A lot of conversation goes on about the cost of college. The rising price of tuition in recent years has fueled a firestorm of commentary from all kinds of critics. However, the first barrier to entry for many students is the cost of submitting their apps.
Although obviously not as significant as the price of school, fees associated with submitting college applications can add up quickly. To submit an application to one college costs between $25 and $90. When you consider that many students today are applying to between 5 and 12 colleges, this can mean a significant amount of money.
These application fees don’t even take into consideration what it costs to take your SAT or ACT. The cost of taking the SAT is $52.50 and an additional $26 if your college requires you to take a subject test. The prices include score transmission to 4 colleges, but for each additional college you need to send them to it will run you $11.25.
If you choose the ACT it will cost you $54.50 – this is the version with writing, which most students do. This price allows students to send their scores to 4 colleges, but if you’re applying to more than that, each additional college will cost $12.
Almost all students take one of these tests and many take both, or re-take one to get a better score.
All of these costs can add up to be a pretty penny and are not something families often anticipate. However, there is a solution if your family can’t afford these extra expenses.
Fee waivers.
The Common App, the SAT, the ACT and many individual colleges’ application portals offer fee waivers if you meet certain criteria. For example, if you qualify for free and reduced lunch you are eligible for fee waivers. Visit the link provided for each organization below to see if you qualify.
The Common App: Yyou can request a fee waiver on the Profile screen in the Common Application Fee Waiver section.
https://appsupport.commonapp.org/link/portal/33011/33013/Article/758/Common-App-Fee-Waiver
SAT: Talk to your high school’s guidance counselor to get this fee waiver. http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-fee-waivers
ACT: Talk to your high school’s guidance counselor to get this fee waiver.
http://www.actstudent.org/faq/feewaiver.html
Individual college application portal: Search for information about fee waivers on the school’s website and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, shoot them an email!
Are you finding more parts of your college apps with hidden costs? Let us know and we’ll address how to deal with those fees, too! Yay, college!
