Emergency question about multiple offer acceptances

[Nothung]

Okay so I have just been made aware that I could potentially be in the wrong by having (un)officially accepted offers from two schools.

 

I was accepted to one school (my top choice), fully funded, and wrote them back to enthusiastically accept the offer. However, I was also accepted, partially funded, to another school at which my girlfriend was also accepted. This partially funded program required a $200 deposit to secure my spot, and I decided to pay this deposit in order to give myself some time to see if I could secure a job there to afford the remaining costs. 

 

Firstly, am I in the wrong, legally, at having done this? Do I risk losing the full funded offer?

 

Additionally, it is becoming more and more apparent to me now that I will not be able to make the partially funded program a financial possibility. Is there an appropriate way to now decline this offer? Have a screwed myself by entering some sort of contract I was not totally aware of?

 

Help!

[nugget]

Why not send an email and back out tomorrow and see what happens?

[Nothung]

Why not send an email and back out tomorrow and see what happens?

I'm sending an email out now actually, but having mentioned my situation to a friend just a moment ago, he warned me that I could be in trouble here, and spoke of rumored examples of people losing all their offers after accepting more than one. It's gotten me quite freaked out to be honest. I'm trying to learn how worried I should be...

[nugget]

Good luck with that. I don't think you need to mention the other offer you already accepted. Just say you've crunched some numbers and it's not financially possible for you to attend the school therefore you have to decline the offer.

[rewindmind]

I agree. Deposit =/= registration.

 

You're only in legal trouble if you filled out the SIR (Statement of Intent to Register). This document usually has clauses about not attending other institutions. Usually you can even back out of these without trouble, before you're paid your first quarter/semester tuition.

[bakalamba]

I don't think schools communicate now about their admitted students. While it's very late in the application process, it's still early in the enrollment, particularly if you're attending this Fall - so I think there's still flexibility. I think it's pretty unethical to hold on to two offers - you're basically sitting in someone else's seat at one or the other program, if you have any level of funding that can be offered to another student.

 

I understand it's a sticky situation when you hear back from another school after the April 15th deadline, but you should move fast and make a concrete decision. If you're declining an already accepted offer with partial or little funding, you could send them an email saying the funding just doesn't work for you. It's awkward, sure, but less potentially awkward than sitting on two offers when programs may no longer be able to pass your funding down the waitlist if you decline.