Nowadays, it’s not only expensive to go to college; it’s also expensive to apply. College applications have increased in cost – some of them are upwards of $80!
And, for students with limited funds, it can be financially cumbersome to apply to several schools. After all, $80 spent on an application is $80 that could go towards paying for tuition. With that, students should consider applying to colleges that do not have application fees.
The good news is that there are plenty of institutions that recognize that the application fee costs are expensive and no longer charge fees for their applications. Many colleges may even have a declared application fee, but will waive the charge for students who apply online, usually utilizing the Common Application.
Just an aside, the Common Application is available at over 900 institutions. It allows students applying to college to fill out and submit one application for multiple schools.
Students can even apply for a Common Application fee waiver. According to the Common Application website, "If you feel that your financial circumstances might qualify you for an application fee waiver, you can request a fee waiver in the Common Application Fee Waiver section in the Profile section."
Niche publishes a best colleges list, which includes the top schools without application fees. According to Niche, “The 2022 Best Colleges with No Application Fee ranking filters the 2022 Best Colleges ranking to only include colleges with free applications. Note that additional colleges waive application fees for low-income, minority, veteran, and other student types so be sure to check each school's website.”
You can learn more about the methodology of Niche’s best colleges lists here. Here are 33 of Niche’s top schools with no application fees:
- United States Military Academy – West Point, New York
- Wellesley College – Wellesley, Massachusetts
- Carleton College – Northfield, Minnesota
- Colby College – Waterville, Maine
- Grinnell College – Grinnell, Iowa
- Macalester College – Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Tulane University – New Orleans, Louisiana
- Smith College – Northampton, Massachusetts
- Kenyon College – Gambier, Ohio
- Mount Holyoke College – South Hadley, Massachusetts
- Trinity University – San Antonia, Texas
- Worcester Polytechnic University – Worcester, Massachusetts
- Reed College – Portland, Oregon
- Colorado College – Colorado Springs, Colorado
- St. Olaf College – Northfield, Minnesota
- Michigan Technological University – Houghton, Michigan
- Saint Louis University – St. Louis, Missouri
- Denison University – Granville, Ohio
- Wabash College – Crawfordsville, Indiana
- Rhodes College – Memphis, Tennessee
- Baylor University – Waco, Texas
- Hendrix College – Conway, Arkansas
- University of Dayton – Dayton, Ohio
- Lewis & Clark College – Portland, Oregon
- University of St. Thomas, Minnesota – Saint Paul, Minnesota
- LeTourneau University – Longview, Texas
- Drake University – Des Moines, Iowa
- Milwaukee School of Engineering – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Gustavus Adolphus College – Saint Peter, Minnesota
- College of Wooster – Wooster, Ohio
- Augustana University – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Oberlin College – Oberlin, Ohio
- Lawrence University – Appleton, Wisconsin
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