<p>Most colleges (including NYU) allow their Early Decision candidates to apply EA elsewhere concurrently (and even Regular Decision) but with the stipulation that the student will enroll at the ED college if admitted, even if other better offers show up at the same time.</p>
<p>Of course, ED applicants who have applied for financial aid can always use that as an “out,” should an EA college offer more money. There is a lot of gray area surrounding this process. For instance, if a family decides that a grant of, say, $20K will make the ED school affordable, and the ED school actually offers $22K, then the student should feel obliged to enroll. But if the EA school offers $30K, the student may decide to bail on the ED school and enroll at the EA school instead. </p>
<p>Is this ethical? Technically no. The ED college has met the student’s need and the student has signed a commitment to enroll. But would most students attend the ED school under these circumstances? Probably not. It depends on whether that college was a true top choice, clearly well above the other school in the candidate’s heart, and on how the parents feel the $8K difference will affect their finances, stress levels, etc.</p>
<p>But, if the ED college does NOT meet the applicant’s need, then the applicant is free to attend the EA college (or any other one) without feeling the slightest buzz of bad karma. And this sounds like mayateresa’s situation.</p>