Help me understand ED

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If they offer admissions you are on the hook to accept,

What is the penalty if you break the deal and say "no, we're not attending"?

No penalty if the aid offered did not match what the NPC said.

If the aid offered did match the NPC, then the college will not trust your HS college counselor going forward (as he/she signed the ED agreement along with the parent/child). You also might have taken an ED acceptance at that school away from one of your HS classmates.

The aid can be near and you are still responsible because the net price is an "estimated guess" so you can't get off the hook for a few thousands in difference.

[Anonymous]

If it helps anyone, the relevant language is:

Should a student who applies for financial aid not be offered an award that makes attendance possible, the student may decline the offer of admission and
be released from the Early Decision commitment

and

I also understand that with an Early Decision offer of admission, this institution may share my name and my Early Decision Agreement with other institutions.

As for the latter, it'll be interesting to see whether DOJ pursues this aspect any further, after requesting last spring that records be preserved.