<p>Can anyone tell me if accepting a school's offer of admission could affect the financial aid package a student is later offered? Is the idea to hold off accepting until financial aid packages are done, then perhaps play one school against the other? (This is what a neighbor said he did.) If schools know they are a student's first choice, are they less generous with financial aid offer? What about merit scholarship considerations?</p>
<p>My daughter is accepted at four schools, including what's become her first choice, and would like to go ahead and accept that school's offer now. But she applied for a hefty merit scholarship there that she won't learn if she won until late March. FAFSA is filed but we won't hear about financial aid for awhile I'm guessing.</p>
<p>I was so wrapped up in her drama of school selection, application, and acceptance I never thought much about what came next! LOL </p>
<p>If she has financial aid offers pending, and you would like to consider then, there is no need to accept an offer of admission yet. It should not matter…even for the school that is considering her for the merit award. Just wait.</p>
<p>Unless, your child has applied ED/EDII, where you must reply by a certain date as part of the agreement, May 1 is the national decision day. No school can force you to commit before that date. </p>
<p>If your daughter has been accepted to a school where freshman housing is assigned on a first come, first served basis, you can submit a refundable deposit to hold her space for housing.</p>
<p>There are advantages, to waiting until you see all packages; for example; requesting a financial review from peer schools. However, your having a merit scholarship at school A will do nothing for you if school B only gives need based aid.</p>
<p>Wait! No need to decide yet…especially if you’re waiting to see what’s offered. What if #2 school offers an amazing pkg? Could it move to the #1 spot?</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I know there’s no *need to accept at this point… I just wondered if doing so could negatively affect any financial aid the school might offer (“We’re her first choice, she’s coming anyway so no need to be too generous” LOL) </p>
<p>I think my dd just wants to accept now for a sense of closure. The whole college selection process up to this point has been exhausting for all of us, as I’m sure you all understand. She loves everything about her first-choice school right down to the creative way they’ve painted their restroom doors–!-- (she’s a design and/or theater major) so even a free ride at schools #2-4 would be a tough sell. The kicker is, school #1 is moderately priced as compared with schools #2-4. Kathy</p>
<p>If you plan to negotiate a better deal after you hear from the financial aid office, then, by all means, wait. But make sure schools #2 and #3 have comparably competitive programs and better financial offers. Otherwise, you have no power. </p>
<p>Check with school #1 and find out if there are any advantages to early acceptance (first choice of dorms: location, type of room, quality, etc. or first choice of summer orientation session dates, etc). </p>
<p>Regardless of your choice… PLEASE let the other schools (not the two you are using to negotiate) know now that she will not accept their offers so that other kids may be offered a real offer of acceptance verses a Wait-list in March or April. That would be very kind of you.</p>