Top Universities in the USA Without Application Fees in 2025

Application fees at universities in the USA can be high and often go up to $150 per application. Especially for international students, this is often a large amount of money.

However, there are numerous universities across the USA that waive their application fees, or that don’t have any application fees to begin with.

This article will tell you everything that you need to know about these institutions. So let’s get right into it, beginning with the benefits of looking for universities in the USA without application fees.

Why look for universities in the USA with an application fee waiver?

Please note that an application fee waiver is different from a ‘no application fee’. To get a waiver you need to satisfy certain conditions and need to follow a specific process to benefit from the waiver. However many universities simply remove the application fee entirely, which encourages students to apply. 

There are many reasons to look for universities without an application fee for international students in the USA. Here are 5 of them.

It saves a lot of money

Application fees for universities in the USA typically fall in the band of $50 to $150 per application. If you apply to even a few select universities, these fees can add up quickly, totaling hundreds or even thousands of dollars. For instance, five applications at $150 each would equal $750 in application fees alone. At the exchange rate of 1 USD = 83.87 INR (as of August 19), this would be approximately ₹62,902.50.

It lets you apply to more schools

With the high expense of application fees, many students may be limited in how many universities they can realistically apply to. By choosing universities that waive the application fee, you can apply to a wider range of schools, without the financial burden.

You aren’t filtering out quality

Just because there are universities in the USA without an application fee doesn’t mean that you are compromising on quality. For instance, both Harvard and Yale offer application fee waivers, and they are two of the top schools in the USA. In fact, many applicants do not even realize that they are eligible for application fee waivers.

It demonstrates a commitment to students

Universities in the USA without an application fee show students that they want to make the application process as open and easy as possible. This is an attractive quality when considering potential schools, as it says a lot about the ethos of the institution.

It promotes merit-based admissions

The majority of universities in the USA are need-aware. Translation: given a choice between a highly qualified applicant who will need a scholarship and a lower-qualified candidate who will fully self-fund, they will choose the self-funder. For contrast, universities in the USA without an application fee often have a need-blind admissions process. This means that your application will be merit-based, and your ability to pay tuition fees will not be counted towards the admission decision. 

So, it’s clear that universities in the USA without an application fee come with a range of benefits. In the next section, we’ll share a list of these universities.

List of universities with application fee waivers in the USA

Here is a list of universities in the USA without an application fee, or that waive their application fees. 

We’ll split this section into three parts. First, a list of public universities in the USA without application fees, then a list of state universities, then a list of private universities.

But before we begin, an important note.

While all state universities are public, not all public universities are state universities. The key difference is that a state university is funded primarily by taxes collected from the state in which it is located. In contrast, a public university is funded by tax dollars from across the country.

Typically, state universities differentiate their tuition rates based on “in-state” and “out-of-state” residents. On the other hand, public universities categorize students as “home” or “international” for tuition purposes.

First, the list of public universities in the USA without application fees.

#	University Name	University Location	Type of Benefit
1	University of Alaska Anchorage	Anchorage, Alaska	Application Fee Waived
2	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Fairbanks, Alaska	Application Fee Waived
3	University of Alaska Southeast	Juneau, Alaska	Application Fee Waived
4	Arizona State University	Tempe, Arizona	Application Fee Waived
5	University of Arizona	Tucson, Arizona	Application Fee Waived
6	University of California, Berkeley	Berkeley, California	Application Fee Waived
7	University of California, Davis	Davis, California	Application Fee Waived
8	University of California, Irvine	Irvine, California	Application Fee Waived
9	University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)	Los Angeles, California	Application Fee Waived
10	University of California, Merced	Merced, California	Application Fee Waived
11	University of California, Riverside	Riverside, California	Application Fee Waived
12	University of California, San Diego	San Diego, California	Application Fee Waived
13	University of California, Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara, California	Application Fee Waived
14	University of California, Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz, California	Application Fee Waived
15	Colorado State University	Fort Collins, Colorado	Application Fee Waived
16	University of Connecticut	Storrs, Connecticut	Application Fee Waived
17	University of Delaware	Newark, Delaware	Application Fee Waived
18	University of Florida	Gainesville, Florida	Application Fee Waived
19	Georgia State University	Atlanta, Georgia	Application Fee Waived
20	University of Hawaii at Manoa	Honolulu, Hawaii	Application Fee Waived
21	Boise State University	Boise, Idaho	Application Fee Waived
22	University of Illinois at Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	Application Fee Waived
23	Indiana University Bloomington	Bloomington, Indiana	Application Fee Waived
24	Iowa State University	Ames, Iowa	Application Fee Waived
25	University of Kansas	Lawrence, Kansas	Application Fee Waived
26	University of Kentucky	Lexington, Kentucky	Application Fee Waived
27	Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Application Fee Waived
28	University of Maine	Orono, Maine	Application Fee Waived
29	University of Maryland, College Park	College Park, Maryland	Application Fee Waived
30	University of Massachusetts Amherst	Amherst, Massachusetts	Application Fee Waived

