<p>This is more or less to answer my moms question:</p>
<p>Why do some colleges charge application fees while others do not?</p>
<p>One reason some schools waive their application fee (usually for online submissions) is that it increases the number of applicants. Since the number of acceptances is relatively fixed, the more applicants, the lower the acceptance rate. And acceptance rate is one of the factors used in ranking colleges:</p>
<p>[Undergraduate</a> Ranking Criteria and Weights - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2008/08/21/undergraduate-ranking-criteria-and-weights.htm?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a41:g26:r18:c0.172081:b27243194:z0&s_cid=loomia:how-we-calculate-the-college-rankings]Undergraduate”>http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2008/08/21/undergraduate-ranking-criteria-and-weights.htm?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a41:g26:r18:c0.172081:b27243194:z0&s_cid=loomia:how-we-calculate-the-college-rankings)</p>