Most colleges charge application fees of around $50 per application, but they can sometimes be as high as $90. This can really add up if you’re applying to 4-7 colleges. However, there are also plenty of free college applications as well – you just have to know where to look.
These free college applications can take several forms:
- Fee Waivers: Where the college charges no application fees for you, because you meet a specific criteria like being a low income student.
- Free College Application Weeks: Many states offer free college application weeks for their state university system, typically happening in October every year.
- Colleges With No Application Fees: There are also about 170 colleges that simply don’t charge an application fee to apply
Here’s where you can find each of these free college applications or fee waivers.
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this article to you, so you can come back to it later!
General College Application Fee Waivers
There are a few ways to get a college application fee waiver. The most common starting point is to apply for the SAT or ACT fee waiver, which requires any of the following:
- Enrollment in a free or reduced-cost lunch program
- Income eligibility for the SNAP program
- Receive public assistance or another low-income program from the local, state, or federal government
- Eligible orphans or wards of the state
- Homelessness
If you’re eligible for the SAT or ACT fee waiver, you’ll also be eligible for the following college application fee waivers:
- Common App Fee Waiver
- Coalition App Fee Waiver
You can also ask your college for a fee waiver, and they may provide you with a waiver code.
Some states also have their own fee waiver programs. While they all match the general criteria above, they may have different forms.
- California: Provides a fee waiver automatically for low-income California residents, for up to 4 college applications (both UC and CSU combined)
States With Free College Application Weeks (Or Days)
Many state college systems also offer free college applications by hosting “free college application week” or “free college application month”. While not all colleges in these states may offer it, most of the state college systems will.
- Alabama: February 23 – 27, 2026
- Colorado: October 20 – 22, 2026
- Connecticut: Typically October 15 – Novermber 1 (2026 Dates TBA)
- Delaware: October and November, dates vary by High School
- Georgia: November for Georgia Residents
- Idaho: October, dates vary by high school
- Illinois: October, dates vary by high school
- Indiana: September 21 – 25, 2026
- Kansas: October 5 – 9, 2026
- Michigan: October, dates vary by school
- Minnesota: June 22 – 26, 2026
- Montana: Always free for Montana residents
- New York: 2026 Dates TBA
- North Carolina: October 19 – 25, 2026
- Ohio: October
- Oklahoma: September 21 – 25, 2026
- South Carolina: September and October, dates vary by school
- South Dakota: October 1 – November 30, 2026
- Tennessee: September, dates vary by school
- Texas: October 12 – 18, 2026
- Virginia: October 26 – 30, 2026
- West Virginia: TBD Oct 2026
Colleges With No Application Fee (By State)
There are roughly 170 colleges in the United States that offer free college applications (yes, they don’t even bother with an application fee -thank you!). Here’s the list by state:
- Auburn University at Montgomery (Undergraduate Only)
- Miles College
- Spring Hill College
- University of Alaska, Anchorage (Undergraduate Only)
- Grand Canyon University
- Williams Baptist University
- Henderson State University (Undergraduate Only)
- Southern Arkansas University (Undergraduate Only)
- Deep Springs College
- Dominican University of California
- La Sierra University
- Laguna College of Art and Design
- University of the Pacific
- Colorado College
- Colorado Mountain College
- Johnson and Wales University
- Regis University
- U.S. Air Force Academy
- Mitchell College
- University of Saint Joseph
- U.S. Coast Guard Academy
None!
- Ave Marie University
- Florida Tech
- Florida Gateway College
- Indian River State College
- Polk State College
- Rollins College
- Saint Leo University
- Santa Fe College
- Stetson University
- Agnes Scott College
- Berry College
- Brenau University
- Oglethorpe University
- Piedmont University
- Savannah State University
- Wesleyan College
None!
- College of Southern Idaho
- The College of Idaho
- Augustana College
- Aurora University
- Bradley University
- Elmhurst University
- Eureka College
- Greenville University
- Illinois College
- Illinois Tech
- Illinois Wesleyan University
- Lake Forest College
- Loyola University Chicago
- McKendree University
- Millikin University
- Monmouth College
- Rockford University
- St. Augustine College
- University of St. Francis
- Anderson University
- Calumet College of St. Joseph
- DePauw University
- Earlham College
- Franklin College
- Grace College
- Hanover College
- Holy Cross College
- Indiana Wesleyan University
- Manchester University
- St. Mary’s College
- Trine University
- University of Evansville
- University of Indianapolis
- Valparaiso University
- Buena Vista University
- Central College
- Coe College (Admission Fee Only With After December 10)
- Cornell College
- Drake University (Application Fee Only With Paper Application)
- Graceland University
- Grand View University
- Grinnell College
- Loras College
- Luther College
- Morningside University
- Mount Mercy University
- Northwestern College
- Simpson College
- St. Ambrose University
- Upper Iowa University
- Wartburg College
- Baker University
- Barclay College
- Bethany College
- MidAmerica Nazarene University
- Sterling College
- Alice Lloyd College
- Asbury University
- Berea College
- Centre College
- Lindsey Wilson College
- University of Pikeville
- Thomas More University
- Transylvania University
- Centenary College of Louisiana
- Loyola University New Orleans
- Tulane University
- Colby College
- College of the Atlantic
- St. Joseph’s College of Maine
- Unity College
- Capital Technology University
- Goucher College
- Hood College
- St. John’s College
- Stevenson University
- U.S. Naval Academy
- Washington Adventist University
- Bay Path College
- Emmanuel College
- Fisher College
- Hampshire College
- Lasell University
- Lesley University
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
- Merrimack College
- Mount Holyoke College
- Nichols College
- Simmons University
- Smith College
- Wellesley College
- Adrian College
- Albion College
- Alma College
- Aquinas College
- Concordia University
- University of Detroit Mercy
- Ferris State University
- Hillsdale College
- Kalamazoo College
- Kettering University
- Madonna University
- Michigan Technological University
- Northwood University
- Oakland University
- Rochester Christian University
- The University of Olivet
- Augsburg University
- Bethany Lutheran College
- Bethel University
- Carleton College
- College of Saint Benedict
- College of St. Scholastica
- Concordia College
- Gustavus Adolphus College
- Hamline University
- Metro State University
- Saint John’s University
- Saint Mary’s University
- St. Catherine University
- St. Olaf College
- University of St. Thomas
- Alcorn State University
- Jackson State University
- Millsaps College
- Mississippi University For Women
- Mississippi Valley State University
- Rust College
- Avila University
- College of the Ozarks
- Culver-Stockton College
- Drury University
- Maryville University
- Northwest Missouri State University
- Ranken Technical College
- Rockhurst University
- St. Louis University
- Stephens College
- Truman State University
- Westminster College
- William Jewell College
- William Woods University
- Carroll College
- Salish Kootenai College
- University of Providence
- Chadron State College
- Concordia University
- Creighton University
- Doane University
- Hastings College
- Midland University
- Nebraska Wesleyan University
- Peru State College
- Union Adventist University
- Wayne State College
None!
