jnah Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 It's hard to believe this a real thing, but one of the programs that accepted me has a decision form online, and at the end of that decision form, it says that if I accept admission, I need to "confirm [my] intent to enroll by submitting the admission confirmation fee"—which, as it turns out, is just as excessively expensive as the application fee was. Is this common? Has anyone else ever encountered it before? It seems utterly ridiculous to me, and I'm tempted to complain to the graduate school... but I don't want to be too hasty.
TakeruK Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 Is this fee at least a deposit towards other fees you will have to pay when you start the school? If so, then this is common, and I usually see deposits in the range of $250-$500 (more than application fees). However, if this is a fee that is in addition to other fees you'll have to pay, then that is strange and unusual, at least in my field -- I've never seen something like that before (but my experience is obviously not completely exhaustive!!)
pinkdragonslayer76 Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 It's hard to believe this a real thing, but one of the programs that accepted me has a decision form online, and at the end of that decision form, it says that if I accept admission, I need to "confirm [my] intent to enroll by submitting the admission confirmation fee"—which, as it turns out, is just as excessively expensive as the application fee was. Is this common? Has anyone else ever encountered it before? It seems utterly ridiculous to me, and I'm tempted to complain to the graduate school... but I don't want to be too hasty. Yeah, you should be outraged! You are right that it's "utterly ridiculous." What a relief you are so smart and cunning to detect such a fraudulent scam. How dare a program ask for a deposit to save a seat for an applicant that is accepted. Don't all schools know that everyone who is accepted into a program will automatically attend? It's not as if applicants apply to multiple schools and many get more than one offer. Yes, you should definitely complain to the graduate school. They need to be admonished and rebuked for their greediness and for this ridiculous and absurd request. They probably won't rescind your offer of admission and instead will reimburse you and offer you free tuition. Don't they know how lucky they are to have you attend their program? So yes, they should fully fund you and heck, compensate you for your initial application too! Hurry before it's too late. Complain and protest immediately! moochie, jnah, MathCat and 15 others 1 17
jnah Posted March 6, 2015 Author Posted March 6, 2015 Yeah, you should be outraged! You are right that it's "utterly ridiculous." What a relief you are so smart and cunning to detect such a fraudulent scam. How dare a program ask for a deposit to save a seat for an applicant that is accepted. Don't all schools know that everyone who is accepted into a program will automatically attend? It's not as if applicants apply to multiple schools and many get more than one offer. Yes, you should definitely complain to the graduate school. They need to be admonished and rebuked for their greediness and for this ridiculous and absurd request. They probably won't rescind your offer of admission and instead will reimburse you and offer you free tuition. Don't they know how lucky they are to have you attend their program? So yes, they should fully fund you and heck, compensate you for your initial application too! Hurry before it's too late. Complain and protest immediately! Thanks for the kind words. I'm happy I was able to offer you the opportunity to be unpleasant. CleverUsername15, О'Брайен, Igotnothin and 4 others 7
MOR_embryo Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 UNC Chapel Hill has a "deposit" of $250 to be paid upon your acceptance of the offer. Probably standard if they're about to commit 5 years to your education
icedcoffee Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 Yup, it also appears on my offer too. I guess they want to calculate about spaces, etc. Journey2015 1
grad_wannabe Posted March 6, 2015 Posted March 6, 2015 UNC Chapel Hill has a "deposit" of $250 to be paid upon your acceptance of the offer. Probably standard if they're about to commit 5 years to your education Similar here. Columbia = $1000.
jnah Posted March 6, 2015 Author Posted March 6, 2015 Thanks, folks. I had no idea it was so common. I didn't have to put down a deposit for my first grad program, so this caught me completely offguard. I probably could've had less of an immediately emotional reaction, but then we would have missed out on the delightful theatrics above. Right now, it's ambiguous whether the fee is a deposit toward the normal fees or a separate fee entirely. I'll have to ask about that.
grindian Posted April 11, 2015 Posted April 11, 2015 Columbia is $1,000 and it doesn't even count in your fee
c2b3 Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Definitely ask what it's for. I know University of Washington does that as well (around $250 I believe), but the money eventually goes into the student fees for the first quarter, so basically it was just paying some of the fees earlier. Not entirely sure why some schools do that. I would be quite alarmed to have to pay $1000 upfront though!
MathCat Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 They probably do it to reduce the number of people who accept and then rescind their acceptance later.
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