<p>College Board just sent my son a package with lots of college info and 8 college application fee waivers. We don't qualify as low income, so I am confused and wonder if there's been a mistake. Does college board give fee waivers for strong academics (high SAT score)? Thanks!</p>
<p>I guess they do. They sent me eight of them today as well. At first, I though I got them because of my financial need (I am low income) but I guess not.</p>
<p>My SAT score is high but there are a decent amount of people who have higher SAT scores.</p>
<p>How high were the SAT scores that led to you getting the book?</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that CB made a mistake if you’re not low income.</p>
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<p>Could be. Or perhaps they are trying a new marketing approach. Are you located in a state where the ACT is a required test in the schools? It could be that CB is beginning to lose too much market share to the ACT and wants to enhance its number of tests taken. Most of the administrative costs are fixed, so it’s not costing them much to hand out marginal freebees.</p>
<p>My son got a 2340 on the SAT and has received no fee waiver offers or packages such as you describe.</p>
<p>Artsygirl: 2190. I know it is not for low income because I never gave them any of my financial info (I am low income though).</p>
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<p>Your school could have submitted a list of their students who receive free or reduced-charge lunches. Or you might have previously gotten a fee waiver for an AP test.</p>
<p>I do not receive free or reduced price lunches because my parents are undocumented and they are afraid that if they apply for it, then they may get deported. I help serve food in my cafeteria in order to get a free lunch. A community small business pays for my standardized tests so I never applied for a fee waiver. So I still doubt I got it for my low income status.</p>
<p>Lorem: If the College Board wanted to market themselves in ACT dominated states, then wouldn’t they send SAT fee waivers rather than college application fee waivers?</p>
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<p>I misread the question; I associate the College Board with the SAT. But that makes the question all the more interesting – the fee waivers are obviously coming from the actual colleges themselves. So are specific colleges waiving their fees to increase applications? Or is this some sort of national college marketing campaign to increase the number of applications per student to prevent acceptance rates from rising (the total high school population has peaked and is starting to fall)? Is it targeted to certain geographical areas where college attendance is below par? Or perhaps by zip code? It’s pretty easy to use census data to determine average income by zip code.</p>
<p>My son got lots of application fee waivers. Not a great GPA (2.5) - but acceptable SAT (700 match, 590 R, 570 W). Definitely not need based. Some schools are just looking for applicants and will waive application fees if they like the scores. He even got some emails with guaranteed scholarships for some schools if he applied. And a few letters after May 1st with scholarship offers (he didn’t even apply to these schools). Some schools are looking to increase their enrollment and maybe increase the stats of the students that go there. None of these were ‘top’ schools - but hey - free applications and scholarship money for a kid who wouldn’t get in to a top school anyway isn’t bad.</p>
<p>I got eight fee waivers yesterday also. I’m not low income, a little above that, and I don’t qualify for free or reduced lunch either. I haven’t even taken the SATs though I have taken 3 subject tests (700+). I was confused at why I got it but I guess they just send it to who they want. I’m really happy I got them though.</p>