The best things in life are free—except for a college degree.
U.S. News and World Report recently released a list of the top 10 highest college application fees. Charging $75, Duke tied for fifth.
Although 16 other colleges charge the same amount as Duke does, $75 remains a substantial sum to pay simply to apply. From the University’s standpoint, the application fee is entirely necessary. The seemingly staggering cost to apply to certain schools, however, may deter prospective students from applying. The highest fees in the nation belong to George Mason, which charges $100, and Stanford, which charges $90.
“The fees definitely played a big role in the schools I applied to," said freshman Abby Ardis. "I didn't apply to a few schools like Cornell and [University of Pennsylvania] because it would have been an extra $70, and I just could not afford that on top of the other fees I was paying.”
Students pay a series of hidden costs in the college application process ranging from Advanced Placement exam registration fees, SAT and SAT 2 exam fees and all the practice books in between. Beyond these costs, application fees may be the straw that breaks the high school senior's back.
“I had originally had about 13 schools I was interested in, but I didn't want to burden my parents with the cost so I cut my list down to seven schools," said sophomore Chris Clarke.
The cost of the application fee did little to deter students from applying to a school if it was already their number one choice, however, which in many cases was Duke.
“The fees didn't really affect my decisions to apply to the colleges I was seriously interested in,” said freshman Ali Schwartz. “So, because Duke was my top choice, the application fee was not much of a factor.”
There is an application fee waiver offered to students with financial need that helps defray the cost of applying.
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Cristoph Guttentag said that the waiver makes applying to Duke more accessible.
“I don’t see the application fee deterring students from applying since we do offer fee waiver programs that are very straight forward," Guttentag said. "There is no evidence yet that application fees affect students decisions to apply."
The Duke application fee may seem large, but it is right on target with those of other private institutions. Although it appears to be a factor in whether or not students apply, it is not necessarily definitive.
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