Indiana University's Bloomington campus charges $65 per application. The average cost per college application is $50.
(WTIU/WFIU News)
College application fees can add up and prevent students from making their first steps toward a college degree.
The average cost of an application is $50, but universities such as Indiana University, Purdue University, Indiana State University and Notre Dame charge more. But not everyone has to pay these fees.
Qualifying students can receive fee waivers through many pathways, MCCSC Postsecondary Readiness Coordinator Mary Priester-Hanks said. She said in her experience, many students need and request fee waivers, but more eligible students don’t even know about this money-saving option.
“We don't want to make the price of college, of at least applying to college, be a barrier for our students attending college,” Priester-Hanks said.
Guidance counselors can help students who qualify
Priester-Hanks said students should work with their school counselors to get their fees waived.
Students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, receive public assistance in state or federal programs, are Pell Grant-eligible, live in subsidized housing or a foster home, or are a ward of the state can usually get fee waivers, she said. A counselor might also want to know a family’s annual income.
A supporting statement from a school official, college program counselor, financial aid office, or community leader may also prove eligibility, she said.
“If students are struggling financially, or even families are struggling financially to pay for college or college admissions, it's a possibility that they can definitely get a fee waiver,” Priester-Hanks said.
There are many ways to receive application fee waivers
Students can get fee waivers for applications through the ACT or the SAT. School counselors verify eligibility for waivers with these tests. If they qualify for free testing, they can get waivers for college applications as well, Priester-Hanks said.
The Common Application, America’s largest application provider with over 1,000 schools, allows eligible low-income students to receive waivers and more than half of the colleges listed don’t require fees. Students can request a fee waiver in their profile section, and if verified by their counselor, they won’t have to pay.
Students can still submit applications while they wait for confirmation, the Common App website states. Over $100 million in fee waivers were granted in 2021-2022.
The Coalition Application helps students find colleges that will waive their fees. Over 140 colleges accept the Coalition App, which is intended to simplify applications and connect students with colleges that prioritize low- or no-debt graduation.
“That's another application very similar to the Common App, but for more of the underrepresented colleges and universities,” Priester-Hanks said.
Indiana’s college application week, which was Sept. 25-29 this year, is an initiative where over 35 Indiana schools waive college application fees.
The National Association for College Admissions Counseling allows students to apply for waivers for up to four colleges. A “school counselor, postsecondary support personnel, or principal at the student’s school or an official from a community-based organization” will have to verify their financial need. Then the college they’re applying to will have to approve the fee waiver application.
“Those scholarships, they're not always widely advertised, but they are out there,” Priester-Hanks said.
Students might also want to reach out directly to their desired college for fee waiver information, and if all else fails, go to a school counselor, Priester-hanks said.
“They are resource, a valuable resource, in the college planning process,” she said. “And if you can't find a fee waiver in any other place, contact your school counselor, they may be able to best support your needs.”
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her ataubmwrig@iu.eduor follow her on Twitter at@aubreymwright.
