<p>Pressuring students to accept before May 1 is very unethical and violates the principals laid out by the National Association For College Admission Counseling’s Statement of Principles of Good Practice (2013):</p>
<p>“Postsecondary members agree that they will:…permit first-year candidates for fall admission to choose among offers of admission, financial aid and scholarships until May 1 and will state this deadline explicitly in their offers of admission; …work with their institutions’ senior administrative officers to ensure that financial aid and scholarship offers and housing options are not used to manipulate commitments prior to May 1…”</p>
<p>In the past, some colleges have directly violated these ethics. If this happens this year, be forewarned and react as you will, but be aware that the colleges that do so knowingly violate these ethics because they feel they can’t get the rates they want by playing by the rules.</p>