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Guest column: Early application cycles and their detriment to college admissions

The biggest downfall of early decision for many students is financial. Depending on the school, tuition can add up to painful numbers, and an unwritten rule is that early decision often means less financial aid because colleges have less incentive to award merit scholarships. At the very least, students are unable to compare aid packages when bound by an acceptance. This is important when applying early decision as tuition can be a factor that students don’t know to consider.