College financial planner advised do not apply ED. Thoughts?

intparent
Mon, 31 Oct 2016 21:21:47 +0000

You should start with the net price calculator. If it shows the school is unaffordable, don’t apply ED. It isn’t likely to get better with your full aid package. And colleges are businesses. One reason they are cagey about their exact criteria for merit aid is because they want to use it to tempt students who might not attend otherwise. By applying ED, you are already committing. Most schools won’t grant the limited merit aid they have to ED students – it doesn’t make business sense for them.

It is pretty stressful to go through getting accepted, appealing your aid, and then giving up your acceptance. All the while keeping your apps going for other schools.

Treat ED as what it is. A binding agreement that you will attend if accepted, and an application based on the info available ahead of time of what your aid is likely to be.

You may be a bit more likely to get in at some schools with an ED application. But if you can’t afford it, what is the point?