<p>As with most answers, it depends. For many colleges, the housing fee is separate from the admissions fee, and there is no problem in paying that fee.
For at least one school that D applied to, they recommended paying the housing deposit, even before the application for admission was due.
( which we did, but she decided not to attend)</p>
<p>But by time to place tuition deposits comes around- if you haven’t made up your mind by that point, then when?</p>