COMPARE Questions about the deposit

[Caoxu]

I notice that some universities require the admitted students to deposit some money before the deadline. I am curious about the function of this deposit. If I pay the deposit, does it mean that I have already officially accepted the offer, or this money is just used to express your intent to join and can be used to maintain your admission status? In the other words, if I pay the deposit and decline the admission later, do I lose anything else except the deposit. Thank you so much for sharing your opinion.