I’m sitting at my dining room table, stressed out over the question of whether I’ll be admitted to my top schools or not. I press review and submit, and then the numbers start to add up, one after another: $80, $80, $90, $75, $80. Before I know it, the application purchases alone have accumulated to a stomach-turning sum.
With the tuition for higher education being extremely expensive already, the fees that go along with applying to schools only add more stress to the costly and time-consuming process.
The main reason that colleges charge these fees is to compensate for the cost of reviewing and processing the applications that they receive. There are many aspects to consider regarding these administrative expenses, such as admissions staff wages, review costs, and technology costs for running the application portal.
The average cost of an application fee tends to be around $50. However, that price can easily rise with more selective, popular, and elite schools. Why are these prices able to vary so vastly? Each school has a different formula when it comes to calculating the cost of an application assessment, and they are supposed to base their fees on the amount of money covers that cost.
According to a poll conducted on the Westford Academy Ghostwriter’s Instagram account, the average amount of money that seniors are spending on their applications comes to over $500. About 44% of those seniors also reported that fees have prevented them from applying to certain colleges.
Elite schools that charge $90,000 for yearly tuition are also making millions off of applications, most of which are being rejected. The high price of application fees combined with the low admissions rates of many elite schools may drive away qualified and hopeful students who have dreamed of taking their chances at applying. Money doesn’t measure a student’s commitment to a school, all it does is measure their access to resources, but high fees pose a boundary that even an excellent academic record can’t overcome.
Although fee waivers are available to students who come from less affluent socioeconomic backgrounds, middle class students are forced into a difficult gray area. Middle class families commonly earn too much to be considered for application financial aid, but that doesn’t mean they’re in a comfortable position to be paying such a large sum. Applying to 10 colleges can be a significant investment, and can have a large impact on any family’s finances.
I believe that lessening application fees will allow colleges to make their communities more socioeconomically diverse, leading to a triumph of merit over wealth.
It’s suggested that students have an evenly balanced list of schools they are applying to: a mix of safeties, targets, and reaches. If students are applying to the recommended 6-8 schools, each with fees of 50-90 dollars, that already adds up to 300-720 dollars just for the chance to be accepted into a college. For some families, that amount of money is equivalent to groceries, rent, or other necessary finances. This amount of upfront money devoted to a school that doesn’t guarantee acceptance fails to narrow down applicants based which students are interested or who are qualified, and instead prioritizes future students based on income.
“I’ve applied to 12 [schools] total, and a couple of [the fees] were $90, and I only had a waiver for one or two,” senior Ella Trethaway said.
With these fees out of the picture, so many opportunities could arise for both students who wish to receive higher education, and for schools to enrich their campuses. Economic barriers may lessen, widening the door for lower-middle class students and first generation college applicants.
Some students are lucky enough to have a dream school and know exactly where they want to spend the next four years of their lives. These students likely won’t feel the need to apply to a large number of schools, especially if they’re taking advantage of early decision. With a smaller list, fees will be much lower.
But what about the students like myself who aren’t so sure? Those who aren’t certain where they will find the best fit will want as many options as possible. More options means a longer list of schools, and a longer list of schools means the amount that uncertain students will have to pay in applications fees will soar. The price of having options as a high school senior is becoming too much for many students to afford.
Another component of some expensive applications is location, as many schools are more costly depending on their distance from home.
“I’ve paid a lot because I’m applying to a lot of schools in California, and those aren’t covered on CommonApp or Scoir,” senior Erin Goucher said. “I’ve paid a little over $400 for college applications.”
Even more additional fees may be required for students to submit portfolios in order to apply for certain majors.
”I’m applying for a portfolio-based major, and for some schools, you also have to pay to submit a portfolio which makes it even more expensive, which I don’t appreciate,” Goucher said.
In the meantime, while some colleges continue to collect high fees to apply, students should do their best to hunt for as many fees waivers as possible. Fee waivers help students avoid paying the cost of an application, and there are a few ways to go about finding them.
Students can apply for fee waivers if they meet certain qualifications. For example, if they have a free or reduced lunch or are a ward of the state, students may qualify for financial support. Additionally, students should look for as many waivers as they at college fairs or in advertisements they receive in the mail. On a poll conducted on the Ghostwriter’s Instagram, seniors have been receiving on average 0-4 fee waivers in total.
While fee waivers are certainly a great prospect, they still don’t solve the problem that so many high school students are facing. One’s ability to acquire a fee waiver is reliant on their knowledge of if they qualify as well as their ability to complete the necessary paperwork; both of which aren’t necessarily equal or accessible to all. Often, students may find themselves in a gray area — not struggling enough to qualify for the waiver in the first place, but not wealthy enough to be dropping hundreds of dollars on schools they haven’t been accepted into.
It’s unfortunate that higher education in the United States is so so inaccessible for so many. With acceptance rates plunging, many seniors need to be able to apply to a variety of different options to feel secure in their future. However, the rising costs of college applications prevents middle class students from applying to many colleges without putting a significant dent in their families’ savings. Colleges must reduce application fees if they aim to create a truly diverse campus that welcomes students from every single background.
