Does applying Early Action as opposed to Regular Decision make a difference?

cptofthehouse
Fri, 02 Aug 2013 08:28:39 +0000

You have to read the information that the college has on its website and ask them directly. It can differ from college to college, and even a given college can change its policy from one year to the next.

Also, please do NOT confuse ED and Ea. That’s a whole other story. When you apply ED, schools have financial aid form that you fill out (usually PROFILE0 with estimates along wtih your ED application. Your ED acceptance would come with an estimate of what your aid would be if the financial info were correct. ED has a deadline by which you have to accept the offer and it is supposed to be a binding agreement that if you are accepted, you will accept unless the aid package makes it unaffordable, in which case that school releases you from the obligation and the school is now off your list. That’s the way it works with most every ED program. That’s very differnt from EA when you have until May 1 to make the decision and can compare packages with other college. EA is not binding; ED is. You have to read the stipulations carefully with these programs as you do sign the agreement saying you do understand the school’s policy.

SOme schools do give ED accepted students a guaranteed full need met package without giving such a guarantee for RD students. Whether a given school gives ED applicants better or worse packages is dependent upon the school. I know of no such list, but I know CMU guarantees to meet full need for ED accepted students, something that is not extended to all RD students. Schools tend to try to meet need for ED since they want as close to a 100% accept for those students they take early and one of the only legitimate outs for an ED acceptee is if school is unaffordable.

There is the thought that merit money is not as easy to come by for ED if the school gives merit, since a lot of merit money isn’t given till later, and why give it to those kids who are already stuck to attend by ED agreement? Merit money is to try to “buy” more acceptances by the students the school wants. By definition, ED is saying you will go there as long as your need is met, so why give the gravy to ED? But, again, there are schools that will consider ED acceptees for merit as well. It all depends upon the school’s operating policies.

If you don’t do the research, looking at the school information and asking you find out by chance. Not something that you should find out that way, since the answers to these things might be a filter that you use to choose and eliminate schools on your list.