I understand that I have to withdraw my applications to private schools for regular decision, but do I have to withdraw from my state school or public schools??
Yes, all schools. The agreement is that you will attend if accepted, Public or private is irrelevant.
“Early Decision applications are binding and represent a serious commitment to Penn. In signing the Early Decision agreement, a student agrees to withdraw applications from all other schools if admitted to Penn.”
How soon would I need to withdraw? I’d like to keep my state school as a financial safety…
Because for Early Decision you can apply early to public schools simultaneously, just not private schools.
You have to withdraw as soon as you notify the college you are accepting the ED offer. They will give you a deadline. The only way to get that deadline extended is if there is a delay in your FA offer; you get to review that before accepting.
However, it would be extremely unethical to turn down an ED offer if the FA given is a close match with what the net price calculator shows your cost of attendance to be, unless your family has had a big financial change since applications went in. Your ED agreement doesn’t say you are obligated to attend unless someplace else is cheaper – it says you are obligated to attend, period.
If you don’t think you can keep your obligation, contact admissions ASAP and change your app to regular decision.
Yes, you can apply simultaneously because ED isn’t meant to hamper your ability to capitalize on rolling admissions, but the expectation is that you will attend if accepted. You could even be already holding an acceptance from a rolling school and the ED school still requires that you turn down that prior offer. If you want to shop FA offers you shouldn’t be applying ED.
You will receive a financial aid offer from Penn. If the offer matches the NPC’s, then you’re expected to accept, and decline all other universities.
i understand. I am saying in the situation where it does not match the NPC at all.
Well, in that case you are able to decline the offer. However, you won’t be able to just hold on to the offer while you wait for other offers. With ED you are required to commit or decline by the school’s deadline (which will be long before your RD’s come in).
if the college is unaffordable, you call the university and let them know it’s unaffordable, and ask: is there any way they haven’t looked at your financial circumstances completely? What other documentation must you send?
If they say yes and send you another offer, then you must accept or decline within 48h.
If they say no and the college is unaffordable, then you must reject the offer and cross out that opportunity.
If the college is affordable, you must accept (or you can decline but you may well not get any better offer.)
You get a week or so to evaluate the FA offer. If you think it is wrong (different from what the NPC stated) then you can ask for a reassessment. That will NOT take you to March for your RD acceptances. You can’t wait to see how you might do on aid for other colleges.
Dropping all applications after acceptance to the ED school can be perilous.
Here’s a situation that occurred at my son’s high school:
Gal applied ED to a prestigious school and got in.
2nd semester she almost got a D in Calc BC.
She was rightfully worried they would rescind acceptance.
To have been fully protected, she should have held on to a few acceptances at safety schools - if her ED school had rescinded her acceptance with no backups, she would have been screwed.
You CANNOT hold on to acceptances at safety schools AND use ED. It is NOT allowed. If you want safety then don’t use ED, period.
Or, better yet, she could have done the bare minimum in her class and avoided a D. Seriously now.
@girl1425 : read the ED agreement you signed when you applied. It’s probably this or similar (emphasis mine):
You’ll see that there’s no “wiggle room” or even reason to ask people on CC. The verbiage is clear, and you agreed to it. The only question at this point is whether or not you are a person of your word.
Ok thanks everyone!
Also can you still withdraw an application from a school you have been accepted to…
Like I applied to UPenn early decision and UMich early action. So if I am accepted to both, am I still “withdrawing an application” from UMich even though they have already accepted me?
Or do I just email them saying “I won’t be attending”?
Or do I just email them saying “I won’t be attending”?
the latter
AFTER you received your financial aid package from Penn and your parents have agreed it’s sufficient (or if they say it’s not after they’ve asked Penn to reevaluate and it becomes sufficient), you email Umichigan and state you won’t be attending and thank them.
You don’t contact other schools until you’ve had your financial aid package.
IF you applied ED to a college, and are NOW having second thoughts because you now understand the ED rules, you CAN contact the college and ask that your application be moved to their regular round of acceptances.
That way you WILL have the chance to compare FA offers.