The cost of applying to college can be daunting, especially for students from low-income families who often don’t have access to the same financial resources as their wealthier peers. Fortunately, there are several colleges that offer free application fees for all applicants. Check out this list of schools that will waive your application fee:
Colleges That Offer Free Application Fees
Colleges That Offer Free Application Fees
- Brown University is a private Ivy League research university located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was chartered in 1764 as the College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations before its name was changed to Brown University in 1804. The University is named after Nathanael Greene, an American general during the Revolutionary War who served as Lt. Governor of Rhode Island for eight years (1766-1774).
- Dartmouth College is a private Ivy League research university located in Hanover, New Hampshire. Founded in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it was originally called the Moor’s Indian Charity School following Wheelock’s mission to educate Native Americans at his nearby Moorsfield Mission House that later became Dartmouth Corners (now known as Alumni Hall). Its 13th President William DeWitt Hyde developed its reputation for academic excellence and introduced many reforms (including coeducation).
1. Davidson College
- Davidson College is a private liberal arts college located in Davidson, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1889 and has been ranked among the top regional universities by U.S News & World Report every year since 2005.
- Cross-registration is also available for students at neighboring Duke University, East Carolina University and UNC-Chapel Hill.
- Students can take advantage of free access to the Duke University Health System’s world-class health care facilities when they are injured or sick while on campus.
2. Princeton University
Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Princeton provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in more than 100 major fields through its 22 academic departments. The student body consists of 6,300 undergraduate students with a student/faculty ratio of 8:1. All first-year students are expected to live on campus for all four years unless they receive an exemption from or waivers from their college dean’s office or from Dean Buckfire if they want to live off campus after their freshman year (and it is recommended that you do this).
3. Harvard University
- Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, established in 1636. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation (officially The President and Fellows of Harvard College) chartered in the country.
- Yale University
- Princeton University
4. Yale University
Yale University offers a fee waiver for students who apply for financial aid.
Yale University has a higher acceptance rate than other colleges, making it a good choice if you’re applying to several schools and are worried about being accepted at one of them.
Yale University offers a wide range of academic programs, such as Chemical Engineering and English Language & Literature at the undergraduate level, or Biomedical Engineering and Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry at the graduate level.
In addition to its fantastic academics, Yale also provides its student body with many things to do outside of class—including intercollegiate athletics (with 26 varsity teams) that compete in Division I-A NCAA sports; student organizations such as The Yale Daily News; intramural sports like dodgeball; free tutoring services through Writing Center; free legal advice through Law School’s Office of Student Services’ Legal Aid Clinic Program; career fairs for undergraduates to meet alumni looking for interns or employees during breaks between semesters…
5. Stanford University
Stanford University is a private research university in Stanford, California, situated on an 8,180-acre (3,310 ha) campus near Palo Alto. Stanford is known for its academic strength, wealth, proximity to Silicon Valley and ranking as one of the world’s top universities. The university was founded in 1885 by Leland and Jane Stanford in memory of their only child who died at age 15 the previous year. The Stanfords commissioned Franz Theodore Heger to design the university; he arrived with plans drawn based upon his experience at École des Beaux Arts in Paris and Leipzig University (now known as Universität Leipzig). The university opened its doors to its first 25 students on October 1, 1891.
Stanford operates under a quarter system which consists of four quarters per year: Winter Quarter (Fall), Spring Quarter (Winter), Summer Quarter (Spring) and Autumn Quarter (Summer). Each quarter lasts 11 weeks including holidays.[13]
Students take at least two courses each quarter but are allowed up to six courses depending on their major.[14] Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better throughout their studies at Stanford University or may be dismissed from their program if they fail more than three exams consecutively or fail over 30% of all exams taken during any given term.[15][16][17]
6. Amherst College
Amherst College is a small liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It’s been around since 1821, and it’s one of the oldest colleges in the country. The school doesn’t have a football team, so you won’t have to worry about missing out on the big game if you’re not interested in it. Instead, you’ll be able to focus on your studies at this impressive national liberal arts college (and if you do want to play sports there are plenty of club teams). Students who attend this school will study alongside students from other schools in their area. This means that if you live near Mount Holyoke College or Smith College then those students could be potential roommates!
Amherst has some great academic programs as well as fun things like clubs and Greek life for those who are interested in joining them! Their mascot is Ralphie the Buffalo, who is often seen wandering around campus during breaks between classes holding up traffic signs with messages written by students asking each other questions or making jokes about themselves being ugly but having good personalities anyway.”
7. Columbia University
Columbia University is a private Ivy League research university in Upper Manhattan, New York City. The school was established in 1754 as King’s College by royal charter of George II of Great Britain. After the American Revolutionary War, King’s College briefly became a state entity, and was renamed Columbia College in 1784.[9] The university is organized into 29 academic units[10] with schools and faculties consisting of over 20 schools covering a broad range of academic fields including the liberal arts and sciences, engineering and applied science; professional degrees are awarded through the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; and its School of General Studies supports undergraduate students who may not be planning to major or minor within one specific department.
It currently has about 24,000 students enrolled in more than 100 undergraduate programs[11][12] (including combined programs) through its various colleges,[13][14] which offer courses leading to bachelor’s degrees,[15][16][17] master’s degrees,[18][19], doctoral degrees[20][21], certificates[22], as well as professional degrees such as MD/PhD (Medical Doctorate/Doctorate), JD/MBA (Juris Doctorate/Master Business Administration), DMD/MBA (Doctorate of Medicine Dentistry/Master Business Administration).
To find more colleges that offer free application fees, look at the Common Black College Application, or CBCA.
One of the first things to look at is the Common Black College Application, or CBCA. The CBCA is a common application for black colleges, which means that you can use it to apply to multiple schools in one go. It’s also free—another plus! This makes it especially helpful for students who know they want to attend a black college but aren’t sure which one yet. You can take your time and consider all of your options before applying, knowing that applying costs nothing until after you’ve accepted an offer from one school on the list.
Closing
If you’re looking to apply to college, there are a lot of great options that won’t cost you an application fee. These schools offer free application fees and some even waive the SAT/ACT fee too! We’ve compiled a list of schools that don’t charge an application fee as well as ones where students can get their SAT/ACT scores waived. Check out our other blog posts on how to submit your Common Black College Application (CBCA) without paying anything at all or what scholarships you should apply for if your parents make less than $35k per year