<p>My son already admitted ED at a local state college which is one of his dream schools on last Jan.
I expected some need base scholarship offer, but at that time, there was no scholarship / financial aid information till this month.</p>
<p>Now most of college are offering financial aid package, but the college which he admitted as ED did not offer any scholarship, only student loan.
On the other hand, other local public university, which is higher tuition, offer need base college scholarship, so $5000 lower overall than the state college.</p>
<p>I did not expect it would happen.
I thought that the state college is the cheaper than other college expect community college.
That is why he applied as ED.</p>
<p>I know ED is very restricting about attendance, but I heard it could be declined only economic reason.
In my case, is it possible to declined ED admission and go another college which is cheaper?</p>
<p>If you cannot afford the state college then you can decline the ED offer for that reason. If you CAN afford the state college but just like the lower offer that is not a valid reason.</p>
<p>Didn’t you have to withdraw other applications when you accepted ED? I was under the impression that one of the points of ED was that you give up opportunity to compare offers in exchange for an early decision. </p>
<p>Ok, I’ll bite. Was this ED? If so, how is it that your financial aid package didn’t come in January with the ED acceptance? Did your so already ACCEPT that ED offer? Usually there is a very small window of time to do so…and ALL other applications are supposed to be withdrawn. Please explain your story.</p>
<p>^^Sounds like the FA package that came with the state acceptance included only a student loan. </p>
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<p>Depends on the school. When my son applied ED, we were very open and honest with his admissions officer that his final decision would have everything to do with what school we could afford. When the FA from ED school came in too low, his AO encouraged us to appeal the FA decision AND follow through with all other applications. To his great credit, he told us he wanted to see him go to a great school…whether it was his school or someplace else. </p>
<p>I agree JoBenny. But this OP didn’t say that the financial aid was appealed with an extension request. This OP simply said that the ED financial aid was not received until recently (why?). </p>
<p>Hoping the OP clarifies this story.</p>
<p>And really, my big question…did this OP’s kiddo ACCEPT that ED offer of admission? JoBenny’s kiddo did NOT. Once an ED offer is accepted, a student is required to withdraw all other applications and acceptances.</p>
<p>^^All true. We received ED FA offer right along with acceptance…middle of December, I think. All other offers (minus a couple rolling and EA) came in right around now. I’m assuming we would have let the ED school know way before now if he was planning to accept. </p>
<p>If the ED school turns out to be unaffordable, you may withdraw from it. However, you should have decided when you received the FA from the ED school, or at least request an appeal. Otherwise, you should have withdrawn all other applications. The idea is not for you to compare the financial aid packages from other schools and decide. It is purely whether the ED school is affordable or not. Not if there is any cheaper option. Once you choose ED, you are bound to this agreement.</p>
<p>If you can’t pay, that’ s it. But if you, your son, your counselor signed an ED agreement, look at the terms to which you agreed. You are breaking a commitment and that is unethical. If you pull this sort of thing with some schools, they’ll both ditch you and leave you with little choice and serves you right.</p>
<p>Unless this is not a typical ED situation, you were supposed to withdraw all other applications within a certain time period and send the commitment to the ED school. You had a window of time to appeal the fin aid package if it was not what you wanted and then decide to fish or cut bait.</p>
<p>The ONLY exception to all of this is if some crisis occurs thereafter, some schools ignore the withdrawal notice your student sent, and you have some drastic grounds that make it detrimental to go to the ED school. A young woman I know did request to rescind her ED accept and then contacted local schools for reconsideration when her father’s cancer returned and he needed a bone marrow transplant. THat is an understandable exception. </p>
<p>People like you who play these games make it all the more difficult for everyone else. ED is a special bump given for admissions, and sometimes special consideration for aid, that has its conditions. You break them, you are cheating.</p>
<p>Is there even a public college with ED? Is it possible the OP means EA? If so, then yes, the OP’s son can notify the college, decline the acceptance and enroll elsewhere. </p>
<p>^^^ This is the only thing that makes sense. If it was, indeed, a state school, then the application was most certainly non-binding Early Action.
I think that’s a bit harsh @cptofthehouse. Even if this was ED - and it certainly appears that it probably was not, all bets are off if the candidate timely applied for financial aid and the college didn’t provide a financial aid award until this month.</p>
<p>Some state colleges do have ED <a href=“Cal Poly Admissions”>Cal Poly Admissions;
I know there can be reasons for financial hardships but I also thought point of ED is once accepted, you need to withdraw. ED gives admissions a definite leg up and so parents/students really need to stick by the rules, yes UNLESS suddenly there is financial hardship.</p>
<p>A lot of student do not go ED (though they all would like to ) precisely because they want to weigh all the other scholarships/financial aid options.</p>
<p>My apologies if the OP does mean EA or if it’s the school that did not give a financial aid package yet and the student is still within the window. If the student did not withdraw other apps in accordance to ED rules and is now seeing that there are better offers out there and wants to renege–, and I see this every year, then what I say stands.</p>
<p>Okay, I stand corrected - some state schools do have ED.</p>
<p>But I’d still maintain that if the financial aid award was not made available until this month, then the student has every right to say “thanks, but no thanks” if the award makes attendance unaffordable.</p>
<p>Should the student have withdrawn his other applications once he received the ED acceptance? As far as I’m concerned, you’d have to be an idiot to withdraw other applications before seeing the financial aid award.</p>
<p>Withholding notification of the student’s financial aid award certainly violates the spirit (if not the letter) of the ED agreement.</p>
<p>Absolutely, no student should withdraw other apps until after the ED package has been settled. There is usually a window of time that is given and if the issue is still undergoing negotiation, then well and good. I agree fully that those colleges that are not doing their part of what needs to be done are violating the terms of ED. Unfortunately, a lot of students are blatently violating specific terms of ED. </p>
<p>In some ways, the schools are asking for it with their variations of ED, such as ED 2, intermed ED and other such things. ED2 awards often will come out with some schools that are early with merit and then all of a sudden all of the momentum for the ED school is lost. Which is, by the way, a strong reason I don’t advocate ED for those who need/want funds. I’ve seen it over and over again, when better financial offers come to the table, the lustre of ED disappears when it was the big deal thing when making that app. It’s truly important to see other offers to many people. They NEED to see them to really gauge whether ED is worth it. But many times it is in violation fo ED to go with another school because the deal is better after committing to the ED school. Not always, as I said with ED2, in particular, the offers can over lap and then some schools will come up with an offer even if you tell then you 've been accepted ED–they have no way to rescind an app after a certain point Our state schools are that way. And then kids just don’t bother to tell the other school, and the offers of acceptances and packages come rolling in. That’s when a lot of problems begin, because the parents and kid want to get out of the commitment due to a better deal. </p>
<p>From the OP previous posts I am guessing the ED school was Cal Poly SLO. If the student is in-state in California and another CA public is giving him need based aid to make it less expensive you may want to contact the Cal Poly FA office to see if the FA package is correct, however the student was supposed to accept or decline based on the preliminary FA package by January 15th, so should have withdrawn other applications at that time. </p>