Have to accept/decline offer within 1 week, but I don't find out about the other programs until March?

[grad29]

"Please click here to accept or decline your offer. Failure to respond within one week of this notification indicates you do not wish to accept our offer. If you accept this offer, please allow 2-3 business days for your account to be term activated for registration."

I applied for 7 other programs. I don't find out about whether I'm accepted into those until March. This program was more of a backup to those programs, which I'm more interested in attending; however, if I don't get acceptances to any of those programs, I was planning on going here. Because I only have 1 week to accept or decline the offer, do I just accept it and then renege if I'm accepted into a program I'm more interested in? 

 

[rising_star]

How did you receive this notification? Is this program to start in a different semester than the other potential programs? Is this an offer with funding? More information would be helpful.

[grad29]

The notification was through email. The program doesn't offer funding, but none of them do (for any school psychology, masters of science in education/education specialist degree no funding is offered). I would pay about the same in program costs anywhere I'd go. Cost of living would be slightly higher, but not enough to make that the decisive factor. I could go here and get to the same point I would be in in 2 years, it's just the other programs are closer to my area and are from my home state. Same Fall 2016 start date as the others. Sorry forgot to include that information. Seems like I should accept the offer and then if I get accepted into a more desired program let them know I am no longer interested in attending? 

Edited December 17, 2015 by westy3789

[rising_star]

Are they asking for a deposit along with your acceptance? If so, that definitely changes the decision-making calculus.

[grad29]

No, they are not asking for any deposits or anything like that. It seems like I have 3 options: (1) To tell the program I am waiting to hear back from the other programs first (2) Decline the offer (3) Accept the offer and then back out if I'm accepted elsewhere. The first may give off the impression I am not interested in attending their program, which would be a little awkward for me if I end up going there. The second risks not being accepted anywhere. That leaves option number 3, so I think I'll go with that? 

[fuzzylogician]

Unless it's clear that you'll have your other decisions within a couple of weeks, for a program that doesn't offer funding and doesn't require a deposit, I think I would just accept the offer and then retract if I get something better later. It doesn't sound like there is much to lose from doing that.