Also Read: Best Exams to Study in USA for Indian Students 2024 (Masters & UG)

Next, we share the list of state universities in the USA without application fees.

#	University Name	University Location	Type of Benefit
1	California State University, Chico	Chico, California	Application Fee Waived
2	California State University, Dominguez Hills	Carson, California	Application Fee Waived
3	California State University, East Bay	Hayward, California	Application Fee Waived
4	California State University, Fresno	Fresno, California	Application Fee Waived
5	California State University, Fullerton	Fullerton, California	Application Fee Waived
6	California State University, Long Beach	Long Beach, California	Application Fee Waived
7	California State University, Los Angeles	Los Angeles, California	Application Fee Waived
8	California State University, Northridge	Northridge, California	Application Fee Waived
9	University of Florida	Gainesville, Florida	Application Fee Waived
10	University of Georgia	Athens, Georgia	Application Fee Waived
11	University of Idaho	Moscow, Idaho	Application Fee Waived
12	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Urbana, Illinois	Application Fee Waived
13	University of Kentucky	Lexington, Kentucky	Application Fee Waived
14	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	Lafayette, Louisiana	Application Fee Waived
15	University of Maine	Orono, Maine	Application Fee Waived
16	University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Baltimore, Maryland	Application Fee Waived
17	University of Massachusetts Dartmouth	Dartmouth, Massachusetts	Application Fee Waived
18	University of Michigan-Flint	Flint, Michigan	Application Fee Waived
19	University of Minnesota Duluth	Duluth, Minnesota	Application Fee Waived
20	University of Missouri	Columbia, Missouri	Application Fee Waived
21	University of Nebraska at Omaha	Omaha, Nebraska	Application Fee Waived
22	University of New Mexico	Albuquerque, New Mexico	Application Fee Waived
23	University of North Carolina at Greensboro	Greensboro, North Carolina	Application Fee Waived
24	University of North Texas	Denton, Texas	Application Fee Waived
25	University of Utah	Salt Lake City, Utah	Application Fee Waived
26	University of Vermont	Burlington, Vermont	Application Fee Waived
27	University of Washington Tacoma	Tacoma, Washington	Application Fee Waived
28	West Virginia University	Morgantown, West Virginia	Application Fee Waived
29	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Application Fee Waived
30	University of Wyoming	Laramie, Wyoming	Application Fee Waived

And lastly, the list of private universities in the USA without application fees.

