Colleges With No Application Fee in 2023

Despite most college applications being mainly online nowadays, many colleges still charge application fees. Find out the colleges that have no application fee.

Colleges With No Application Fee in 2023
Billy Albert

Even in this day and age, when college applications can be done completely online without physical paper and mailing, many schools still charge fees for applying to them. And though application fees aren't typically expensive, if you're applying to several colleges, these fees can add up. A $25 application fee here, a $75 application fee there, and pretty soon if you're applying to a half-dozen colleges, these fees will easily total over $100 or even more.

We went through every state in the US and compiled a list of every four-year public college and private, not-for-profit college that charges no application fee. Some of these colleges include community colleges, which are traditionally seen as less than four-year institutions, but many community colleges have four-year, bachelor's degree programs, so ones that did not charge application fees were included in our list. There are also some colleges with no application fee that must be qualified; for example, colleges that don't charge an application fee if the applicant submits their application by a certain date or there might be colleges that are currently running application fee waiver policies. These special cases were included in our list but these conditions were noted.

When we talk about college with no application fee, here we’re talking about incoming freshmen, first-time students — not graduate students or international students or transfer students and the like. And while many colleges allow for application fees to be waived if you can show financial hardship, our list consists of colleges that do not charge an application fee in the first place, and thus don’t require a waiver application.

Read on to find out every college with no application fee by state and in the US overall.

Colleges With No Application Fee by State

Click on the jumplinks below to see the colleges in each state, plus the District of Columbia, that do not charge an application fee:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California
Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida
Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana
Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine
Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi
Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire
New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota
Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island
South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah
Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin
Wyoming

Alabama Colleges With No Application Fee

The vast majority of colleges in Alabama do charge application fees. However, there are a handful of colleges with no application fee policies, or at the least, have continued to waive them:

Alaska Colleges With No Application Fee

There aren’t many four-year public or private colleges in Alaska. Of the few colleges that do reside in Alaska, most of them charge application fees. But there is at least one college with no application fee in Alaska, and it so happens to also be the best vet school in the state:

Arizona Colleges With No Application Fee

Arizona is home to more than a dozen four-year institutions of higher-learning. Unfortunately, most of them charge application fees. There is at least one exception, as noted below:

Arkansas Colleges With No Application Fee

Arkansas is home to more than two dozen colleges and universities. Interestingly, many of the Arkansas colleges with no application fee requirements are actually public institutions, which goes against the general trend of private, not-for-profit schools usually being the main colleges that charge no fees:

California Colleges With No Application Fee

California boasts the largest number of colleges of any state in the U.S. However, the downside is that most colleges in California do charge an application fee. Below is a list of California colleges with no application fee requirements:

Colorado Colleges With No Application Fee

Most of the colleges that do not charge an application fee in Colorado are either private, not-for-profit institutions or community colleges that offer four-year programs. There is at least one large public university — Metropolitan State University of Denver — that doesn’t charge an application fee. Otherwise, most of Colorado’s big state schools do have application fees:

Connecticut Colleges With No Application Fee

Connecticut has a good amount of colleges for how small the state is. While most colleges and universities do charge application fees, there are a handful of colleges with no application fee requirements:

Delaware Colleges With No Application Fee

Delaware has few four-year institutions of higher education to begin with, so finding a college with no application fee was even tougher here. But there was at least one college that doesn't charge an application fee:

D.C. Colleges With No Application Fee

Most colleges in the District of Columbia charge some sort of application fee. Below are three colleges with no application fee in the nation’s capital:

Florida Colleges With No Application Fee

Florida has a ton of colleges and universities, ranging from the massive, public University of Central Florida (which has roughly 70,000 total students), down to small, private, not-for-profit University of Fort Lauderdale, which has just a few hundred. Florida is also home to some of the best colleges for marine biology as well. Unfortunately, despite its large number of schools, most Florida colleges charge application fees. Below is a list of the Florida colleges with no application fee requirements:

Georgia Colleges With No Application Fee

Georgia is home to several dozen four-year colleges, including some of the best HBCU colleges in the US. Most colleges and universities in Georgia charge application fees, but there are a few colleges with no application fee requirements:

Hawaii Colleges With No Application Fee

Hawaii doesn't have much land to work with, so it isn't surprising there aren't many four-year colleges in this tropical state. However, at least two colleges do not charge application fees:

Idaho Colleges With No Application Fee

Idaho isn’t home to too many four-year institutions of higher education. But, of the few it does have, a high proportion of those colleges do not charge an application fee, including:

Illinois Colleges With No Application Fee

Illinois is home to more than 70 four-year public and private, not-for-profit colleges. Fortunately, a good many of these colleges charge no application fee. Some colleges, like Judson University, waive the application fee if you apply by a certain time. And, good news for bowlers, McKendree University has no application fee and is one of the best colleges with bowling teams on the varsity level:

