Application Fee Wavers Based on Merit

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm a good student, not a top notch one. I have a 34 ACT and 3.5 unweighted/4.1 weighted GPA at one of the top public schools in the country.</p>

<p>I am interested in applying to a variety of schools with the intention of seeing what type of scholarship I can get. I'm not financially needy, but applying to a lot of schools can get expensive.</p>

<p>My question: Do schools (Not Ivy League caliber, just your average solid university) offer application fee wavers to students of my caliber in order to get them to apply? If so, how do I go about requesting one? </p>

<p>Any information you could provide on the topic would be much appreciated. Thanks a lot.</p>

2

<p>I'm not absolutely certain, but I'm pretty sure that schools only offer fee wavers to students who are financially needy. You could always check with your school counseling department though, as I think some high schools might pay under certain circumstances, and there might be some other options that I don't know about.</p>

3

<p>It's not a fee waiver per se, but many colleges could send you VIP applications that they waive the fee on, these applications often have fewer essays as well.</p>

<p>Off the top of my head Tulane and ASU do this for some kids.</p>

4

<p>I know for some specific schools, you can get your fee waivered if you were in a specific program, like Girls State at gonzaga University in Washington. However, typically if they want you they'll most likely send a letter to you by mail saying that they'll waive the application fee. Also, there are a couple schools like American University that don't have an application fee for anyone (if you submit it online), which could save you money.</p>

5

<p>S got an app in mail today from U Pitt that said they'd waive admin fee if he applies before Oct 11th. </p>

<p>Rose-Hulman waives app fee if you apply by a certain date.</p>

6

<p>Many schools waive the fee if you apply online.</p>

7

<p>Tulane doesn't waive the fee for certain people- they waive it for everyone who applies online.</p>

8

<p>^I got a paper application in February with no fee and only one essay.</p>

9

<p>Brandeis has a VIP application as well (I think it's called Blue Ribbon Application)</p>

10

<p>Thanks for your help guys.</p>

11

<p>Is there any way to request these VIP applications or do I just have to get lucky?</p>

12

<p>Tulane and American are 2 schools that I was iffy about applying to, but I will for sure now. Thanks again.</p>

13

<p>If anyone is aware of any other schools that offer free online applications, that would be greatly appreciated.</p>

14

<p>Many colleges use online inquiry forms that you can complete to get print information. These forms typically ask for your test scores along with your academic and extra-curricular interests, information that might be used to target potential applicants that are particularly appealing to a college and offer them some incentive to apply (e.g. VIP applications).</p>