Welcome to the MyCollegeGuide Blog

You’ll probably find lots of schools that sound appealing, but even though you may want to, you won’t be able to apply to all of them unless your family is ultra-loaded: most schools have hefty application fees of $35 or $45, which can really add up when you try to stack the odds in your favor. As a result, students are generally encouraged to apply to no more than 5 or 6 colleges.

But as it turns out, some schools are making it easy for students to apply by getting rid of the application fee, and in some cases, even abolishing the essay requirement. While some of the colleges offering free applications are on the lower tiers, many well-known and highly regarded universities have begun getting in on the act: universities including Marquette, Rensselaer Polytechnic, and the University of Minnesota all offer “fast-track” applications, which are free and promise an admissions decision within just three weeks.

Other schools offer free applications during certain times of the year, to certain people, or to applicants who perform particular actions. Here are a few ways you may be able to waive a school application fee:

If your family is low-income, send in an application fee waiver or a note from your school guidance counselor. In any case where it’s clear that paying a school application fee would be a hardship for your family, you should be eligible for free applications. Many schools provide their own waiver forms, and others use those available from the College Board or other services. If no waiver form is available, a note on school stationary from your guidance counselor should be an acceptable substitute. As a general rule, low-income refers to families with an annual income of less than $40,000, though this can vary depending on the number of children in the family or other circumstances. If you have questions about your eligibility, call the school admissions office.

Fill out the application online. Hundreds of schools waive application fees when you complete the form online, including Smith College, Lewis & Clark College, Kenyon College, and Hampshire College. Check out this list to find out if any of the schools you want to apply to are on it.

If a parent or sibling attended the school, get a legacy waiver. Many colleges offer free applications for students with parents or siblings who have gone to the school. Colleges including University of Chicago, New York University, and Denison University are known to offer such waivers, along with the other schools on this list. If a relative of yours has attended a school that you want to apply to, it doesn’t hurt to ask if they’ll waive your application fee, too.

Visit the school campus. Some schools offer free application fees only to students who have visited the campus, or to students who turn in their applications during a campus visit or open house. These include Hollins University, Huntington College, and Wells College. For more, check out this list.

If you’re a particularly highly qualified applicant or have other special criteria, you may also be eligible for a waiver. At Ivy League and other top-tier schools, your qualifications won’t get you anywhere, since most students are also from the top of their classes, but at some colleges, you may be eligible for a free application based on your GPA, test scores, or other factors. Some schools offering waivers to highly qualified applicants are listed here, but you may also receive a free application offer by signing up to a college’s mailing list and letting them know about your qualifications.