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.
The cost of college is a concern for many prospective students — and the expenses can take a toll even before classes start.
The price of the admissions process often totals hundreds of dollars when accounting for the costs associated with standardized tests, test-prep resources and application fees.
[Find out how to reduce the cost of applying to college.]
Among the 967 ranked colleges that reported their application fees for the fall 2016 entering class to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average was $43, and the most common fee was $50.
However, 50 colleges had application fees of $75 or higher, including many Ivy League schools and other highly ranked National Universities.
[Learn about a campaign asking the Ivy League to drop application fees.]
At all 50 schools, applicants with financial need can receive a fee waiver that allows them to apply to the college for free.
Stanford University, where applicants typically shell out $90, charged applicants the most.
Below is a list of the 50 colleges that charged the highest application fees to fall 2016 applicants. 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 rank and category |
| Stanford University (CA) | $90 | 5 (tie), National Universities |
| Columbia University (NY) | $85 | 5 (tie), National Universities |
| Duke University (NC) | $85 | 9, National Universities |
| North Carolina State University–Raleigh | $85 | 81 (tie), National Universities |
| Boston University | $80 | 37 (tie), National Universities |
| Brandeis University (MA) | $80 | 34 (tie), National Universities |
| Cornell University (NY) | $80 | 14 (tie), National Universities |
| Dartmouth College (NH) | $80 | 11 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Connecticut | $80 | 56 (tie), National Universities |
| University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | $80 | 30 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Southern California | $80 | 21 (tie), National Universities |
| Villanova University (PA) | $80 | 46 (tie), National Universities |
| Yale University (CT) | $80 | 3 (tie), National Universities |
| Barnard College (NY) | $75 | 26 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Boston College | $75 | 32 (tie), National Universities |
| Brown University (RI) | $75 | 14 (tie), National Universities |
| California Institute of Technology | $75 | 10, National Universities |
| Carnegie Mellon University (PA) | $75 | 25 (tie), National Universities |
| College of New Jersey | $75 | 4 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Cooper Union (NY) | $75 | 1, Regional Colleges (North) |
| Emory University (GA) | $75 | 21 (tie), National Universities |
| George Washington University (DC) | $75 | 56 (tie), National Universities |
| Georgetown University (DC) | $75 | 20, National Universities |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | $75 | 34 (tie), National Universities |
| Harvard University (MA) | $75 | 2, National Universities |
| Kean University (NJ) | $75 | 137 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $75 | 5 (tie), National Universities |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | $75 | 140 (tie), National Universities |
| Northeastern University (MA) | $75 | 40 (tie), National Universities |
| Northwestern University (IL) | $75 | 11 (tie), National Universities |
| Rice University (TX) | $75 | 14 (tie), National Universities |
| Syracuse University | $75 | 61 (tie), National Universities |
| Texas A&M University–College Station | $75 | 69 (tie), National Universities |
| Texas State University | $75 | RNP*, National Universities |
| Texas Tech University | $75 | 176 (tie), National Universities |
| Tufts University (MA) | $75 | 29, National Universities |
| University of Chicago | $75 | 3 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Delaware | $75 | 81 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Houston | $75 | 192 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Maryland–College Park | $75 | 61 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Massachusetts–Amherst | $75 | 75 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | $75 | 28, National Universities |
| University of North Carolina–Asheville | $75 | 141 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| University of North Carolina–Wilmington | $75 | 14, 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 | 8, National Universities |
| University of Texas–Austin | $75 | 56 (tie), National Universities |
| Washington University in St. Louis | $75 | 18 (tie), National Universities |
| Woodbury University (CA) | $75 | 66 (tie), Regional Universities (West) |
* 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 in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find application fee data, complete rankings and much more. Sign up for the U.S. News Extra Help: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.
U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2017 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 Oct. 10, 2017.
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50 Colleges With the Highest Application Fees originally appeared on usnews.com
