Editing Early decision (section)

== Binding commitment ==
Early decision is a binding decision, meaning that students must withdraw applications to other schools if accepted. It is not [[legally binding]],<ref name="tws2ZB47">{{cite web |date=July 7, 2012 |title=Ask the Experts: Early Decision and Early Application |url=http://www.petersons.com/college-search/ask-experts-early-decision.aspx |work=Peterson's College Search |accessdate=July 7, 2012}}</ref><ref name="twsNYT8859">Erica L. Green, April 10, 2018, [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/us/politics/justice-department-probe-college-early-decision.html Justice Department Launches Probe of College Early Admissions], 'The New York Times'', Retrieved April 11, 2018''</ref> but there is a commitment involved with penalties for withdrawing for spurious reasons. Advisers suggest that this method is only for students who are absolutely certain about wanting to attend a specific school.<ref name="tws2ZB44">{{cite news |date=July 7, 2012 |title=Early Decision – Financial Aid |work=The Princeton Review |url=http://www.princetonreview.com/early-decision-and-financial-aid.aspx |accessdate=July 7, 2012}}</ref> If financial aid is a concern or if a family is "shopping for the best deal", then it is usually advised to apply early action or regular decision instead.<ref name="tws2ZB44" /><ref name="tws2ZB48">{{cite news |author=Robert J. Massa |date=December 13, 2010 |title=The Case for Early Decision |work=The New York Times |url=http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/the-case-for-early-decision/ |accessdate=July 7, 2012}}</ref><ref name="twsNYT8859" /> The one stipulated situation under which a student may back out of the agreement is if the financial aid offer is insufficient.<ref name="tws2ZB42">{{cite news |author=Grace Wong |date=December 12, 2005 |title=Early decision action plan: Your child has been accepted to the college of their dreams – but are you sure you can afford it? |work=CNN/Money |url=https://money.cnn.com/2005/12/09/pf/college/early_decision/index.htm |accessdate=July 7, 2012}}</ref><ref name="tws2ZB41">{{cite news |author=Annamaria Andriotis |date=November 10, 2009 |title=Do Early Decision Students Get More Aid? |work=SmartMoney |url=http://www.smartmoney.com/borrow/student-loans/do-early-decision-students-get-more-financial-aid/ |accessdate=July 7, 2012}}</ref><ref name="tws2ZG112">{{cite news |author=Lynn O'Shaughnessy |date=September 8, 2011 |title=Early Decision: 10 Things You Need To Know About Applying |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/early-decision-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-applying/ |access-date=July 7, 2012}}</ref> 

A student who backs out for other reasons may be "blacklisted" by the early decision college, which may contact the student's high school guidance office,<ref name="tws2ZB47" /> and prevent it from sending transcripts to other colleges, and high schools generally comply with such requests.<ref name="tws2ZB41" /> In addition, the jilted college may contact other colleges about the withdrawal, and the other colleges would likely revoke their offers of acceptance as well.<ref name="tws2ZB47" /> 

Critics of the program argue that binding an applicant, especially one that is typically seventeen or eighteen years old, to a single institution is unnecessarily restrictive.<ref name="twsL12">{{cite magazine |author1=Diana Hanson |author2=Esther Walling |author3=Craig Meister |author4=Kristen Tabun |date=November 16, 2011 |title=Which College Admissions Deadline Should You Choose? |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-experts/2011/11/16/which-college-admissions-deadline-should-you-choose |magazine=US News |accessdate=2011-12-12}}</ref>