The Cost of Applying to College: Fee Waivers and Free Campus Visits for the Class of 2027

Most families plan for tuition. Fewer plan for the money it takes just to apply. Application fees, test score reports, and campus visits can add up to several hundred dollars before a single acceptance letter arrives. If you are in the Class of 2027 and aiming for a Fall 2027 start, this is the best time to learn which of those costs you can skip, shrink, or have covered.

This guide explains who qualifies for application fee waivers, how to request them on the Common App, the Coalition application, and with the NACAC form, and what to do about campus visits when travel is out of reach. It also shows where these steps fit into your Fall 2027 aid calendar.

Can I Get My College Application Fees Waived?

Yes, many students can. Colleges set their own application fees, and most accept at least one type of fee waiver for students with financial need. Ask your counselor or the admission office how a waiver is handled, since policies differ by college.

The details depend on the program. According to Appily's guide to college application fee waivers, common signs of eligibility include:

• Eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals
• Participation in certain low-income programs, public assistance, or subsidized housing
• Foster care, homelessness, or orphan status
• Federal Pell Grant eligibility
• Verification of financial need by an authorized official, such as a school counselor

Each college makes the final decision. If your situation does not fit a checklist neatly, ask anyway. An admission office can often tell you what it accepts in a single email.

What if my family does not qualify on paper?

Some families fall just outside the lines but still feel the squeeze of paying for six or eight applications. In that case, ask each college about its own fee policy. Many colleges waive fees for students who visit campus, attend a virtual event, or apply by a certain date. Those offers are listed on admission pages, so check before you pay.

How to Request a Fee Waiver, Step by Step

Pick the method that matches the application you are using. Details below come from Appily and NACAC.

Common App

Open the Profile section and find the Fee Waiver section. Answer "Yes" to the fee waiver statement and add your signature. Your counselor is asked to confirm your eligibility, and you can submit applications while that confirmation is pending.

Coalition application

Answer the fee waiver questions in your application profile. Coalition says it does not require extra documentation or verification for this process.

The NACAC fee waiver form

This form is for first-time undergraduate applicants with financial need. Here is how it works:

1. Download the fillable PDF and complete the student sections.
2. Have an authorized official, such as a school counselor, principal, or community organization staff member, complete their section.
3. Send one form to each school's admission office. Ask the school which delivery method it accepts.
4. Follow up two to four weeks later to check on the status.

NACAC recommends using the form for no more than four schools. It also does not keep a list of colleges that accept it, so you will need to check each college directly.

If you are Pell Grant eligible, NACAC says you can confirm your need through the FAFSA Submission Summary. If you are not Pell eligible, you may be able to self-certify if your family income falls within the USDA income guidelines the form links to.

SAT and ACT waivers

Students who receive a College Board or ACT fee waiver for testing may also be able to use it for applications. Check your My SAT account for benefits, then use the College Board college search to confirm that a specific college accepts the waiver. For ACT, use your waiver code when you register and follow the school's instructions for sending the form.

Why a Fee Waiver and the FAFSA Work Well Together

Two things help prove financial need at once: your FAFSA and the Pell Grant. NACAC points to the FAFSA Submission Summary as a way to confirm Pell eligibility for the waiver form. That gives families one more reason to file early.

The 2027-28 FAFSA is open now and uses 2025 tax information. If you want a head start, read our guide to filing the 2027-28 FAFSA early when state aid is first-come. If you are stuck on the form itself, see where to get free FAFSA help.

You can also start with the FAFSA at StudentAid.gov. Each contributor, such as a parent, needs their own StudentAid.gov account.

The Other Application Costs Families Forget

Application fees are only one line item. Plan for these as well:

• Score reports. If a college you are applying to requires or recommends test scores, sending them can carry a separate fee. Many colleges are test-optional, so confirm before you pay.
• CSS Profile fees. Some private colleges ask for the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA. The Profile has its own fees, and fee waivers are available for eligible families. Our CSS Profile checklist for 2027-28 lists the documents you will need.
• Transcript and counselor fees. Some high schools charge for sending transcripts. Ask your counselor early.
• Travel for visits and interviews. See the next section.

A simple way to budget: list every college, write down its application fee, and mark which ones you can waive. Then add the cost of any visits you plan to make. Seeing the total helps you decide how long your list should be.

Free and Low-Cost Ways to Visit Colleges

A campus visit can help you decide, but a plane ticket and hotel room are out of reach for many families. You have more options than you might think.

Fly-in programs

Some colleges pay for selected students to visit. For example, the Claremont McKenna College Fall Preview Program covers airfare, lodging, and meals, and gives participants a fee waiver for their first-year application. It gives priority to first-generation, rural, or low-income students. Bryn Mawr's fly-in program is also fully funded and is aimed at first-generation and limited-income students.

Here is the catch: many of these programs take applications in the summer before senior year. The 2026 deadlines for those two programs have already passed. That does not mean the door is closed. Ask each admission office whether it has a later program, a spring visit, or travel assistance. Also check the programs again next summer if a younger sibling is in the Class of 2028 or 2029.

Virtual tours and events

Most colleges offer virtual tours, live chats with students, and online information sessions at no cost. Admission offices often track who attends, and some count it as a sign of interest. These events are a good first filter for a long list.

Local visits and group trips

Visit the colleges closest to you first, even if they are not your top choices. Seeing a large public university, a small private college, and a community college in one weekend helps you figure out what fits. Ask your counselor about school-sponsored bus trips and college fairs.

Ask about travel help

Some colleges offer travel grants to admitted students who want to visit before they decide. This is a question to ask after you are admitted, so add it to your list for the admission office.

Where This Fits in Your Fall 2027 Timeline

Because these costs come early, the best time to act is now through December. Here is a simple plan for the Class of 2027:

1. October: Build your college list. Check each college's application fee and its fee waiver policy.
2. October and November: Create your FAFSA account and file the 2027-28 FAFSA if you can. Ask your counselor to sign any fee waiver forms before holiday breaks.
3. Early deadlines: Early Decision and Early Action deadlines are often in November. Our Early Decision and Early Action aid timeline explains what to expect and when.
4. December and January: Submit Regular Decision applications. Follow up on any fee waiver forms that are still pending.
5. Winter and spring: Compare aid offers. A college with a higher sticker price can cost less once grants are included, so look at net price, not sticker price.

If you are not sure what a college will cost your family, try a net price calculator. Our guide to using a college net price calculator walks through the steps, and what net price means explains why it matters more than tuition.

Questions to Ask Every Admission Office

When you contact a college, these questions save time:

• Do you accept the NACAC fee waiver, the Common App fee waiver, or the Coalition fee waiver?
• Do you waive the fee for students who visit, attend an event, or apply early?
• Do you offer any travel help or fly-in programs?
• Do you require the CSS Profile, and is there a fee waiver for it?
• Who is the best person to talk to about financial aid?

Keep the answers in a simple list or spreadsheet. If a college is slow to reply, follow up in two to four weeks, as NACAC advises for its form.

The Bottom Line

You should not have to pay to find out whether a college is right for you. Fee waivers, free virtual events, and fully funded visit programs exist so that cost does not decide who gets to apply. Ask early, ask every college, and keep your counselor in the loop. Then use the CollegeLens plan to see how your college list compares once aid is included.

Create your free CollegeLens plan to compare colleges by net price and plan your Fall 2027 costs.

For the full picture of the 2027-28 aid year, see our 2027-28 financial aid complete guide.

-- Sravani at CollegeLens