Students spent an estimated $470 million on application fees for undergraduate admissions in 2025/2026, based on data from Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The IPEDS data shows a total of 10,055,109 applications for admission and a weighted average application fee of $46.70.
About half of application fee revenue, $229 million, is spent by students whose applications are rejected. If current trends continue, the total annual spending on application fees is in excess of half a billion dollars.
How to Cut Application Fee Costs
Students can reduce their application fee costs with these tips:
- Limit the number of applications submitted to reduce application and test score fees
- Seek application fee waivers if you are eligible
- Use free application platforms, such as the Cappex Application and Greenlight Scholars Application
Demographic Analysis of Application Fees
Additional insights from the IPEDS data include:
- $210 million in fees was from males and $259 million was from females
- $279 million in fee revenue went to public schools, an average of $434,376 per school
- $188 million in fee revenue went to private, nonprofit schools, averaging $156,451 per school
- Fee revenue received by private, for-profit colleges was $2 million
- Application fees from Pell Grant recipients was $138 million, or 29% of the total
- Application fees from minority students are about $153 million, or 33% of the total
- Application fees increased from $178 million in 2001 to $252 million in 2005 to $470 million in 2015
Selective Schools Charge Higher Application Fees
Schools that accept less than 20% of their applicants receive an average of $1.27 million per school, compared with $155,619 per school among those that accept 40% or more of applicants. The average application fees are $62.12 and $30.52, respectively.
This chart shows admissions fee revenue by selectivity, demonstrating that the most selective schools charge twice the application fees of less selective schools.
A similar result occurs with admissions test scores. Higher ACT test scores correlate with higher application fees and higher total application fee revenue.
The average application fee is $74.73 for schools with a 75th percentile ACT test score of 34 or more, compared with $30.62 for a 75th percentile ACT test score of 21 or less.
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Did you know : International Scholarships 2024
There are several international scholarships available for South Africans to study abroad. Here are a few examples:
- Mastercard Foundation Scholarship Program: This program provides fully funded scholarships to study at selected universities in Africa, Europe, and North America. It is open to African students, including South Africans, who are committed to giving back to their communities.
- Commonwealth Scholarships: The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission offers scholarships for postgraduate study in the UK for citizens of Commonwealth countries, including South Africa. The scholarships cover tuition fees, travel costs, and a living allowance.
- Fulbright Foreign Student Program: The Fulbright program offers scholarships for South Africans to study at U.S. universities for a Master’s or PhD degree. The scholarship covers tuition, travel, living expenses, and health insurance.
- Erasmus+ Programme: The Erasmus+ programme offers scholarships for South Africans to study in Europe for a Master’s or PhD degree. The scholarship covers tuition fees, travel, and living expenses.
- Australia Awards Scholarships: The Australian government offers scholarships for South Africans to study at Australian universities. The scholarship covers tuition fees, travel costs, and a living allowance.
These are just a few examples of the many international scholarships available to South Africans. It is important to research the eligibility requirements and application deadlines for each scholarship program.