{"answer":"Application fees at the 100 most-applied-to colleges run from $0 to $90. Stanford University charges the most at $90. Harvard University and Duke University charge $85, and 5 of the 100 colleges charge nothing at all.","as_of":"October 2026","date":"2026-10-15","dek":"The table holds the undergraduate application fee each college reported for 2023-24, and it does not show fee waivers, which colleges grant to families who qualify.","faq":[{"a":"Stanford University charges $90.","q":"Which college on this list has the highest application fee?"},{"a":"Baylor University charges $0. So do DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, Grand Canyon University and Southern New Hampshire University.","q":"Are there colleges with no application fee?"},{"a":"A waiver is requested on the application itself, so there is nothing to pay up front and nothing to claim back later.","q":"Can the application fee be waived?"}],"findings":[{"h":"The top fees sit at $90 and $85.","p":"Stanford University charges $90. Harvard University charges $85. So do Duke University and Columbia University in the City of New York. So does the University of Southern California. The same $85 holds at Syracuse University. It holds at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It holds at North Carolina State University at Raleigh and at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Every University of California campus charges $80."},{"h":"Florida's public universities are the cheapest big names here.","p":"The University of Florida charges $30. So do Florida State University and the University of Central Florida. So does the University of South Florida. The University of Alabama charges $40. So does Northern Arizona University. These are some of the biggest applicant pools in the table, and the lowest fees on it."},{"h":"A few well-known colleges charge nothing.","p":"Baylor University charges $0. So do DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago, Grand Canyon University and Southern New Hampshire University. That is 5 of the 100 colleges here. A free form makes it cheap to hold a backup your kid would really attend."}],"license":"CC BY 4.0 \u2014 quote with attribution to Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach)","method":"The source is the federal IPEDS institutional characteristics file for 2023-24, which records the undergraduate application fee each college reported. Rows are the 100 colleges with the most first-year applicants in the federal admissions file for the fall 2023 entering class, ordered from the highest fee to the lowest, and every one of them reported a fee. A fee can change from year to year, so a college's own application page is the current price. Fee waivers, enrollment deposits and the cost of sending scores or transcripts are not in this file.","question":"What is the application fee at the 100 most-applied-to colleges?","related":[{"label":"Which colleges get the most applications?","url":"/research/most-applied-to-colleges"},{"label":"Acceptance rates at the 100 most-applied-to colleges","url":"/research/acceptance-rates-100-colleges"},{"label":"Colleges that promise free tuition below an income line","url":"/merit-scholarships"}],"sections":[{"h2":"What the fee covers","paragraphs":["The fee pays for one review of one application, for one term. It is charged whether the answer is yes or no. Sending a test score or a transcript costs extra.","The table lists one fee per campus. Some systems charge per campus. Each University of California campus charges $80, so a family pays again for every campus the student adds. That is the line families miss when they add campuses late in the fall."]},{"h2":"Fee waivers are the part the table cannot show","paragraphs":["Almost every college here waives the fee for families who qualify. The Common App, the Coalition form and the University of California form each hold the waiver request inside them. The usual grounds are family income and free or reduced-price school lunch. A waiver already given for the SAT or ACT counts too.","A waiver is requested on the application itself, so there is nothing to pay up front and nothing to claim back later. The fees in the table are the full price, not what every family pays."]},{"h2":"What a family should do with this","paragraphs":["Price the list before you set it. Put the fee next to each college your kid picked. Add it up, and look at the essays each one needs beside it. If the total feels too high, start with the waiver request inside the form. Do not start by cutting colleges.","Then use the cheap ones on purpose. A $0 or $30 form is a low-cost way to hold a real option. That beats a ninth long-shot college with a fresh set of essays."]