Early Decision and Financial Aid

My son is bound and determined to attend the college his dad did. He has excellent grades and SAT scores and wants to apply for early decision. Will this affect the amount of financial aid he gets? -- Need Financial Aid
Answer: Early-decision applicants apply to one college and commit to enrolling if accepted. Unfortunately, they are not likely to know how much financial aid they will receive at the time they are accepted. We suggest that you visit the college financial aid office now with last year's federal tax return to get an early estimate of how much your family is likely to need to contribute. If this amount is acceptable to you, let your son apply for early decision.
One of the advantages of applying under an early-decision plan is that colleges typically admit a higher percentage of these students than those applying under their regular admission programs. Plus, the students do not face the anxiety of wondering where they will be attending college next fall.