(originally written for KC Examiner.com on July 13, 2011)
While technology and the ability to submit one application to multiple schools has had a significant impact on the ease of applying for admission, in most cases, it does still come at a cost.
True, quite a few colleges and universities do offer opportunities for prospective students to apply for admission without paying an application fee. Typically, applicants are required to submit their files online in order to receive this benefit, allowing their data to be automatically transferred to the admission office database, sparing the institution the cost of employing staff to perform data entry tasks. Other schools might offer a fee waiver when a student visits campus or if s/he participates in a particular outreach program conducted by the campus.
But, most college applications still require a fee, particularly when applying to selective admission and/or state institutions, and those fees can be rather steep, especially given the economic situation faced by many families over the past few years, and given the ever increasing average number of applications for admission being submitted by high school seniors.
Avila University...no application feeHere are a few examples of the application fees required by some area schools, as well a few popular out of state campuses:
So, who should be responsible for paying application fees? As with many aspects of the college search and selection process, determining who will pay the application fees is a family decision.
Some parents have made the commitment to pay for their child(ren)'s collegiate education and include application fees in that contribution.
Other families have made a similar decision to fund college tuition, but require the student(s) to take some ownership of the process in return and require them to pay the application fees.
There are parents who are not in the financial position to pay application fees and if their student(s) is going to apply to a college or university, fees must be paid from their student(s)'s bank account.
Still other families, no matter their financial situation, decide that for any college application that requires a fee, the student is responsible for payment.
No matter the decision, it should be made as a family in advance of senior year. Even if every other component of the application has been received (official transcript, essay, resume, letters of recommendation, etc.), most schools enforce a policy that the file will not be reviewed to determine eligibility until the payment has been received.
Students who will be paying the fees should research the cost to apply to each of the schools at which s/he has an interest, then take steps to save that total dollar amount in advance of senior year. It is suggested that students save additional dollars, too, as many seniors tend to add a school or two to their application list once the application process is in full force.
Students who are eligible for a fee waiver for the
SAT and/or the
ACT, may also be able to secure a waiver for applications for admission.
Click
here for eligibility information for the
ACT fee waiver program.
Click
here for eligibility information for the
SAT fee waiver program.
Click
here for a list of colleges and universities who cooperate with the
College Board (SAT) to evaluate the possibility of offering particular students an application fee waiver.
