Which universities have the most expensive college app fees?


Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Find out an idea of how to budget for your College Apps by checking out this list.


The first thing that comes to mind when we think about college costs is tuition, which tends to occupy the most space on any college student’s budget spreadsheet. 

Next might come and on-campus and/or off campus room and board. Then there’s food and textbooks costs.

What else do university students have to include in their college budgets? Besides tuition, room and board, meal plans or groceries, and textbook costs… there are usually various fees for orientation, on-campus services, lab fees for particular classes… the list goes on and on! 

The costs we just listed are things that students pay once they are finally accepted into the college or university of their dreams. 

It’s important to note that there are implied, and mostly mandatory, fees and costs that college students will need to pay even before they start their first semester at their dream school.

What do these “startup” costs look like? They include any fees related to the SAT/ACT (the costs related to SAT/ACT preparation, signing up for an SAT/ACT exam, and the fees for sending scores to colleges and universities) and college application costs! Not all top colleges and universities have the same application fee cost.

When it comes to managing your budget for college or university, the fact of the matter is the following: Every. Dollar. Counts.


We’re not sharing this list with you because we want to discourage you from applying to these schools! The idea is that, in taking time to think about all the startup costs of college, you will be able to plan better in the long run. Note that the college application fee is just one of several costs that you will incur throughout your journey towards earning your bachelor’s degree. High school students who are preparing to earn their High School Diploma and thinking about applying to college have a lot of planning to take care of!

Remember that many of the best colleges and universities offer some kind of application fee waiver for students who are eligible for this benefit. Many also encourage students who feel that paying the fee might result in financial difficulty to request a waiver available through the Common Application’s website.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the average application fee cost among 936 top colleges and universities in the U.S. was around $44 USD. 

What are some Universities with the Most Expensive College App Costs?

U.S. News & World Report provides us with the following list:

App Fee: $105 USD

  • University of California—San Diego

App Fee: $100 USD

  • Arkansas Baptist College

App Fee: $90 USD

  • Stanford University

App Fee: $85 USD

  • Columbia University
  • Duke University
  • North Carolina State University
  • Syracuse University
  • University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
  • University of Southern California
  • Woodbury University

App Fee: $80 USD

  • Boston College
  • Brandeis University
  • Cornell University
  • Dartmouth College
  • George Washington University
  • University of Connecticut
  • University of Massachusetts—Amherst
  • University of North Carolina—Wilmington
  • University of Notre Dame
  • University of Washington
  • Villanova University 
  • Yale University

App Fee: $75

  • American University
  • Barnard College
  • Bentley University
  • Brown University
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • College of New Jersey
  • Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (NY)
  • East Carolina University
  • Emory University 
  • Georgetown University 
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Harvard University 
  • Kean University
  • Manhattan College
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology
  • Northeastern University
  • Northwestern University
  • Rice University
  • Texas A&M University
  • Texas State University
  • Texas Tech University
  • Tufts University
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Houston
  • University of Maryland—Baltimore County
  • University of Maryland—College Park
  • University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
  • University of North Carolina Asheville
  • University of North Carolina—Charlotte
  • University of North Texas
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Texas at Arlington
  • University of Texas at Austin
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • William & Mary



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