If you applied under Early Decision, it’s likely that you have heard back from the college by now. Congratulations if you were accepted! You may be wondering what the next steps are in early decision acceptance. Your new school should be reaching out with those shortly if they haven’t already. But we’ll cover some of the things you’ll need to do in the coming weeks here.
Withdraw Your Other College Applications
Did you apply to other colleges? Whether you applied under Early Action or Regular Decision, you’ll want to withdraw those applications. You can contact the admissions department at the colleges or universities to do so.
Early Decision applications are binding. This means, when you submitted your application, you agreed to attend if accepted.
You should not have applied to any other schools under Early Decision. Doing so, especially if you were accepted to both, could result in both offers of early decision acceptance being rescinded.
Pay Your Deposit
Many schools that offer Early Decision require accepted students to submit their deposits as soon as possible. The amount required and due date will depend on the college. If you have any questions about this process or any problems paying, make sure to reach out to the admissions department or financial department as soon as possible.
Celebrate Your Early Decision Acceptance!
Now you get to take time to celebrate your acceptance into your first-choice school! How you celebrate is entirely up to you but be sure to take some time out to honor your achievements.
Start Preparing
You won’t have much to do in the way of preparation just yet for your fall semester, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start thinking about planning. You can start to outline how you want to decorate your dorm, check out the classes that are normally offered to freshman, and getting your financial ducks in a row. If you haven’t completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), now is the time to do so.
What Do You Do If You Can’t Attend Your Early Decision School?
An Early Decision application is binding, and you should have only submitted it if you were absolutely sure you can attend. However, life can be unpredictable. If you’ve found you cannot attend the college or university for any reason, you need to reach out to them immediately. But note: they may decline your request to withdraw your application. Schools will often only release you from your contract for financial or medical reasons.
What Do You Do if You Were Wait Listed?
In some cases, students who applied under Early Decision may be wait listed by the college. This means you will hear back from them at a later date. However, this actually releases you from your contract and you do not have to attend this particular college if you are accepted at a later date. You should take this time to apply to other colleges. If you didn’t have other colleges on your list, check out college match tool today to get you started.
If you’re at all confused by what to expect when it comes to your Early Decision acceptance letter, it’s important that you reach out to your college as soon as possible. Each college is different when it comes to the process, deposits, fees, and more.
