How to Get an Application Fee Waiver?

Studying abroad can be a costly affair, students are required to pay for deposits, visa fees as well as university applications. The average application fee can be anywhere between INR 2000-10,000 per university! But did you know that there is a way to avoid this extra cost? Many universities like Harvard University and Oxford University allow students to apply for a fee waiver to help them fund their foreign education dreams! If you are planning to study abroad in 2023 then here is how you can get an application fee waiver and reduce your cost of attendance.

What is an Application Fee Waiver?

The application fee is very financially unfeasible for a number of students. If you are someone who is unable to pay this fee, you might be eligible for an application fee waiver. This is when you would not have to pay an application fee when applying to your dream school. However, there is no specific policy that is uniform to all universities. These policies change with each institution you choose to apply to.

Also Read: Universities in USA without Application Fee

Application Fee Waiver: Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for an application fee waiver, you must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• You qualify for an SAT/GMAT/GRE waiver
• Your household income falls within the bracket that is defined on the university’s website
• Your family receives public assistance or welfare benefits
• Certain exceptional cases which would be different for each university

How to Get Application Fee Waived?

There are several direct and indirect ways in which you can obtain an application fee waiver to get into your dream college. Some of those ways are listed below:

Apply to Universities That Don’t Charge Application Fee

The first way is to apply to institutes that don’t charge an application fee. Colleges such as the University of Hartford, Manchester University, Washington and Jefferson College do not charge any application fee when the applicant applies online. 

Visit the Campus

Certain universities give an application fee waiver when the candidate visits the campus. The process of this could depend on the university, but make sure you avail if such an offer exists.

Ask the Admissions Office of your Chosen University

A number of cases have happened when students were provided with an application fee waiver based on their special case. So, just call or email the admissions office and explain your case while asking for the fee waiver. 

Seek Counselling and Attend Virtual University Fairs

Our experts at Leverage Edu can help you minimise the cost of attendance starting with the application process or you can attend our University Application

Also Read: Expenses Covered in Education Loan

How Do Fee Waivers Work?

Although every college does not have provisions for an application fee waiver, there are thousands that do. You could contact the admissions office of your dream college to know better about their policy in this regard. These waivers could be received upfront while filing your application or might be reduced from the first-semester fee of your studies. 

What Does it Cost to Apply to College?

Universities across the globe charge application fees to their international and national students. Prestigious schools including Ivy Leagues charge higher fees than the nominal ones. The average application fee in 2020 was USD 44 (~INR 3,200). The University of California charges USD 105 (~INR 7,800) and Stanford charges USD 90 (~INR 6,600). Because of obvious reasons, you can’t just apply to one college and this would just cause the application fee to keep piling up, which would definitely create a hole in your pocket. If, for example, you apply to 5 schools that have a USD 44 application fee, you would end up paying USD 220 (~INR 16,000) just for applying to various universities! 

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[BONUS] List of Universities with NO Application fees

If you’re applying to any of the following universities, then you can get an application fee waiver as these universities are known for taking in student applications for free:

• University College of London
• Yale University, USA
• Harvard University
• Case Western Reserve University
• Lancaster University
• University of Cambridge
• University of Sheffield
• Imperial College London
• University of Oxford 
• University of Warwick
• TU Munich in Germany
• The University of Vienna in Austria
• RWTH Aachen, Germany
• Ghent University, Belgium
• The University of Montpellier, France
• The University of Glasgow, UK
• Politecnico di Milano in Italy

Also Read: Types of Education Loan for Indian Students

So this was all about how to get an application fee waiver to study abroad in your dream university. Contact our counsellors at Leverage Edu at 1800 572 000 to learn about the countries and universities within your budget!