<p>
</p>
<p>It is not that cut and dry.</p>
<p>To be released from your ED commitment due to financial reasons, the ownership ends up being on the family having done their due diligence/homework and knowing if the school is a financially feasible option for them. The financial aid office at the end determines if they gave you an adequate package. </p>
<p>A parents/steparents/divorce parents/court agreement stating that the parent does not want to does not have to is not grounds for being released. Will schools work with you if you explain your FA situation? Yes, they will.</p>
<p>Will/can a school force a student to attend a school? Absolutely not. However, the world of college admissions is a very small one, especially at the elite college level. As I stated earlier, in the joint statement, whether the student honors the ED agreement, the other Ivies do honor the agreement and share ED information.</p>
<p>The net-net is if the school is not a financially feasible option ED, it is not going to suddenly become a financially feasible option during RD. The one downside to ED is that you lose the ability to compare FA packages.</p>