#	University Name	University Location	Type of Benefit
1	Harvard University	Cambridge, Massachusetts	Application Fee Waived
2	Albion College	Albion, Michigan	Application Fee Waived
3	Allegheny College	Meadville, Pennsylvania	Application Fee Waived
4	Arcadia University	Glenside, Pennsylvania	Application Fee Waived
5	Augustana College	Rock Island, Illinois	Application Fee Waived
6	Barnard College	New York City, New York	Application Fee Waived
7	Belmont University	Nashville, Tennessee	Application Fee Waived
8	Bentley University	Waltham, Massachusetts	Application Fee Waived
9	Berry College	Mount Berry, Georgia	Application Fee Waived
10	Biola University	La Mirada, California	Application Fee Waived
11	Boston College	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	Application Fee Waived
12	Boston University	Boston, Massachusetts	Application Fee Waived
13	Brandeis University	Waltham, Massachusetts	Application Fee Waived
14	Brigham Young University	Provo, Utah	Application Fee Waived
15	Bryant University	Smithfield, Rhode Island	Application Fee Waived
16	Bucknell University	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	Application Fee Waived
17	Butler University	Indianapolis, Indiana	Application Fee Waived
18	Canisius College	Buffalo, New York	Application Fee Waived
19	Carnegie Mellon University	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Application Fee Waived
20	Case Western Reserve University	Cleveland, Ohio	Application Fee Waived
21	Chapman University	Orange, California	Application Fee Waived
22	Clark University	Worcester, Massachusetts	Application Fee Waived
23	Clarkson University	Potsdam, New York	Application Fee Waived
24	Clemson University	Clemson, South Carolina	Application Fee Waived
25	College of Charleston	Charleston, South Carolina	Application Fee Waived
26	College of the Holy Cross	Worcester, Massachusetts	Application Fee Waived
27	Colorado College	Colorado Springs, Colorado	Application Fee Waived
28	Columbia University	New York City, New York	Application Fee Waived
29	Concordia College	Moorhead, Minnesota	Application Fee Waived
30	Cornell University	Ithaca, New York	Application Fee Waived

Now, private universities don’t give as many waivers to applicants as public or state universities. Additionally, the costs of studying at a private university are usually higher, and their criteria for scholarships and waivers are more stringent.

The lists above are in no way exhaustive. 

Many universities offer application fee waivers if you simply email the admissions office. You’ll never know if you never ask.

In the next section, we’ll detail some important points to remember about universities in the USA without an application fee.

Also Read: 5 Most Affordable Universities in the USA for Indian Students

Things to note about the application fee waiver offered by universities

Here are some key points to note about the universities above that had “Application Fee Waived” written in the “Type of Benefit” column:

It’s not a guarantee

Some universities have a limited number of waivers they can give out. Different colleges may have different quotas, or they may have exclusion criteria. So, just because a university offers the option to request a fee waiver does not mean that it’s a guarantee.

The eligibility criteria vary

Each university has its specific eligibility criteria for fee waivers. These may include factors such as financial need, participation in certain programs, or status as a first-generation college student. It’s essential to review the requirements for each institution to determine if you qualify.

Waivers do not affect admission decisions

Receiving a fee waiver will not disadvantage your application in any way. Admissions committees evaluate all applications based on merit, and the waiver is simply a tool to make the application process more accessible.

May be limited to specific programs, departments, or colleges

Some universities may only offer application fee waivers for certain academic programs or schools within the institution. For example, Carnegie Mellon University provides waivers for the School of Computer Science, while the Master of Software Engineering Program offers need-based waivers.

May be delivered through partners and special events

Universities may collaborate with specific partner organizations, such as EducationUSA or other non-government organizations, to offer application fee waivers to their participants. Another common conditional waiver is to attend a Zoom meeting, where the waiver code will be given at the end.

While application fee waivers are a great help for students, a much better way to look at the admissions process is from an ROI perspective rather than an expense perspective. SelectRight helps you quickly compare thousands of programs on various criteria so you can find a university that offers high ROI, has a great alumni network, is very likely to accept your application, and is one for which most lenders offer education loans.

SelectRight is a platform that simplifies the university and program selection process for students wishing to study abroad. It uses an AI-driven algorithm that analyzes over 8 million data points from 40,000 programs to match you with the best options based on your academic, financial, and professional profile. This method removes the guesswork, ensuring you apply to universities where you are highly likely to gain admission and can expect a high return on investment.

Here’s how SelectRight works:

1. Create a free profile on SelectRight and provide all necessary information about your academic background, test scores, and preferences.
2. The algorithm processes your details and generates a shortlist of the best-suited universities and programs for you.
3. Compare the shortlisted universities using advanced criteria such as alumni networks, recent placements, and faculty quality.
4. Get help from an expert advisor at any stage of your application process.
5. Connect with peers, alumni, and faculty from the shortlisted universities to get your questions answered and make informed decisions.

