Deciding where you receive your college education can be one of the most important decisions you will make in life. You shouldn’t lose the opportunity to attend a school that’s a perfect fit for you due to a high application fee.

I believe application fees ought to be lowered to a more reasonable cost for students. According to University Spot, the average college application fee is $41, but some colleges can charge up to $100!

Colleges and universities use the money earned by these application fees for running the school and improving the campus. This is important mainly because this is how schools stay successful, however, if you are applying to several schools, these high fees add up.

According to Prepscholar, sending SAT scores to five different schools at $11.25 per report will cost you $56.25. If you’re applying to five different schools with three schools having an application fee of $50 per application and two schools with an $75 fee per application, you’ll be spending $300 on applications alone. Including the SAT scores you’re spending over $350 just to send colleges required materials.

Not all colleges charge admission fees. Online colleges, some Christian schools, and some liberal arts schools are known not to charge application fees. According to Top 10 Online Colleges, the schools that do not charge a fee believe this is necessary to show students that they want everyone to have access to entering into the admission process.

Many colleges offer fee waivers for students. These waivers are available when you apply for aid through the school’s financial aid department. You can look into these waivers before you submit your application to avoid paying when you don’t need to. If you registered for the SAT then you will automatically qualify for a waiver for eligible schools.

Once you’ve submitted your application fee, the fee is normally non-refundable, even if you aren’t accepted. Before you start spending serious money on all of these applications, make sure you think about your chance of even being admitted.

Students have a valid reason for wanting a better education, but application money is steering students away from the college they want to attend. Paying ridiculous amounts of money to college is unfair and not benefiting students.

Students should not have to start freshman year of college worrying about not being able to pay for basic items for classroom use and the basics to equip their dorm room. When you’re looking for colleges and universities, take the time to know your priorities and individual budget. However, don’t give up on your ideal college or university because of a high application fee. You may end up regretting it in the long run.

Why should students have more unneeded stress when they already have so much? Lowering application fees would be beneficial to every student and therefore college debt rates wouldn’t be as high.