}],"slug":"application-fees-100-colleges","sources":[{"label":"IPEDS Institutional Characteristics (IC), 2023-24","url":"https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/"},{"label":"IPEDS data for these colleges, college by college","url":"https://highschoolreach.com/colleges"}],"tables":[{"columns":[{"fmt":"str","key":"college","label":"College"},{"fmt":"str","key":"state","label":"State"},{"fmt":"money","key":"application_fee","label":"Application fee"}],"h2":"Application fees at the most-applied-to colleges","intro":"Ordered from the highest fee to the lowest.","link_base":"/colleges/","note":"The undergraduate application fee each college reported in the federal 2023-24 institutional file; a college's own application page is the current price. All 100 colleges reported a figure. The fee is per campus where a system charges per campus, and fee waivers, enrollment deposits and score-sending fees are not in this file.","rows":[{"applicants":53733,"application_fee":90,"college":"Stanford University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"stanford-university","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/stanford-university"},{"applicants":80808,"application_fee":85,"college":"University of Southern California","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"university-of-southern-california","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-southern-california"},{"applicants":57902,"application_fee":85,"college":"University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill","state":"NC","url":"/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill"},{"applicants":57613,"application_fee":85,"college":"Columbia University in the City of New York","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york","state":"NY","url":"/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york"},{"applicants":56937,"application_fee":85,"college":"Harvard University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"harvard-university","state":"MA","url":"/colleges/harvard-university"},{"applicants":50424,"application_fee":85,"college":"University of Massachusetts-Amherst","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-massachusetts-amherst","state":"MA","url":"/colleges/university-of-massachusetts-amherst"},{"applicants":46365,"application_fee":85,"college":"Duke University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"duke-university","state":"NC","url":"/colleges/duke-university"},{"applicants":42089,"application_fee":85,"college":"Syracuse University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"syracuse-university","state":"NY","url":"/colleges/syracuse-university"},{"applicants":40049,"application_fee":85,"college":"North Carolina State University at Raleigh","control":"Public","slug":"north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh","state":"NC","url":"/colleges/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh"},{"applicants":145903,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of California-Los Angeles","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-california-los-angeles","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-california-los-angeles"},{"applicants":130771,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of California-San Diego","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-california-san-diego","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-california-san-diego"},{"applicants":125910,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of California-Berkeley","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-california-berkeley","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley"},{"applicants":121101,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of California-Irvine","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-california-irvine","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-california-irvine"},{"applicants":113578,"application_fee":80,"college":"New York University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"new-york-university","state":"NY","url":"/colleges/new-york-university"},{"applicants":110871,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of California-Santa Barbara","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-california-santa-barbara","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara"},{"applicants":94637,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of California-Davis","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-california-davis","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-california-davis"},{"applicants":80495,"application_fee":80,"college":"Boston University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"boston-university","state":"MA","url":"/colleges/boston-university"},{"applicants":68845,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of California-Santa Cruz","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-california-santa-cruz","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-california-santa-cruz"},{"applicants":67891,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of California-Merced","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-california-merced","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-california-merced"},{"applicants":65635,"application_fee":80,"college":"Cornell University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"cornell-university","state":"NY","url":"/colleges/cornell-university"},{"applicants":62807,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of California-Riverside","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-california-riverside","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/university-of-california-riverside"},{"applicants":62428,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of Washington-Seattle Campus","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-washington-seattle-campus","state":"WA","url":"/colleges/university-of-washington-seattle-campus"},{"applicants":51803,"application_fee":80,"college":"Yale University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"yale-university","state":"CT","url":"/colleges/yale-university"},{"applicants":46645,"application_fee":80,"college":"University