<p>A number of prospective applicants have PM-ed me asking for advice on this issue. So I thought, if I CAN be of help, why should the rest of you miss out on it? Here's an extract from my latest reply:</p>
<p>The process of getting the fees waived was actually rather hectic. You'll have to write to the colleges you're targeting, from the beginning. Please note that some colleges (like Rice and Stanford) don't offer fee waivers to students from India (atleast they didn't when I applied). Certain colleges make it relatively simple for you - Explain your situation to your academic counsellor and request that he/she writes a letter addressing this issue. You'll just have to forward this letter to the colleges in this case. The other case which will require more effort is when a college will ask you to fill up a form and provide statistical data of your family's financial situation. (Most of the Ivies are sure to ask for this data) Keep in mind that the Common Application provides a similar form but THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS. Yes, you may find yourself repeating this to a number of ignorant (or just generally forgetful) college admissions offices.
On the other hand, you may want to consider colleges which waive the fee for all/some students (for e.g. if you apply online, which I'm assuming you will). Contrary to popular belief, these are NOT always the colleges which have low ranks, or are just unpopular or anything of this sort. Some examples of colleges in this category which you should definitely consider include: Case Western, Brandeis, Bryn Mawr, Carleton, Colby, Wooster, Drexel, Grinnell, Purdue, Wellesley, Hamilton, Kenyon, Mount Holyoke, Steven's Institute (Tech), Tulane, Thomas Aquinas etc. Again, the best idea would be to not rely on my word and to contact the respective colleges for their application fee policies.</p>
<p>That's the gist of it! I hope I was comprehensive enough to be of help. Good luck :)</p>