Penn's website says that if you are accepted ED, you have until Jan. 1 to respond?

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>I thought ED was binding...what does "respond" mean?</p>

2

<p>Yes, but you have 3 options with being accepted through ED.</p>

<ol>
<li>You attend the college.</li>
<li>You don’t go to college.</li>
<li>If you are uncomfortable with you financial aid option given to you by Penn, you can contact them and attempt to get the binding contract revoked.</li>
</ol>

3

<p>So the only way to get out of Penn’s binding ED contract is if there are financial aid issues or if you decide not to go any college at all?</p>

4

<p>“attempt to get the binding contract revoked”</p>

<p>It’s not that scary. There is no circumstance where any school would even attempt to force someone to attend if it were unaffordable. Also, ED is an honor-system agreement, not a contract.</p>

5

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<p>I remember signing a document as a parent and my son had to sign one too. It seemed like a contract to me. I had to put in writing that if accepted S would attend. Of course if the FA was not there, he could have gotten out of it, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t in writing have to agree to the terms.</p>

<p>And hopeful31694 if you are already looking for ways to get out of it, perhaps you don’t really want to apply ED.</p>

6

<p>There are indeed terms, and possible consequences for frivolously breaking the agreement; it’s just not a legal thing.</p>

7

<p>@All: I agree with vonlost…I don’t see a school (especially one as honorable as Penn) suing a single, individual student for not honoring an ED contract…</p>

8

<p>When you sign the contract you are allowing Penn to share your name with other schools through the common app, so they will know if you broke the contract.</p>

9

<p>^ In general, not specifically re Penn, other schools won’t care if you declined the offer because the financial aid was not enough to support attendance; another school’s endowment may support higher levels of aid, or another school may want an applicant more (e.g., they need another oboist). The exception is where schools coordinate financial aid; if it was unaffordable at ED time, there’s no point in making the same offer at RD time.</p>

10

<p>No, you are allowed to break the contract if you don’t get about financial aid, I was referring to the case when the student tries to wait and get into other schools. Penn says that they will release you without a violation of the ED contract if you can’t afford to attend.</p>