The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.
College costs can start accruing long before freshmen enroll in their first course.
Some universities charge hefty application fees to students vying for admission, according to data submitted to U.S. News in the spring of 2015.
These fees can add up quickly for college hopefuls, who are submitting more applications than ever. In fact, 32 percent of fall 2013 freshmen completed seven or more applications, an increase of 10 percentage points since 2008, according to a report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Know how to choose [how many college applications to send.]
California’s Stanford University charged $90 per application, more than any other university reporting data to U.S. News. Columbia University in New York and Duke University in North Carolina followed behind, with each requiring an $85 application fee.
The average application fee was $41, according to the 1,068 ranked colleges reporting data to U.S. News in spring 2015. Among these schools, the most common fee charged was $50.
A number of universities waive or reduce the fee for students who apply online.
Discover [how to apply to college for free.]
Below is a list of colleges that charge the highest application fees, though all schools listed will waive the fee for students with financial need. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| School name (state) | Application fee | U.S. News ranks and category |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford University (CA) | $90 | 4 (tie), National Universities |
| Columbia University (NY) | $85 | 4 (tie), National Universities |
| Duke University (NC) | $85 | 8, National Universities |
| Boston University | $80 | 41 (tie), National Universities |
| Dartmouth College (NH) | $80 | 12 (tie), National Universities |
| University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | $80 | 30 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Southern California | $80 | 23 (tie), National Universities |
| Villanova University (PA) | $80 | 1, Regional Universities (North) |
| Yale University (CT) | $80 | 3, National Universities |
| Brandeis University (MA) | $75 | 34 (tie), National Universities |
| Brown University (RI) | $75 | 14, National Universities |
| California Institute of Technology | $75 | 10 (tie), National Universities |
| Carnegie Mellon University (PA) | $75 | 23 (tie), National Universities |
| College of New Jersey | $75 | 3 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Cornell University (NY) | $75 | 15 (tie), National Universities |
| Emory University (GA) | $75 | 21 (tie), National Universities |
| George Washington University (DC) | $75 | 57 (tie), National Universities |
| Georgetown University (DC) | $75 | 21 (tie), National Universities |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | $75 | 36, National Universities |
| Harvard University (MA) | $75 | 2, National Universities |
| Kean University (NJ) | $75 | RNP*, Regional Universities (North) |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $75 | 7, National Universities |
| North Carolina State University–Raleigh | $75 | 89 (tie), National Universities |
| Northeastern University (MA) | $75 | 47 (tie), National Universities |
| Northwestern University (IL) | $75 | 12 (tie), National Universities |
| Rice University (TX) | $75 | 18 (tie), National Universities |
| Syracuse University (NY) | $75 | 61 (tie), National Universities |
| Texas A&M University–College Station | $75 | 70 (tie), National Universities |
| Texas State University | $75 | 52 (tie), Regional Universities (West) |
| University of Chicago | $75 | 4 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Delaware | $75 | 75 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Massachusetts–Amherst | $75 | 75 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | $75 | 29, National Universities |
| University of North Carolina–Wilmington | $75 | 16 (tie), Regional Universities (South) |
| University of North Texas | $75 | RNP, National Universities |
| University of Notre Dame (IN) | $75 | 18 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Pennsylvania | $75 | 9, National Universities |
| University of Texas–Austin | $75 | 52 (tie), National Universities |
| Washington University in St. Louis | $75 | 15 (tie), National Universities |
* RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
Don’t see your school on the list? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find application fees, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2015 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The application fee data above are correct as of Dec. 1, 2015.
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Colleges That Charge Students the Most to Apply originally appeared on usnews.com