“However, since applying ED does not really work for kids who need to compare financial aid packages, it is mostly kids from wealthy families who benefit from these advantages of ED.”
The point, though, is that if the NPC shows that it is affordable for you, you CAN apply ED with a high level of assurance that your FA package will be what you need it to be. At the school DS attended, lots of kids who need FA rely on this strategy. What I suspect, though, is that many families do not have the resources that tell them about this option.