<p>Does this mean you have to tell the other schools immediately to withdraw your name? What if the financial situation doesn't work out? Or can you wait a while to see if it does work out.....really confused here....</p>
<p>The agreement is that you will withdraw your application. (Read the common app). If you don’t get enough aid that usually means you are out of luck. Sometimes you might be able to get out of your agreement in time for rolling admissions at a state school. Its very messy. My suggestion would be that if you have difficulty affording or need FA don’t apply ED.</p>
<p>Yes, you are immediately supposed to withdraw all of your other applications. Leaving an application in process at another school can be grounds for both the ED school and the other one to rescind their offers of admission (or reject your application, if the non-ED school finds out before they accept you).</p>
<p>This is why applying ED is not necessarily the best choice for students who want to compare financial offers. You’re not supposed to “wait a while” to see if it works out; because that would allow you compare offers which goes against the very nature of Early Decision.</p>
<p>I applied ED this year and my school allowed me to keep in applications until I got my aid offer from them. I couldn’t compare offers, but I could see if they could meet full need (they did). The ED contract I signed said I would withdraw other apps after seeing my aid offer. So you can check with the school you are applying to to see what their policy is.</p>
<p>You can usually keep other apps in until you get the FA offer. However, you will get your FA offer well in advance of April, so you will not have any other offers of admission (unless they’re rolling or EA). And realize that if you cannot negotiate an FA package that is acceptable to you, your admission to your ED school will be irrevocably revoked. You can’t keep it open in order to say, “OK, you guys gave me the most anyway so now I can come.”</p>