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 matters to you in your college or grad school search.
Costs affiliated with earning a postsecondary degree can add up. But expenses like tuition, housing, meal plans, coursework supplies and student organization dues are not the only price tags students and families need to be aware of.
Some fees occur even before students enroll at a college or university.
College applications, for example, often require an essay, transcript and SAT or ACT test scores — although many schools are becoming test optional. Taking the SAT or ACT costs $55 and up to $85, respectively, with additional fees for late registration, cancellations or testing site changes.
[Read: How to Apply to College for Free.]
Many colleges also require an application fee prior to submission. Prices vary but range up to $100.
Among the 889 ranked colleges who participated in U.S. News’ annual survey, the average application fee was nearly $45. The 64 schools with the highest application fees — all at least $75 — charged an average of about $78. Twenty-two of these 64 schools charged more than that, with Arkansas Baptist College topping the list at $100.
However, fee waivers are available in certain circumstances. Students and families can visit the College Board or Common App website to learn about eligibility requirements.
[Read: 11 College Costs Other Than Tuition and Housing.]
The schools with the highest application fees are predominately National Universities — 53 out of 64 schools — which are typically researched-focused institutions that offer a variety of undergraduate majors in addition to master’s and doctoral programs.
Some ranked in the top 10 for National Universities, including Columbia University in New York, Harvard University in Massachusetts and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all tied at No. 2; Yale University in Connecticut at No. 5; Stanford University in California and the University of Chicago, both tied at No. 6; the University of Pennsylvania at No. 8; and Duke University in North Carolina, California Institute of Technology and Northwestern University in Illinois, all tied at No. 9.
Three of the schools featured on the list are categorized as National Liberal Arts Colleges while eight are considered Regional Colleges or Regional Universities with representation from the North, South and West regions.
Below is a list of the 64 colleges that reported the highest application fees in 2021. 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 FEES | U.S. NEWS RANK AND CATEGORY |
| Arkansas Baptist College | $100 | 71-93, Regional Colleges (South) |
| Stanford University | $90 | 6 (tie), National Universities |
| Columbia University | $85 | 2 (tie), National Universities |
| Duke University | $85 | 9 (tie), National Universities |
| North Carolina State University | $85 | 79 (tie), National Universities |
| Syracuse University | $85 | 59 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Massachusetts–Amherst | $85 | 68 (tie), National Universities |
| University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | $85 | 28 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Southern California | $85 | 27, National Universities |
| Woodbury University | $85 | 53 (tie), Regional Universities (West) |
| Boston College | $80 | 36 (tie), National Universities |
| Boston University | $80 | 42 (tie), National Universities |
| Brandeis University | $80 | 42 (tie), National Universities |
| Cornell University | $80 | 17 (tie), National Universities |
| Dartmouth College | $80 | 13, National Universities |
| George Washington University | $80 | 63 (tie), National Universities |
| New York University | $80 | 28 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Connecticut | $80 | 63 (tie), National Universities |
| University of North Carolina–Wilmington | $80 | 187 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Washington | $80 | 59 (tie), National Universities |
| Villanova University | $80 | 49 (tie), National Universities |
| Yale University | $80 | 5, National Universities |
| American University | $75 | 79 (tie), National Universities |
| Barnard College | $75 | 17 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Bentley University | $75 | 2, Regional Universities (North) |
| Brown University | $75 | 14 (tie), National Universities |
| California Institute of Technology | $75 | 9 (tie), National Universities |
| Carnegie Mellon University | $75 | 25 (tie), National Universities |
| Claremont McKenna College | $75 | 8, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | $75 | 2, Regional Colleges (North) |
| East Carolina University | $75 | 213 (tie), National Universities |
| Eastern University | $75 | 103 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Emory University | $75 | 21, National Universities |
| Georgetown University | $75 | 23 (tie), National Universities |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | $75 | 38 (tie), National Universities |
| Harvard University | $75 | 2 (tie), National Universities |
| Kean University | $75 | 126 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Manhattan College | $75 | 13 (tie), Regional Universities (North) |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $75 | 2 (tie), National Universities |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | $75 | 103 (tie), National Universities |
| Northeastern University | $75 | 49 (tie), National Universities |
| Northwestern University | $75 | 9 (tie), National Universities |
| Rice University | $75 | 17 (tie), National Universities |
| Texas A&M University | $75 | 68 (tie), National Universities |
| Texas State University | $75 | 299-391, National Universities |
| Texas Tech University | $75 | 213 (tie), National Universities |
| The College of New Jersey | $75 | 6, Regional Universities (North) |
| Tufts University | $75 | 28 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Chicago | $75 | 6 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Delaware | $75 | 93 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Houston | $75 | 179 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Maryland–Baltimore County | $75 | 162 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Maryland–College Park | $75 | 59 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | $75 | 23 (tie), National Universities |
| University of North Carolina Asheville | $75 | 146 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| University of North Carolina–Charlotte | $75 | 227 (tie), National Universities |
| University of North Texas | $75 | 277 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Notre Dame | $75 | 19, National Universities |
| University of Pennsylvania | $75 | 8, National Universities |
| University of Texas at Arlington | $75 | 288 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Texas at Austin | $75 | 38 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Virginia | $75 | 25 (tie), National Universities |
| Washington University in St. Louis | $75 | 14 (tie), National Universities |
| William & Mary | $75 | 38 (tie), National Universities |
Don’t see your school listed here? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find application fees, 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 1,850 colleges and universities for our 2021 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 comes 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 college application fee data above is correct as of January. 28, 2022.
More from U.S. News
SAT, ACT Fee Waivers and Other Ways to Take Entrance Exams for Free
What You Need to Know About College Tuition Costs
Colleges With The Highest Application Fees originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 01/28/22: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
