<p>Here is my question: The college websites all say that if you are accepted "early decision" then you MUST attend that college. What is it that happens if you don't? It sounds so ominous.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>If you apply Early Decision, you agree to accept enrollment at that school if you are accepted. AND when you are accepted, you MUST withdraw all other pending applications. There is usually a caveat that if the finances don’t work out, you can withdraw BUT remember…the COLLEGES compute your need…NOT YOU. If the college meets your need by their determination), and you decide not to attend, you really are only supposed to then be able to apply to much less expensive prospects (remember…your reason for backing out of ED was money) such as your instate public universities.</p>
<p>So unless you absolutely PLAN to accept that ED enrollment should you be accepted, don’t apply ED. ED is a binding acceptance meaning that you have agreed to those provisions when you apply.</p>
<p>The NYU admissions rep at our info session last week used the term “legally binding agreement.”</p>
<p>Every year there is some discussion about the legalities and enforcement and how to get out of the ED agreement etc etc. The upshot is that while it may not be a legal contract, there is a moral obligation to live up the the spirit of the ED agreement.</p>
<p>When you apply ED, you sign an agreement on your application that says you will attend if admitted. Many are ultimately excused from ED because it turns out the financial aid package sucks and their parents cannot afford to pay the freight. The only real enforcement for ED is whether other colleges will honor a college’s ED program and not allow you in if your accepted at that college as ED. Some will honor another college’s ED program, some won’t. USC is one of the more notorious colleges that will not because it has specific policy not to honor any ED from another college because it thinks ED is a program that should not exist.</p>
<p>Thanks, I thought it was just associated with need based/merit scholarships to avoid “financial shopping”</p>
<p>It’s not all that easy to just skip out of an ED agreement because you weren’t happy with the financial aid package you received. Furthermore, some schools have a policy of notifying competitor schools if a certain applicant broke an ED agreement (without actually being released because of legitimate financial reasons). Think very, very, very carefully about applying ED if financial aid is a concern.</p>
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<p>I would change the word “many” to “some”. I do not believe that this is a runamok practice. I think the LARGE lion’s share of ED applicants who are admitted obey the binder.</p>
<p>The other thing to keep in mind is that the student, the parent and the GC all sign a form saying you understand the implications of applying ED. If the student is accepted ED and does not attend (for other than financial reasons) it reflects poorly on your high school.</p>
<p>“It’s not all that easy to just skip out of an ED agreement because you weren’t happy with the financial aid package you received.”</p>
<p>It is that easy, just as the common app says. Remember that you applied ED to your dream school, the one you would attend above all others if there is any way possible, but if the FA package isn’t enough, you just say thanks but no thanks; you don’t have to prove anything. </p>
<p>There reportedly are consortiums that offer uniform FA packages and trade notes, but if you can’t afford one, you can’t afford the others, so it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Ignore threats of “legally binding” since no school will take any legal action to try to force attendance.</p>