Indiana Colleges With No Application Fee

Indiana is home to a lot of colleges and a lot of colleges with no application fee. ThreeIndiana colleges that do not charge an application fee include Marian University, the University of Evansville, and Wabahs College, all of which ranked among the best colleges in Indiana in a study conducted by BrokeScholar:

Iowa Colleges With No Application Fee

As is common with other states, the majority of Iowa colleges that do not charge application fees are private, not-for-profit schools. The good news is that there are quite a few colleges with no application fee requirement or will waive it for various reasons:

Kansas Colleges With No Application Fee

Kansas is home to many colleges with no application fee requirements. Though the Kansas colleges that do not charge application fees tend to be smaller colleges and universities. Below is a list of Kansas’s list of colleges with no application fees:

Kentucky Colleges With No Application Fee

Kentucky has a solid number of colleges that charge no application fee. These colleges tend to be private, not-for-profit schools, though one notable exception is Eastern Kentucky University, which is a large, public university. Below is Kentucky’s list of colleges with no application fees:

Louisiana Colleges With No Application Fee

Unlike Kentucky above, Louisiana doesn’t have nearly as many colleges that don’t charge application fees. Most colleges in Louisiana — both public and private, not-for-profit — charge application fees of roughly $20 to $50. But there are a few Louisiana colleges with no application fee requirement:

Maine Colleges With No Application Fee

Maine is home to one of the best colleges with no application fee: Colby College. Considered a “Little Ivy” college, Colby College is one of the hardest colleges to get into in the US, with an admission rate for the class of 2026 of just 9.1%. What’s more, Maine has one of the highest proportions of colleges with no application fee requirements, including large numbers of both public, state colleges and private, not-for-profit colleges:

Maryland Colleges With No Application Fee

Maryland has almost three dozen four-year public and private, not-for-profit colleges, yet most of them charge application fees. On average, the application fees charged by Maryland colleges run a bit high, with Johns Hopkins, for example, imposing a $70 application fee on incoming undergraduate students. Below are some of the colleges with no application fee requirements:

Massachusetts Colleges With No Application Fee

Massachusetts is home to nearly 100 four-year colleges and universities, including some of the Seven Sisters Colleges, which rank among the best in the country academically. Below is a list of the most notable Massachusetts colleges with no application fee requirements:

Michigan Colleges With No Application Fee

Michigan has several dozen colleges and universities. Fortunately for applicants, many Michigan colleges do not charge an application fee for first-time, domestic students:

Minnesota Colleges With No Application Fee

Minnesota is fairly balanced in terms of the number of colleges that charge application fees versus the number that don’t. Per the common trend found in many other states, Minnesota colleges with no application fee tend to be private, not-for-profit colleges rather than public colleges for the most part:

Mississippi Colleges With No Application Fee

Most Mississippi colleges do charge application fees, but don’t make them particularly burdensome, unlike colleges in other states. Below are some Mississippi colleges with no application fee for incoming freshmen:

Missouri Colleges With No Application Fee

Missouri boasts a great deal of colleges with no application fees. The colleges are a fairly balanced mix of larger public colleges and smaller  private, not-for-profit colleges. Below is a list of Missouri colleges with no application fee requirement:

Montana Colleges With No Application Fee

Montana has a couple of big state colleges, like the University of Montana and Montana State University. But beyond those two, the rest of Montana’s colleges are on the small side. The good news is there are a number of Montana colleges with no application fee requirements:

Nebraska Colleges With No Application Fee

Here in Nebraska, it was primarily the private, not-for-profit colleges that don’t charge application fees. That said, there were at least three public colleges with no application fee, but none of them were the big state schools, like the University of Nebraska, whose campuses charge $45 per application. Below are some of the Nebraska colleges with no application fee policies:

Nevada Colleges With No Application Fee

Like many other states in the US, Nevada isn’t home to that many four-year public or private, not-for-profit colleges. But one still might have expected at least one of them to not charge an application fee. It turns out that every four-year college in Nevada has an undergraduate, first-time student application fee. The two schools in the University of Nevada system — University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) — both charge $60 for first-time applicants.

New Hampshire Colleges With No Application Fee

Like some other New England states, New Hampshire has a noticeably high proportion of colleges with no application fee requirements. Indeed, far more New Hampshire colleges charge no application fee than ones that do. See below for the colleges with no application fee:

New Jersey Colleges With No Application Fee

The vast majority of colleges in New Jersey charge application fees. And they can run on the high side, for example, the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s application fee is $75, as is The College of New Jersey’s (TCNJ), and Kean University’s. Below are New Jersey colleges with no application fee:

New Mexico Colleges With No Application Fee

New Mexico has only a little over a dozen four-year public or private, not-for-profit colleges. A little over half of them charge application fees. But for at least six of them, New Mexico does have some colleges with no application fee requirements or fees that have been indefinitely waived:

