Universities Without Application Fees: Apply for Admissions for Free!

52 Top Colleges without Application Fees for Students

Yousaf SaeedLast Updated: August 9, 2021

6 minutes read

Forbes List of Top Colleges Without Application Fees 2020-2021

Seeking admission into a college or university demands application submission; which requires processing fees as well. But there are a number of Universities and Colleges that do not charge application fees. So why pay the application fee? when there are a variety of Top-ranked colleges and Universities that do not even cost a single penny for the application fee for admissions.

Nowadays, it is common to expect the expenses regarding the application fee when applying to a college. College is already expensive, and the application fee expenses make it further costly, putting additional strain on students.

Colleges usually charge an application fee of 75$ USD on average, making it difficult for a majority of students to apply to a college. Thus, it becomes a stumbling block in a bright student’s educational career.

Looking for colleges that do not charge application fees is hard. But fret not! We have got you covered. We have made it convenient for you to go through a list of colleges without an application fee, and choose the one appropriate for you. A vast majority of these colleges even provide full-ride scholarships to candidates.

But why do colleges set an admission fee criterion?

This is because they want to avoid thousands of student applications. Colleges usually increase their application fee every year, making it difficult for a majority of students to even submit an application.

Many colleges state that they do not charge application fees if a student applies via their online portal. This offers an additional alternative to students who do not wish to pay the huge application fee.

We recommend that you apply to colleges that do not charge an admission fee, like the ones listed below.

List of Universities Without Application Fees in 2023

If you submit an online application to any one of the colleges listed below, rest assured you won’t have to pay a penny.

Following is the complete and updated Forbes list of universities without application fees:

#1 Carleton College: No Application Fees

Ranked 16 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no online application fees for local students at Carleton College

#2 Yale University: No Application Fees

Ranked 06 in Forbes Top Colleges
Yale University application fee is $80 (or you can apply for an application fee waiver)

#3 Thomas Aquinas College: No Application Fees

Ranked 16 in Forbes Top Colleges
The Thomas Aquinas College charges an application fee of $30 or applies for an application fee waiver

#4 University of Louisiana, Tulane: No Application Fees

Ranked 15 in Forbes Top Colleges
The University of Louisiana, Tulane Application fee of $25 (fluctuating since 2020), but you can apply for an application fees waiver.

#5 Wellesley College: No Application Fees

Ranked 29 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no online application fees in Wellesley College if granted a tuition fee waiver, the normal application fee is $50, but you can apply for an application fees waiver.

#6 Colby College: No Application Fees

Ranked 39 in Forbes Top Colleges
Colby College has No application fee

#7 Kenyon College: No Application Fees

Ranked 42 in Forbes Top Colleges
Kenyon College online applications have no application fees but paper applications in Kenyon college require US$50 as an application processing fee, but you can apply for an application fees waiver.

#8 Smith College: No Application Fees

Ranked 49 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no application fee to apply to Smith college for admission.

#9 Reed College: No Application Fees

Ranked 49 in Forbes Top Colleges
Reed College has no application fees if the application comes from a common App.

#10 Grinnell College: No Application Fees

Ranked 58 in Forbes Top Colleges
Grinnell College has no online application fees via Common App.

#11 Union College: No Application Fees

Ranked 57 in Forbes Top Colleges
Union College has no online application fees via Common App and normal application fees in Union college is US$50, but you can apply for an application fees waiver.

#12 Centre College: No Application Fees

Ranked 81 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no online application fees in Centre College via Common App.

#13 Bryn Mawr College: No Application Fees

Ranked 6 in Forbes Top Colleges
Bryn Mawr College has no application fees if applied for admission via the common app but there is an application fee of US$50 for normal applications, but you can apply for an application fees waiver.

#14 Earlham College: No Application Fees

Ranked 91 in Forbes Top Colleges
Earlham College has no application fees if applied for admission via the common app but there is an application fee of US$35 for normal applications, but you can apply for an application fees waiver.

#15 The Depauw University: No Application Fees

Ranked 92 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no online application fees at the Depauw University via Common App

#16 Denison University: No Application Fees

Ranked 95 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#17 Rhodes College: No Application Fees

Ranked 93 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#18 Mount Holyoke College: No Application Fees

Ranked 97 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#19 College St. Olaf: No Application Fees

Ranked 109 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#20 University of South, Sewanee: No Application Fees

Ranked 98 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#21 The Hampshire College: No Application Fees

Ranked 110 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#22 The Case Western Reserve University: No Application Fees

Ranked 127 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#23 Clark and Lewis College: No Application Fees

Ranked 115 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#24 Trinity University: No Application Fees

Ranked 132 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#25 Wooster College: No Application Fees

Ranked 136 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#26 Juniata College: No Application Fees

Ranked 133 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no online application fees in Juniata College via Common App

#27 Presbyterian College: No Application Fees

Ranked 142 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no online application fees in Presbyterian College via Common App

#28 Ohio Wesleyan University: No Application Fees

Ranked 14 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no online application fees at Ohio Wesleyan University via Common App

#29 Drake University: No Application Fees

Ranked 143 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#30 Hendrix College: No Application Fees

Ranked 152 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#31 Hobart William Smith College: No Application Fees

Ranked 160 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#32 Creighton University: No Application Fees

Ranked 156 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#33 John’s College: No Application Fees

Ranked 162 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no online application fees in John’s College via Common App

#34 Hamden Sydney College: No Application Fees

Ranked 171 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#35 Beloit College: No Application Fees

Ranked 165 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#36 Hills Dale College: No Application Fees

Ranked 178 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#37 SLU – Saint Louis University: No Application Fees

Ranked 191 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#38 The Transylvania University: No Application Fees

Ranked 184 in Forbes Top Colleges
There is no online application fees in Transylvania University via Common App

#39 South-Western University: No Application Fees

Ranked 19 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#40 Ursinus College: No Application Fees

Ranked 193 in Forbes Top Colleges
No online application fees via Common App

#41 Gustavus Adolphus College: No Application Fees