<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I'm currently on a gap year but have a deposit at a top-10 private. Basically this means that my spot is "reserved" for the class of 2018. The school I deposited at basically gave me no financial aid and I was wondering if it is against the rules for me to apply to colleges again and if accepted at schools that offer better fin aid, withdraw my deposit and go to that school.</p>
<p>If this is in the wrong forum, I'm sorry.</p>
<p>Hey! Okay so I’m on a gap year too. According to me, I think you should withdraw your deposit and simply defer your admission, especially if they are giving you no financial aid/scholarship. If they were offering you a scholarship it would matter because your scholarship/aid award never gets deferred, only your admission does. </p>
<p>This way, your admission is still in tact and reserving your spot in a year shouldn’t be a problem. I’m pretty sure you’re only allowed to deposit at one school so apply to others that offer aid and make your decision in May (assuming you’re going in for the fall semester and not the upcoming spring one). I’m at a risk of losing my scholarship but I’m not TOO bothered cause I’m applying to like a bunch of other schools.</p>
<p>I admitted myself and withdrew everything and instead deferred my application at a good private university too and I mean as long as I reserve it again in time for next fall/this spring, I’m good to go.</p>
<p>
You can’t do that. Or, at least, if there’s any college or university in the U.S. where you can do that, I’ve never heard of it. In order to defer your enrollment for a year, you must pay the enrollment deposit. Without the deposit, they don’t hold a space in the next entering class for you. Nor should they.
It all depends on the rules of the college or university where you’ve paid your deposit.</p>
<p>Some universities specify that if you defer your enrollment, you may not apply to other universities or colleges while you’re on your gap year. Some make no such restriction.</p>
<p>If you apply and go elsewhere, you should expect to lose the deposit at the first school. Enrollment deposits are usually non-refundable. They might refund it, but there’s no good reason why they should.</p>