<p>I've often heard that the disadvantage to applying to a college under early decision is that it will lessen the amount of financial aid you get because you lose your ability to negotiate. My question is what is meant by negotiate? Do colleges literally offer more aid if they see you have offers from other colleges (and how would they know this?), or would I, the student, simply be choosing the the school that offers the most money?</p>
<p>No, you LOSE the ability to negotiate if you are accepted by the college you apply ED to, because you are REQUIRED to IMMEDIATELY withdraw any and all applications to other colleges. So you won't have the ability to compare financial aid offers between your ED college and other colleges. ED means you are commiting yourself to attend that college if accepted, unless the college can't meet your financial need. Then the college can release you from your committement, but by then it's too late to apply elsewhere. The big picture is DON'T apply Ed UNLESS it is the college you WANT to go to AND you can afford it.</p>
<p>Negotiate means to appeal the award letter. It's like wheeling & dealing for a new car; you don't have to pay sticker price. ED is recommended at Princeton, as they meet the need 100% without any loans. A few other schools are in the same category.</p>
<p>Princeton meets the need ONLY if you income is below $50,000. And trying to get out of an ED acceptance , if it is not for truly unmanagable costs to attend, can jeopardize your chances of acceptance elsewhere , as well as future students chances of acceptance at the same college. Before you send in your ED application, both you and your HS college counselor must sign the application stating that you understand the commitment you are making to attend the college if accepted. If you then try to get out of attending, because you change you mind or you don't really want to pay as much for college, the Ed college can "black list" both you and other students at your HS.</p>
<p>^Not necessarily true. My S's guidance counselor was not asked to sign anything like tht from his Ed school, nor were we.</p>
<p>Princeton, and other full-need schools , meet demonstrated need regardless of income. For below 50,000, they meet it without loans. Very few of these schools do any kind of haggle-ing, and you will probably get the same FA from them you would get RD. The difference is with ED, you can't compare to other offers and decide the other offer is better, and take it instead.</p>
<p>Princeton meets 100% of need for ALL students WITHOUT LOANS. I was able to apply ED to Princeton because of the fact that I did not have to worry about not being able to attend due to financial constraints. However, since Princeton has dropped ED, this is now a moot issue for this particular university (though the generous financial aid policy remains just as generous!)</p>
<p>For other universities and colleges, applying ED can be a risk because you can't compare financial aid packages. Meeting 100% of need schools typically give out loans, even to students from families with an annual income of less than $50,000. Also, each school calculates need differently, so financial aid packages from different schools can differ greatly. Furthermore, some schools offer merit scholarships while others do not. Therefore, although it is possible to rescind ED for financial reasons, it is strongly advised to avoid applying ED if money is a big deciding factor.</p>
<p>OP, only if you can compare financial aid packages can you negotiate for better financial aid. In other words, applying ED and getting accepted means only one financial aid package, no comparison.</p>
<p>I am just a kid.... but i guess I understand this situation well.... See ED is good for 2 kinds of ppl ...
First, the rich .... who know they are not gonna qualify for any aid...
Second, the poor... who know that the college will have to pay almost 100% to meet their full need...
The middle class gets left in between ... they are gonna have an EFC of like for example 18K then don't have the ability to choose the other school which is giving them an EF of say 12K....
Its pretty simple ...</p>
<p>If you think poor is easier, go ahead, try it. It's a class that anyone can join.</p>