New York Colleges With No Application Fee

New York has nearly 200 four-year public and private, not-for-profit colleges. The good news for applicants is that many New York colleges do not charge an application fee. However, nearly all the colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system charge an application fee, with a few exceptions. Below is a list of New York colleges with no application fee requirements:

North Carolina Colleges With No Application Fee

Some of the best colleges in North Carolina include nationally-recognized schools such as Duke University and Wake Forest. Yet these academic powerhouses all charge application fees. Below you’ll find a list of North Carolina colleges with no application fee as part of their admissions requirements:

North Dakota Colleges With No Application Fee

Most public colleges in North Dakota charge an application fee of $35, with the main exception of colleges created specifically for providing Native Americans with higher education. But there is at least one college with no application fee in North Dakota:

Ohio Colleges With No Application Fee

If you’re applying to college in Ohio, you have plenty of options to choose from. Ohio is home to more than 100 four-year public and private, not-for-profit colleges and universities. Though some of its most well-known colleges, such as The Ohio State University, Kent State, or the University of Cincinnati, all charge application fees, a good many colleges have no application fee requirements:

Oklahoma Colleges With No Application Fee

When it comes to colleges with no application fee, Oklahoma has several of them, both public and private, not-for-profit institutions:

Oregon Colleges With No Application Fee

The colleges with no application fee in Oregon are all private, not-for-profit colleges. Most public colleges and universities in Oregon charge an application fee of between $50 and $60. Below are the Oregon colleges that charge no application fees:

Pennsylvania Colleges With No Application Fee

Pennsylvania is a juggernaut when it comes to the number of colleges and universities it has. With well over 100 four-year institutions, Pennsylvania also manages to have several colleges with no application fee requirements. A couple of them, for example, Bryn Mawr College and Dickinson College, don’t charge application fees and rank among the best colleges in Pennsylvania academically:

Rhode Island Colleges With No Application Fee

The vast majority of four-year colleges in Rhode Island charge application fees for incoming freshmen students. However, there is at least one college with no application fee in Rhode Island:

South Carolina Colleges With No Application Fee

The colleges with no application fee in South Carolina are primarily private, not-for-profit institutions. Though one notable exception is Lander University, which is a public university. Below are the South Carolina colleges that do not charge an application fee:

South Dakota Colleges With No Application Fee

The South Dakota colleges that charge no application fees tend to be private, not-for-profit institutions. For example, South Dakota’s largest public college — South Dakota State University — charges an application fee of $20, as does the second largest public college, University of South Dakota. Below are the colleges with no application fees in South Dakota:

Tennessee Colleges With No Application Fee

Tennessee is home to about four dozen four-year public and private universities. Fortunately for applicants, a fairly high proportion of them do not charge application fees. This includes the University of the South, one of the best colleges in Tennessee:

Texas Colleges With No Application Fee

The Lone Star State is home to easily more than 100 colleges and universities. While most of its bigger-name public universities do charge an application fee, there are many Texas colleges with no application fee. See below for a list of some of the notable colleges with no application fee in Texas:

Utah Colleges With No Application Fee

Unlike Texas, Utah only has a handful of private and public four-year institutions of higher-education. Out of this small number of colleges, at least one university does not charge an application fee:

Vermont Colleges With No Application Fee

Vermont is a small state and doesn’t have too many four-year public or private colleges. However, out of the few colleges it does have, a high proportion of Vermont colleges do not charge application fees:

Virginia Colleges With No Application Fee

Virginia has more than enough colleges to go around, but most of them charge application fees. However, Virginia does have a solid amount of colleges with no application fee requirements. And one of them, Averett University, also ranked among the best colleges in Virginia in a separate BrokeScholar study:

Washington Colleges With No Application Fee

Washington state is excellent when it comes to having colleges with no application fees. The state has at least 17 colleges that do not charge an application fee, as you can see in the list below:

West Virginia Colleges With No Application Fee

For not having that many colleges at home in the state, West Virginia does quite well in terms of offering colleges that do not charge application fees:

Wisconsin Colleges With No Application Fee

Wisconsin is home to many colleges with no application fee charges. In fact, according to the University of Wisconsin System website, all colleges in the UW System have a no-cost undergraduate application fee except for the following campuses: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire ($25); University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire - Barron County ($25); University of Wisconsin-La Crosse ($25); and University of Wisconsin-Madison ($60). Below are Wisconsin's colleges with no application fee:

Wyoming Colleges With No Application Fee

Similarly, when researching the financial aspects of attending a college, it’s essential that you call the admissions  office before dismissing a school as unaffordable. Most colleges offer extensive information on any financial aid available, but may fail to properly display this information on their website. Even if a school seems unaffordable at first glance, there may be scholarships or grants available to ease the financial burden.

Andrew DePietro

Author: Andrew DePietro

Senior Researcher, and Content Strategist

Andrew DePietro is a finance writer covering topics such as entrepreneurship, investing, real estate and college for BrokeScholar, Forbes, CreditKarma, and more.

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