Common App Fee Waiver?

What do you need to know about the Common App fee waiver?

As a part of the common app, colleges want to make sure that your children don’t feel as if there is a barrier between them and their education. If you feel that due to financial circumstances your child could qualify for an application fee waiver, requests could be made in the Common Application Fee Waiver section in the Profile section.

Any of the following in the fee waiver eligibility list could result in an application fee waiver: 

• Your child has received or is eligible to receive an ACT or SAT testing fee waiver

• Your child is enrolled in or eligible to participate in the Federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program (FRPL)

• Your annual family income falls within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service

• Your child is enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families (e.g., TRIO programs such as Upward Bound)

• Your family receives public assistance

• Your child lives in a federally subsidized public housing, a foster home or are homeless

• Your child is a ward of the state or an orphan

• A supporting statement from a school official, college access counselor, financial aid officer, or community leader can be provided

Your child’s counselor will be asked to complete a Fee Waiver form to affirm the request for a fee waiver.

International applicants may also be eligible for the Common App fee waiver. If your child meets at least one of the options of economic need outlined in the Common App fee waiver question, please state so on the application. However, it is up to each individual school to determine if they will accept the fee waiver request. If a school determines they do not qualify for an application fee waiver, be prepared to pay the application fee after submission.

Where can my child find helpful information about Scholar Snapp?

Scholar Snapp is a program that lets students apply for scholarships online and then re-use that information for other scholarship applications without having to retype the information over and over. This will help your child complete their applications faster by pre-populating basic information requested in nearly all scholarship applications. By using the Eligibility legend on the Scholar Snapp website, students will be able to determine whether or not a specific scholarship application is a fit for them (ex. merit-based, financial need-based, enrollment requirements, geographic requirements, etc.).

Why isn’t my child’s scholarship status in their application?

A program called Scholar Snapp makes it easier for students to apply for scholarships online without requiring them to retype their personal information for each individual application. However, to check the status of an individual scholarship application, your child should refer to the websites provided by the scholarships.

How does my child pay for their application fee?

After your child has carefully and thoroughly gone through their application, they will need to submit their completed application and pay the application fee as well. In order to do this, they simply need to head over to the “Review and Submit – Common App” section for the college of their choosing. Once they’ve confirmed that their application is ready to be submitted, they’ll be redirected to the Common App’s third party payment vendor to pay their fee. 

Your child will then be directed back to their application to sign and submit their application. Please note that the application is NOT SUBMITTED until your child has signed and submitted the application.