It irks me that Indiana urges admitted students to send in a non-refundable housing deposit prior to nationwide May 1 commitment date. Obviously, sending off your $200 is not technically “required”, but every official statement from IU is to send it in as soon as possible to get a decent spot in a dorm or an LLC.
It is especially irksome for a student who is still waiting to hear on scholarships and financial aid from IU to know whether it is even affordable. So well-off students who won’t need financial aid or scholarships to attend IU can send in their housing deposit and get their first pick, while a less well-off student needs to wait.
It seems to me that the first-come-first-served model for housing by Universities like IU is really just an end-run around the May 1 commit date and is used to get applicants to effectively “commit” by sending in that early non-refundable housing deposit. Why is it not ethical for a college applicant to double deposit an enrollment deposit at two schools, yet it is seemingly ethical for the same student to put in two housing deposits at these schools?
Heck, I can see some Enrollment Counselors spinning the idea of an non-required, non-refundable, “fall class schedule” fee: “Congratulations on being admitted, if you want to ensure first pick of your class schedule for Fall 2016, send in your small fee of $200 to hold your priority registration status as soon as possible.” This would certainly help a school know who is going to attend in the fall, and is not “required” so doesn’t violate the May 1 commitment date.
I hate this about all colleges. They should, at least, wait until financials are out. Even if you choose to attend that college the type of housing you might choose could depend on how much financial aid and scholarships you get.
Welcome to the world of college admissions, though I see from your other posts that you’re not new to this stuff.
If you think for one moment that colleges aren’t businesses, think again. They are measured each year on their yields vs offers, so subtle and not so subtle pressure to commit is the norm. This is just the start of the charges unless you’re on a full ride, so if $200 bothers you, you’re in trouble. That’s just reality.
I’m not sure why it wouldn’t be ethical to double deposit at two schools. It’s your money, so go for it. If it’s ethical to give 2 kids different scholarships who have the same stats and race just to get more kids from a certain part of the country, then you shouldn’t worry about offending a college admissions office.
In their defense, IU had too many people accept this past year and was putting people up in lounges because they didn’t have enough dorm space. Making people commit to housing asap is a necessary evil for planning purposes since there’s precious little time between May and August for them to prep for next year.
I think I complained about this same thing regarding Alabama last year, and I know why they do it, enrollment management. Same sneaky trick, different daughter. If it was less than $200, and more like the $25 another Big Ten school charges, I would bite and send it in. But $200 is a different matter. I think it might lead to more enrollment uncertainty since it will encourage double deposits.