May 1, the National Reply Date, is the day that most colleges and universities require a commitment from admitted students (unless they have provided an alternate deadline to accept their admission offer). This means that you may have 10 days from now to commit to the school you’ll attend. Don’t miss submitting your Enrollment Deposit to your top school by this date! (Schools have the right to rescind your admission decision if you do not commit by their stated deadline.)
With as few as 10 days until May 1, you should double check that your colleges have all of the Financial Aid documents needed from you. For most students making a final decision on a school includes having definitive information on what it is going to cost each year. If your Financial Aid application materials are incomplete it will delay your receipt of your Fin Aid award. Regardless of when you receive your Fin Aid award- whether it’s March 25or April 28- many colleges will hold you to the May 1 deadline to make a commitment to their school.
For those of you in possession of college acceptances and complete Financial Aid awards, congratulations! Your days of applications and sending documents are (mostly) over. Now you’re in for the hard task of making that final college decision. As words from the wise tell us, before making that big commitment, be sure you’ve read through your admission and Fin Aid offers carefully so you’re confident about what you’re signing up for. Here is some great advice on considering your different Fin Aid awards and the scholarships, grants, and loans they may include.
Lastly, HOORAY!! Remember when you were just starting your college applications? You’ve done a great job and here you are on the other side of that hard work. Well done!