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In the next section, we’ll talk about the exact process of getting these application fee waivers.

How to apply to universities that offer application fee waivers

The process of applying to universities in the USA without an application fee typically involves the following steps:

1. Start by compiling a list of universities that offer application fee waivers. You could select them from our lists above.

2. Look at the requirements for each specific university and/or program.

3. Many universities require you to submit a separate fee waiver request form along with your application. If this is the case, fill out this form, and ensure all details are accurate and verifiable.

4. Depending on the university, you may need to submit additional documents to support your fee waiver request. Commonly, these are financial statements, tax returns, or letters of recommendation.

5. Once your fee waiver request is approved, submit your application. 

6. After submitting your application, monitor its status and respond promptly to any requests for additional information or clarification from the university.

7. If your application is successful and you receive an offer of admission, carefully review the terms and conditions and then accept it.

Note that different universities will have varying deadlines for their admissions process. 

Typically, schools also have a limited number of waivers that they are allowed to offer each year, so get your request in as early as possible.

In the next section, we’ll talk about other costs during the application process that you might not have considered.

Also Read: Study in USA: Process, Requirements, Documents, Visa & Benefits

Other costs involved in the admission process

Here are some “hidden” costs that you are bound to encounter during your study abroad journey:

Exam preparation and related costs

To begin with there are the English proficiency exams like the IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE Academic. At the graduate level, you have to take exams like the GMAT, GRE, MCAT, and LSAT to get admission to your program. To make yourself a competitive applicant, you have to give at least one of these. The preparation and actual exam costs for these papers can quickly mount, which is a factor that not many people consider.

Transcript and translation costs

Requesting official transcripts from previous schools can incur fees, typically ranging from $5 to $15 per transcript. At the exchange rate of 1 USD = 83.87 INR (as of August 19), this would be approximately ₹420 to ₹1,258 per transcript. Additionally, if those transcripts were not in English, then official translations must be requested and notarized, which can be a further $100 per document.

Attestation and apostillation

For students from certain regions (e.g. Punjab and Haryana in India), their documents need to be verified before submission. This is done at the USA embassy or high commission and involves a stamp and hologram being put on the document. This is done to verify the authenticity of the document. These could add another $50 per document. At the exchange rate of 1 USD = 83.87 INR (as of August 19), this would be approximately ₹4,192 per document.

Enrollment deposits

If accepted, universities often require a non-refundable enrollment deposit to secure a spot in the incoming class. These deposits can range from $100 to $500 or more. Many students pay this deposit at their “fallback” school while awaiting a decision from their target university. This is a sunk cost that you will not get back, should you leave the fallback and accept another offer down the line.

Interest rates

A surprising cost that not many students consider is the interest rate on loans. Many students take education loans to fund their education in the USA. However, with hundreds of loan providers, finding a loan with good terms can be challenging. Even half a percent lower interest rate can save you lakhs of rupees over the course of your repayments. 

Also Read: Indian Student Expenses in USA

As you can see, there are several costs involved in the study abroad process, but the one that matters most is the interest expense on your education loan. Even a 0.5% saving can translate to many lakhs over the repayment duration of your loan. To help you find the best education loan, we have made FundRight.

FundRight is an innovative platform that simplifies the loan search process. Instead of students approaching multiple lenders, FundRight brings the lenders to you, offering competitive loan options tailored to your needs.

Here’s how FundRight works:

1. Create a free profile on FundRight by providing all the necessary information about your educational plans and financial requirements.
2. The system matches you with the best lenders based on your profile, and you receive multiple competitive loan offers within two days.
3. Compare the loan offers on various criteria such as interest rates, repayment terms, and other benefits.
4. Consult with an unbiased financial expert from FundRight who can help you choose the best loan option and negotiate with lenders on your behalf.
5. Upload all the required documents securely through the FundRight portal, and receive your loan approval in as little as 10 days.

Ready to secure the best education loan for Spring 2025 admissions? Sign up on FundRight today and discover how much you can save.

And with that, we come to the end of this article on universities in the USA without an application fee for international students. We hope you found it useful, and we’ll see you in the next one.

FAQs about universities with application fee waivers