- Colby-Sawyer College
- University of New Hampshire
- New England College
- Saint Peter’s University
- Eastern New Mexico University
- Navajo Technical University
- Northern New Mexico College
- St. John’s College
- Canisius University
- Clarkson University
- D’Youville College
- Daemen University
- Hilbert College
- Hobart and William Smith College
- Keuka College
- Le Moyne College
- Mount Saint Mary College
- Nazareth University
- Niagara University
- Roberts Wesleyan University
- Russell Sage College
- St. Bonaventure University
- St. John’s University
- St. John Fisher University
- Touro University
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- U.S. Military Academy (West Point)
- University of Mount St. Vincent
- Barton College
- Belmont Abbey College
- Catawba College
- Guilford College
- Johnson and Wales University
- Queens University of Charlotte
- University of Mount Olive
- Warren Wilson College
- University of Jamestown
- Ashland University
- Baldwin Wallace University
- Chatfield College
- College of Wooster
- Defiance College
- Denison University
- Franciscan University of Steubenville
- Franklin University
- Hiram College
- John Carroll University
- Kenyon College
- Lake Erie College
- Oberlin College
- Ohio Northern University
- Ohio Wesleyan University
- Shawnee State University
- University of Dayton
- University of Findlay
- University of Mount Union
- Ursuline College
- Wilmington College
- Wittenberg University
- Xavier University
- Oklahoma Baptist University
- Oklahoma Wesleyan University
- Southern Nazarene University
- Lewis & Clark College
- Linfield College
- Reed College
- Albright College
- Allegheny College
- Bryn Mawr College
- Carlow University
- Cedar Crest College
- Chatham University
- Delaware Valley College
- Duquesne University
- Elizabethtown College
- Gannon University
- Gwynedd Mercy University
- Immaculata University
- Juniata College
- King’s College
- La Roche College
- La Salle University
- Lebanon Valley College
- Lincoln University of Pennsylvania
- Lycoming College
- Marywood University
- Mercyhurst University
- Moravian College
- Neumann University
- Point Park University
- Robert Morris University
- Saint Francis University
- Susquehanna University
- University of Scranton
- Ursinus College
- Washington & Jefferson College
- Westminster College
- Wilson College
- Johnson and Wales University
- Allen University
- Coker College
- Columbia College
- Converse College
- Limestone College
- Presbyterian College
- Augustana College
- Dakota Wesleyan University
- University of Sioux Falls
- Freed-Hardeman University
- Lane College
- Maryville College
- Rhodes College
- The University Of The South
- Tusculum College
- Austin College
- Baylor University
- Hardin-Simmons University
- Houston Christian University
- Howard Payne University
- LeTourneau University
- Southwestern Adventist University
- Southwestern University
- St. Mary’s University
- University of St. Thomas – Texas
- University of Texas – El Paso
- University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley
- Texas Wesleyan University
- Trinity University
- Southern Utah University
- Champlain College
- Averett University
- Bridgewater College
- Christendom College
- Emory & Henry College
- Hampden-Sydney College
- Hollins University
- Liberty University
- Lynchburg College
- Randolph-Macon College
- Randolph College
- Roanoke College
- Sweet Briar College
- Olympic College
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Saint Martin’s University
- Whitworth University
- Bethany College
- Bluefield State College
- Concord University
- Davis & Elkins College
- West Liberty University
- West Virginia University at Parkersburg
- West Virginia Wesleyan College
- Alverno College
- Beloit College
- Carroll University
- Lakeland College
- Marquette University
- Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
- Milwaukee School of Engineering
- Mount Mary University
- Northland College
- St. Norbert College
- University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
- Wisconsin Lutheran College
- Central Wyoming College
- The Catholic University of America (No Fee For Undergraduates)
Don’t See Your State Or College?
We work hard to keep this list updated. If you know a state or college that has a free college application week or month, please let us know!
If you’re not seeing your state and want to apply, it doesn’t hurt to reach out to the financial aid office first to see if they can provide you an application fee waiver.
Also, don’t forget to check out our guide to Student Loans And Financial Aid By State to see about any state-specific financial aid programs you may qualify for.
Editor: Colin Graves
The post Free College Applications: Colleges With No Fees Or Fee Waivers appeared first on The College Investor.
