Securing a Fee Waiver on the Common App?

I just found out about the possibility of getting a fee waiver for college applications, and I'm hopeful but a bit anxious about the process. How do you go about adding a fee waiver to your Common App account? I could definitely use the financial help and don't want to miss any important steps.

Hi there! I completely understand your concern about making sure you secure that fee waiver, as application costs can certainly add up. Here's the step-by-step process to request a fee waiver on the Common App.

Firstly, you'll find the fee waiver section in the 'Profile' tab of your Common App account. Within this section, you'll be asked to indicate whether you feel you qualify for a fee waiver. The Common App will then outline the eligibility guidelines, which typically include criteria such as qualifying for free or reduced lunch, being enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families, or having received or being eligible to receive an ACT or SAT testing fee waiver.

If you meet any of the criteria listed, you would select 'Yes,' and then you'll be prompted to choose which criteria apply to you. You'll then need to affirm that the information you're providing is accurate. It's important to know that some colleges may follow up and request additional documentation to verify your fee waiver request, so be prepared just in case.

Once the information is submitted, your counselor will be required to confirm your eligibility for a fee waiver. This is usually done through the Common App's counselor recommendation section where they verify your qualification, so make sure to have a conversation with them about this as well.

I hope this helps demystify the process a bit! Don't hesitate to reach out to your school counselor for assistance; they're there to help you with this very thing. Best of luck with your applications!