<p>i was never really clear about this whole EA, ED, and RD deal.
i get what they are and stuff..
but say i got accepted into a colleged i wanted to for ED
and i got into a better school for RD.
and i want to go to the school more for the RD however that school doesnt have an EA or ED.. </p>
<p>does that mean i HAVE to go to the school i got accepted in with ED?</p>
<p>ED is binding meaning yes u gotta go, unless Financial Aid isnt enough for your family to pay for their education</p>
<p>You're not even supposed to apply to other schools (or if you already have you're supposed to withdraw) if you apply ED.</p>
<p>^^ You can apply to other schools if you apply ED. It's just once you're in, the applications are supposed to be withdrawn and you shouldn't submit anymore.</p>
<p>Yeah, sorry, I wrote that wrong. Thanks for catching my mistake!</p>
<p>If you apply to a school ED and are accepted, then you must attend. Other applications must be withdrawn. The only way out of an ED agreement would be a completely unacceptable/impossible financial aid package, and even getting out then is difficult (as you shouldn't apply ED unless finances aren't an issue at all). Also, don't apply ED to a school that's not your top choice just for the boosted acceptance rate, as you may wind up being accepted to a school you like more (as you mentioned in your first post).
EA, however, is different: You can apply to as many schools as you like EA, and you don't have to matriculate any acceptances. You can apply unlimited EA and one ED.
Then, there's SCEA (single choice early action), which is a non-binding version of ED. You can only apply to one school early, but you don't have to matriculate if accepted. You can NOT apply to any other school early if you apply SCEA; no SCEA and EA, no SCEA and ED.</p>
<p>oh okay i get it.</p>
<p>but what if the school i like better doesn't have ED?</p>
<p>does that mean i should go by their "priority date?"</p>
<p>Yep. If you're favorite school doesn't have ED, it's generally not a good idea to apply ED at all (because you can't apply to your favorite school ED).</p>
<p>If the school you like better doesn't have ED, then wait. You're still gonna start college at the same time.</p>
<p>okay thanks.</p>