Backing out of or withdrawing an Early Decision (ED) agreement can and usually will negatively impact a student's chances of admission to that college or university. We have seen more and more students both wanting to take advantage of the possible ‘bump’ in early decision acceptance odds, but also waffling. To be clear, you should only apply ED or ED2 if you would be absolutely happy to attend above all other schools you’re applying to. Especially for ED2, families understandably feel pressure to increase odds of acceptance where there is a precipitous drop in the acceptance rate between ED and RD. You may want to ‘get out’ of an ED2 application for various reasons, such as receiving a favorable Early Action (EA) response in late January, considering financial options, or changing family circumstances. While withdrawing the ED application may allow the student to compare financial and overall admissions options, it will most likely negatively affect the chances of admission.

All colleges care a great deal about yield. So if you are identifying yourself as formerly 100% likely to attend to currently not so likely to attend, you need to spell out legitimate reasons or be okay with the fact that you are dramatically decreasing your odds of admission. If you have compelling financial or personal reasons for withdrawing, you might highlight those in communicating the chance, being honest and transparent is paramount. While it might sting, you should still listen to your gut and reason, it is far better to change before a decision has been reached than afterward.