As of now, I have been admitted to two graduate schools. They both have asked to deposit money to show intent to enroll. I cannot decide which one to choose. Can I send deposit to both of them and then decide later on? Are there any legal consequences?
I am also waiting on few other schools that I think would be a better fit for me. Would it be okay if I submit my deposit at one school and then withdraw my acceptance before accepting the one I would like to go?
You can deposit now at the one you like best, and then let them know if your plans change later. You also can ask for an extension of the deposit date if you need one.
Talk to your faculty adviser and other professors to get some input on which might be the best choice. Also find out what the deadlines are for the schools. Can you tell them you are waiting for some other decisions?
You DO NOT have to deposit at all. You have until April 15 to make a decision. If they are not giving you that time, then they are not following the [recommendations of the Council of Graduate Schools](The National Voice for Graduate Education - CGS). This is not the same as Early Admission for undergraduates, having an offer is not a contract with the university and they just have to wait.
@xraymancs : I talked to them about this. They said the resolution by CGS is about the acceptance of financial aid and not about the acceptance of admission.
Facing that now with D as she has heard from one program, including FA. Likely to be several more weeks before hears from others based on their deadlines. Not concerned about losing acceptance if she doesn’t deposit, but whether she risks losing a tuition scholarship/assistantship while waiting to hear from other schools. She needs the financial help to attend.
That is a fine line and pretty iffy if you ask me. Anyway, if you are willing to pay the deposit, then do so. We have found at Illinois Tech that deposits are counterproductive.
@scmom12 for financial aid there is the April 15 date.
Yes, technically the CGS resolution is about financial and and not admissions, but any school that is splitting hairs this way is being completely disingenuous - because you can’t really make well-informed admissions decisions without financial aid information. These kinds of graduate schools also need to remember that it cuts both ways - if they don’t honor a basic agreement to give admitted students ample time to decide and compare offers, then they are basically asking for people to accept and then withdraw when they get in somewhere better - since the agreement is only incumbent on financial aid awards, as they say.
Anyway, OP, most of the time deposits are around $500 and nonrefundable. Maybe you have an extra $500 lying around that you don’t need, but I think it would be smarter to ask the programs if you can have more time to decide - or, just make a decision. If you really can’t decide between the two of them because they are equally good, then it probably doesn’t matter which one you pick, so pick whichever one appeals to you more.
As far as the ones you haven’t heard from, you can politely contact them and let them know that you have an offer somewhere else and you are wondering what their timeline is/when you might hear back. If it’s soon enough, you might ask one of these two schools for an extension on your decision. If not, then yes, you can make a deposit and withdraw later - there are no legal obligations and deposits/agreements to attend graduate school are typically not legally binding.
@juillet : That’s all I wanted to know. Thank you so much. I don’t mind double depositing but I don’t want to face any issues when I change my mind and choose one school over another.