If someone applies early decision to a college and gets accepted, but then decides not to attend for whatever reason (finances, family issues, etc.), what happens? Are there any consequences, or can they just apply regular decision to other schools? I'm trying to understand the rules around early decision. Thanks for your help!
Hello! Early Decision (ED) is a binding agreement, meaning that if you're accepted, you're committed to attending that school and must withdraw all applications to other colleges. However, there are situations where breaking the Early Decision agreement is allowed, such as when financial aid offered by the college is insufficient and the school is no longer affordable for your family.
In these cases, you should contact the admissions office to discuss your situation, and they might release you from the agreement. Make sure to consider all potential financial and personal factors before applying ED, as reneging on the commitment without a valid reason may give you a bad reputation among colleges in case they share this information with each other.
If you do not attend your ED school and are released from the agreement, you can apply to other colleges through the Regular Decision process, just like you would if you were deferred or rejected during the ED round. Best of luck!
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