of Connecticut","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-connecticut","state":"CT","url":"/colleges/university-of-connecticut"},{"applicants":36069,"application_fee":80,"college":"Boston College","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"boston-college","state":"MA","url":"/colleges/boston-college"},{"applicants":96631,"application_fee":75,"college":"Northeastern University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"northeastern-university","state":"MA","url":"/colleges/northeastern-university"},{"applicants":87632,"application_fee":75,"college":"University of Michigan-Ann Arbor","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-michigan-ann-arbor","state":"MI","url":"/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor"},{"applicants":66109,"application_fee":75,"college":"The University of Texas at Austin","control":"Public","slug":"the-university-of-texas-at-austin","state":"TX","url":"/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-austin"},{"applicants":59465,"application_fee":75,"college":"University of Pennsylvania","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"university-of-pennsylvania","state":"PA","url":"/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania"},{"applicants":59377,"application_fee":75,"college":"University of Maryland-College Park","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-maryland-college-park","state":"MD","url":"/colleges/university-of-maryland-college-park"},{"applicants":56528,"application_fee":75,"college":"University of Virginia-Main Campus","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-virginia-main-campus","state":"VA","url":"/colleges/university-of-virginia-main-campus"},{"applicants":52377,"application_fee":75,"college":"Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus","control":"Public","slug":"georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus","state":"GA","url":"/colleges/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus"},{"applicants":51769,"application_fee":75,"college":"Northwestern University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"northwestern-university","state":"IL","url":"/colleges/northwestern-university"},{"applicants":51316,"application_fee":75,"college":"Brown University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"brown-university","state":"RI","url":"/colleges/brown-university"},{"applicants":50832,"application_fee":75,"college":"Texas A & M University-College Station","control":"Public","slug":"texas-a-and-m-university-college-station","state":"TX","url":"/colleges/texas-a-and-m-university-college-station"},{"applicants":38631,"application_fee":75,"college":"University of Chicago","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"university-of-chicago","state":"IL","url":"/colleges/university-of-chicago"},{"applicants":37690,"application_fee":75,"college":"University of Delaware","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-delaware","state":"DE","url":"/colleges/university-of-delaware"},{"applicants":37183,"application_fee":75,"college":"Texas State University","control":"Public","slug":"texas-state-university","state":"TX","url":"/colleges/texas-state-university"},{"applicants":36807,"application_fee":75,"college":"University of North Texas","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-north-texas","state":"TX","url":"/colleges/university-of-north-texas"},{"applicants":34020,"application_fee":75,"college":"Texas Tech University","control":"Public","slug":"texas-tech-university","state":"TX","url":"/colleges/texas-tech-university"},{"applicants":34003,"application_fee":75,"college":"Tufts University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"tufts-university","state":"MA","url":"/colleges/tufts-university"},{"applicants":33707,"application_fee":75,"college":"Carnegie Mellon University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"carnegie-mellon-university","state":"PA","url":"/colleges/carnegie-mellon-university"},{"applicants":32240,"application_fee":75,"college":"Washington University in St Louis","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"washington-university-in-st-louis","state":"MO","url":"/colleges/washington-university-in-st-louis"},{"applicants":82800,"application_fee":70,"college":"San Diego State University","control":"Public","slug":"san-diego-state-university","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/san-diego-state-university"},{"applicants":79680,"application_fee":70,"college":"California State University-Long Beach","control":"Public","slug":"california-state-university-long-beach","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/california-state-university-long-beach"},{"applicants":63736,"application_fee":70,"college":"California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo","control":"Public","slug":"california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo"},{"applicants":63505,"application_fee":70,"college":"University of Wisconsin-Madison","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-wisconsin-madison","state":"WI","url":"/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison"},{"applicants":60122,"application_fee":70,"college":"Clemson University","control":"Public","slug":"clemson-university","state":"SC","url":"/colleges/clemson-university"},{"applicants":48591,"application_fee":70,"college":"California State