimately break the ED agreement just because another school offers you more FA. D was offered several full-ride merit/talent scholarships (as are most NU students) and zero FA at NU, but NU was her top choice and she knew going in that ED was a binding contract.</p>
<p>As I understand it, breaking ED for financial reasons is not based on what you WANT to pay, it is an option only if NU fails to meet your objective financial need based on the FAFSA and CSS Profile, or if something drastic has changed in your family’s financial situation.</p>
<p>^ That being said, there are few schools that will offer you more FA based on need (not merit). It’s a top school that tries to meet 100% of need.</p>
<p>Soooo glad my D didn’t do the ED. She was tempted, but honestly wanted to know if she could get accepted elsewhere. I told her not to do the ED unless she was willing to follow through, no matter what. As it turned out, she was accepted EA at Mich and rejected EA at ND. She’s in for RD at NU and we’ll see if she has a decision to make, or not, come April.</p>
<p>My point is, we were/are under the impression that the NU ED was binding. (period) and not flexible unless they (NU) couldn’t meet your DEMONSTRATED (FAFSA/CSS) financial need.</p>
<p>Regardless of the answer to this question, are you going to tell NU that you are withdrawing because you got into EA at ___? Or are you going to make up some other excuse? If the answer if latter, it means you are going to be dishonest. </p>
<p>ED is significantly easier to get into than RD, especially this year when the much larger RD pool will compete for the remaining 60% of the class. I don’t want to sound harsh. But you “would like to keep your option open” while already getting the sweet deal.</p>
<p>Gaming the system and signing the agreement even if you were not sure about ED is dishonest. Other students have gone through the exercise of deciding about ED either at NU, or somewhere else, and have given up their options at other schools in order to abide by the contract. I don’t know why some people think that they can be the acception. There are alot of disappointed yet qualified ED applicants who were not admitted who would love to have your spot.</p>
<p>After you speak honestly to both admissions departments about your situation, maybe you can attend NU for your first year per your agreement and then transfer to your EA option as a sophomore if you decide it’s really a better fit. I expect your EA school will have far more respect for you if you are honest AND honor your commitments. I know all of D’s other schools where she was admitted offered to keep her records on file for the following year in case she changed her mind.</p>
<p>D has NU classmates who were accepted at Yale, Brown and Princeton who all love Northwestern and would never consider leaving, but if you felt otherwise after a year a transfer could be an option. D knows someone at Princeton who got better FA there but is now trying to transfer to NU, which was his original first choice, so schools are accustomed to some transfers.</p>
<p>So the OP got accepted to UChicago, and that’s what made her change her mind. I don’t know about NU specifically, but Columbia said they will release students from ED agreement for financial reasons, only if the students chooses to go to significantly worse school (state school for example), and All the ivies + top LACs + Duke/Stanford/NU/Chicago share the lists of accepted students. NU won’t be much different.</p>
<p>Well, I finally found my early decision agreement (misplaced it). It says that if I am seeking financial aid, which I am, I do not have to withdraw my other applications until I have been notified on financial aid. I have not been notified yet from either school. I can not make any new applications, but I was never planning on it.</p>
<p>As others have pointed out above, you are only released from the NU ED decision if the financial aid you are offered by NU does not meet your demonstrated need. Typically ED applicants who ask to be released only do so after fully discussing the FA package with NU. Is that what you plan to do? It doesn’t sound like it.</p>
<p>It is really sad that you are looking for a way out of a legal contract, it does not say much in a positive way for you, your parents, your siblings, or your high school. Should NU offer you less than U Chicago you might be able to swindle your way out but if it’s close, the same, or less from U Chicago then what? Also, U Chicago and NU are two totally different schools in almost every way, how could you have thought they both would be a good fit? I agree with MomCares; go to NU and transfer if you prefer U Chicago.</p>
<p>Oh, and given that Admissions Counselors occasionally read CC you may have given them a heads up to your thoughts and created additional problems with your plan.</p>