Hello, I am unsure of how I get fee waivers for colleges. On the common application, I was eligible for fee waivers since I have received sat test waivers, i live in subsided housing, food stamps, and I get reduced food/free lunch. Do I need to fill out any paper work? or does my guidance counselor verifies this somehow? Thank you.
Sign into your collegeboard account, if you have used a fee waiver for SAT and are a senior, there should be four application fee waivers available for you to use.
@mommdc But that only covers for 4 schools, what about my other 9?
@mommdc Also, once I fill those out, what do I do? Do I hand them into my guidance counselor or what.
How many of your schools accept the common app?
Then you want to apply to additional 9 colleges? Check which colleges accept fee waivers:
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/college-application-fee-waivers/participating-colleges
You might want to run net price calculators on the college websites to see if you can expect to get enough aid for your family’s income from these schools. If they seem unaffordable then maybe not apply to those.
Some schools give out application fee waivers to low income students.
But even if the app fee is covered, you need to send scores and that can add up in cost too.
When using one of the four app fee waivers find out what the procedure is for each college. Do they want you to mail it in, upload a copy, etc?
Also as a low income student don’t neglect to look at instate schools, if your state has a program that offers finaid in addition to federal aid it might be more affordable to stay instate,
From Bigfuture:
There is no limit for common app waivers.
What @OHmomof2 said. Your GC will verify the eligibility that you selected on the CA and the fees will be waived for all of the schools on the application. If you apply to any non CA schools you can use the 4 from CollegeBoard otherwise you don’t need them at all.
If you do have others not on the ca, beyond 4, you can ask them directly.
Some applications have a fee waiver built in. Like the Calif State schools which do not use the Common App.
@planner03 THANK YOU, THIS IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING for. thank you everyone else for helping. So pretty much if the CA says I get a fee waiver, all my GC has to do is verify and that’s it? I understand that if it is not on the CA I can ask the school directly or get the collegeboard fee waiver right?
Exactly.