University-Fullerton","control":"Public","slug":"california-state-university-fullerton","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/california-state-university-fullerton"},{"applicants":48286,"application_fee":70,"college":"University of Miami","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"university-of-miami","state":"FL","url":"/colleges/university-of-miami"},{"applicants":45775,"application_fee":70,"college":"California State Polytechnic University-Pomona","control":"Public","slug":"california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona"},{"applicants":43663,"application_fee":70,"college":"Fordham University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"fordham-university","state":"NY","url":"/colleges/fordham-university"},{"applicants":43419,"application_fee":70,"college":"University of Georgia","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-georgia","state":"GA","url":"/colleges/university-of-georgia"},{"applicants":43347,"application_fee":70,"college":"Rutgers University-New Brunswick","control":"Public","slug":"rutgers-university-new-brunswick","state":"NJ","url":"/colleges/rutgers-university-new-brunswick"},{"applicants":39644,"application_fee":70,"college":"Princeton University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"princeton-university","state":"NJ","url":"/colleges/princeton-university"},{"applicants":39033,"application_fee":70,"college":"Case Western Reserve University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"case-western-reserve-university","state":"OH","url":"/colleges/case-western-reserve-university"},{"applicants":38926,"application_fee":70,"college":"Johns Hopkins University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"johns-hopkins-university","state":"MD","url":"/colleges/johns-hopkins-university"},{"applicants":35780,"application_fee":70,"college":"San Jose State University","control":"Public","slug":"san-jose-state-university","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/san-jose-state-university"},{"applicants":35750,"application_fee":70,"college":"James Madison University","control":"Public","slug":"james-madison-university","state":"VA","url":"/colleges/james-madison-university"},{"applicants":32748,"application_fee":70,"college":"California State University-Los Angeles","control":"Public","slug":"california-state-university-los-angeles","state":"CA","url":"/colleges/california-state-university-los-angeles"},{"applicants":85956,"application_fee":65,"college":"Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus","control":"Public","slug":"pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus","state":"PA","url":"/colleges/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus"},{"applicants":58879,"application_fee":65,"college":"Michigan State University","control":"Public","slug":"michigan-state-university","state":"MI","url":"/colleges/michigan-state-university"},{"applicants":56069,"application_fee":65,"college":"University of Colorado Boulder","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-colorado-boulder","state":"CO","url":"/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder"},{"applicants":54279,"application_fee":65,"college":"Indiana University-Bloomington","control":"Public","slug":"indiana-university-bloomington","state":"IN","url":"/colleges/indiana-university-bloomington"},{"applicants":46682,"application_fee":65,"college":"University of South Carolina-Columbia","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-south-carolina-columbia","state":"SC","url":"/colleges/university-of-south-carolina-columbia"},{"applicants":39400,"application_fee":65,"college":"University of Oregon","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-oregon","state":"OR","url":"/colleges/university-of-oregon"},{"applicants":31988,"application_fee":65,"college":"CUNY City College","control":"Public","slug":"cuny-city-college","state":"NY","url":"/colleges/cuny-city-college"},{"applicants":73083,"application_fee":60,"college":"Purdue University-Main Campus","control":"Public","slug":"purdue-university-main-campus","state":"IN","url":"/colleges/purdue-university-main-campus"},{"applicants":70028,"application_fee":60,"college":"Ohio State University-Main Campus","control":"Public","slug":"ohio-state-university-main-campus","state":"OH","url":"/colleges/ohio-state-university-main-campus"},{"applicants":47208,"application_fee":60,"college":"Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University","control":"Public","slug":"virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university","state":"VA","url":"/colleges/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university"},{"applicants":58416,"application_fee":55,"college":"University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus","state":"PA","url":"/colleges/university-of-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus"},{"applicants":39863,"application_fee":55,"college":"University of Minnesota-Twin Cities","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-minnesota-twin-cities","state":"MN","url":"/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities"},{"applicants":36399,"application_fee":55,"college":"Temple University","control":"Public","slug":"temple-university","state":"PA","url":"/colleges/temple-university"},{"applicants":68840,"application_fee":50,"college":"Arizona State University Campus