Someone that I know is dealing with a very tough choice vs UVA and CMU. She got accepted ED to Dietrich CMU but might have to back off as it seems very hard for her financially (although her father is a donating legacy, IDK why). It seems very likely she’ll be admitted to UVA in-state (which is known for being very affordable). Where should she go in your opinion?
Major is Psych
If she signed the ED contract, that is binding and therefore cannot be negotiated UNLESS the financial aid package as awarded by CMU is deemed to be unaffordable. If she cannot afford CMU, she would need to be released from her contract by the admissions office on those terms. IMO, she should have utilized a net price calculator before applying ED to ensure that this type of situation would not occur.
It is very unfortunate this was not sorted out before applying ED. UVA admission is not a given, even for high stats instate kids . If she can’t afford CMU, she will probably need to decline (she may have a date she needs to accept by and pay a deposit by) and see how her other acceptances play out .
She’s the valedictorian of her school and for the past 10 years, all of them have gotten acceptances to UVA and above.
She really wants to go to CMU, but her parents also don’t want to go into debt
CMU is the better choice for undergraduate Psychology, IMO.
Without getting into the specific pros an cons of the Gourman Report…
If her parents don’t want to pay , don’t want to go into debt , case closed .