Immersion","control":"Public","slug":"arizona-state-university-campus-immersion","state":"AZ","url":"/colleges/arizona-state-university-campus-immersion"},{"applicants":67398,"application_fee":50,"college":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign","state":"IL","url":"/colleges/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign"},{"applicants":56466,"application_fee":50,"college":"University of Arizona","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-arizona","state":"AZ","url":"/colleges/university-of-arizona"},{"applicants":50488,"application_fee":50,"college":"The University of Tennessee-Knoxville","control":"Public","slug":"the-university-of-tennessee-knoxville","state":"TN","url":"/colleges/the-university-of-tennessee-knoxville"},{"applicants":50341,"application_fee":50,"college":"Stony Brook University","control":"Public","slug":"stony-brook-university","state":"NY","url":"/colleges/stony-brook-university"},{"applicants":49513,"application_fee":50,"college":"Binghamton University","control":"Public","slug":"binghamton-university","state":"NY","url":"/colleges/binghamton-university"},{"applicants":48178,"application_fee":50,"college":"Auburn University","control":"Public","slug":"auburn-university","state":"AL","url":"/colleges/auburn-university"},{"applicants":45313,"application_fee":50,"college":"Vanderbilt University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"vanderbilt-university","state":"TN","url":"/colleges/vanderbilt-university"},{"applicants":42558,"application_fee":50,"college":"Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College","control":"Public","slug":"louisiana-state-university-and-agricultural-and-mechanical-college","state":"LA","url":"/colleges/louisiana-state-university-and-agricultural-and-mechanical-college"},{"applicants":40204,"application_fee":50,"college":"Drexel University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"drexel-university","state":"PA","url":"/colleges/drexel-university"},{"applicants":38210,"application_fee":50,"college":"University at Buffalo","control":"Public","slug":"university-at-buffalo","state":"NY","url":"/colleges/university-at-buffalo"},{"applicants":36921,"application_fee":50,"college":"Liberty University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"liberty-university","state":"VA","url":"/colleges/liberty-university"},{"applicants":36612,"application_fee":50,"college":"Colorado State University-Fort Collins","control":"Public","slug":"colorado-state-university-fort-collins","state":"CO","url":"/colleges/colorado-state-university-fort-collins"},{"applicants":34498,"application_fee":50,"college":"Miami University-Oxford","control":"Public","slug":"miami-university-oxford","state":"OH","url":"/colleges/miami-university-oxford"},{"applicants":33165,"application_fee":50,"college":"University of Cincinnati-Main Campus","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-cincinnati-main-campus","state":"OH","url":"/colleges/university-of-cincinnati-main-campus"},{"applicants":58418,"application_fee":40,"college":"The University of Alabama","control":"Public","slug":"the-university-of-alabama","state":"AL","url":"/colleges/the-university-of-alabama"},{"applicants":37805,"application_fee":40,"college":"Northern Arizona University","control":"Public","slug":"northern-arizona-university","state":"AZ","url":"/colleges/northern-arizona-university"},{"applicants":35353,"application_fee":40,"college":"The University of Tampa","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"the-university-of-tampa","state":"FL","url":"/colleges/the-university-of-tampa"},{"applicants":74038,"application_fee":30,"college":"Florida State University","control":"Public","slug":"florida-state-university","state":"FL","url":"/colleges/florida-state-university"},{"applicants":65375,"application_fee":30,"college":"University of Florida","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-florida","state":"FL","url":"/colleges/university-of-florida"},{"applicants":65187,"application_fee":30,"college":"University of South Florida","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-south-florida","state":"FL","url":"/colleges/university-of-south-florida"},{"applicants":60627,"application_fee":30,"college":"University of Central Florida","control":"Public","slug":"university-of-central-florida","state":"FL","url":"/colleges/university-of-central-florida"},{"applicants":47978,"application_fee":0,"college":"Grand Canyon University","control":"Private for-profit","slug":"grand-canyon-university","state":"AZ","url":"/colleges/grand-canyon-university"},{"applicants":45127,"application_fee":0,"college":"Southern New Hampshire University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"southern-new-hampshire-university","state":"NH","url":"/colleges/southern-new-hampshire-university"},{"applicants":40468,"application_fee":0,"college":"Loyola University Chicago","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"loyola-university-chicago","state":"IL","url":"/colleges/loyola-university-chicago"},{"applicants":39735,"application_fee":0,"college":"Baylor University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"baylor-university","state":"TX","url":"/colleges/baylor-university"},{"applicants":32176,"application_fee":0,"college":"DePaul University","control":"Private nonprofit","slug":"depaul-university","state":"IL","url":"/colleges/depaul-university"}]}],"title":"What is the application fee at the 100 most-applied-to colleges?","updated":null,"url":"https://highschoolreach.com/research/application-fees-100-colleges"}