How To Pay For Application Fee On The Common App

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I pay the application fee on the Common App?

Application fee payment is a college-specific, final step before an application is transmitted. It is critical to understand that payment and submission are two distinct actions.

Payment & Submission Protocol

1. Navigate to ‘My Colleges’: After completing all sections for a specific college, navigate to its ‘Review and Submit’ page.
2. Review Application Proof: Meticulously review the generated PDF proof. This is the exact document the college will receive.
3. Proceed to Payment: On the submission screen, you will be prompted for payment. The system accepts major credit/debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover). For international applicants, Common App integrates with Flywire to facilitate payments in local currencies.
4. Complete Submission: After a successful payment, you must complete the final legal affirmations and click the final ‘Submit’ button.

Framework: The 4-Point Submission Confirmation Loop

An application is only successfully submitted after you complete this four-part confirmation loop. A failure at any point means your application was not sent.

1. Screen Confirmation: You see the ‘Congratulations!’ screen with green checkmarks on the Common App website.
2. Email Confirmation: You receive a submission confirmation email from Common App (typically within minutes, but allow up to one hour during peak deadlines).
3. Financial Confirmation: The application fee charge appears as processed on your credit/debit card statement.
4. Portal Confirmation: Within a few business days, you receive login credentials for the college’s applicant portal. Log in and verify your application is listed as ‘Complete’.

Critical Advisory: A failed payment is a hard stop; the application is not sent. If a payment error occurs, do not assume it will resolve itself. Immediately verify your card details and funds. If the issue persists, contact Common App support at appsupport@commonapp.net well before the deadline. A payment issue does not excuse a missed deadline.

What is a Common App Fee Waiver and how do I know if I qualify?

The Common App Fee Waiver is a centralized, need-based waiver that, once approved by your school counselor, covers the application fees for all colleges you apply to via the Common App. It is located in the Profile section.

Official Qualification Indicators

You are eligible if you can affirm that one or more of the following are true:

• You have received or are eligible for an ACT or SAT testing fee waiver.
• You are enrolled in or eligible for the Federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program (FRPL).
• Your annual family income falls within the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Income Eligibility Guidelines.
• You are enrolled in a program aiding low-income students (e.g., TRIO, Upward Bound).
• You are eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant. (Note: This is based on the Estimated Family Contribution from FAFSA calculations; you do not need to have already received the grant).
• Your family receives public assistance.
• You live in federally subsidized public housing, a foster home, or are homeless.
• You are a ward of the state or an orphan.

The Counselor Verification Mandate

Requesting the waiver is not the final step. The system automatically requires your school counselor to digitally verify your eligibility from their Common App counselor portal. The waiver is not active until they do so.

• Student Action Protocol: Proactively email your counselor with the subject Common App Fee Waiver Verification Request - [Your Name]. In the email, state that you have requested the waiver in your profile and politely ask them to complete the verification step.

Scope and Limitations

This waiver applies only to the application submission fee charged by Common App. It does not cover other potential costs, such as fees for CSS Profile submission, portfolio uploads via SlideRoom, or self-reported score submissions.

A college offered me a fee waiver directly. How do I use it on the Common App?

This common scenario requires applying the ‘Waiver Source Doctrine’: the source of the waiver dictates its location in the application. A waiver from a college is a College-Specific Waiver, which is handled differently from the universal, need-based Common App Fee Waiver.

The Two-Waiver System: Critical Instructions

• DO NOT go to your main Profile section and request the ‘Common App Fee Waiver’. This is incorrect and will trigger an unnecessary verification request to your counselor.
• INSTEAD, complete your application and navigate to the My Colleges tab. Select the specific college that offered you the waiver.
• Within that college’s unique set of questions, find the section related to application fees (often under ‘General’ or ‘Admissions’). Here, you will indicate you have a school-specific waiver.

This question may appear as:

• A question asking if you qualify for a [College Name] fee waiver.
• A dropdown menu of reasons (e.g., ‘Attended campus event,’ ‘Received from Admissions’).
• A text box for a specific waiver code.

Action & Documentation Protocol

1. Follow Directions: The email you received from the admissions office is your official authorization. Follow their instructions precisely. If they say to check ‘Yes’ to a waiver question, do so with confidence.
2. Address Mismatches: If the options in the dropdown menu do not perfectly describe your situation (e.g., you received a waiver for attending a virtual event but the only option is ‘Attended campus tour’), select the closest available option. The email is your proof.
3. The Documentation Mandate: Save the authorization email in a secure folder. This is your official record and can be used to resolve any potential clerical errors with the admissions or bursar’s office post-submission.

Will using a fee waiver hurt my chances of getting accepted?

No, absolutely not. Using any type of fee waiver—whether a need-based Common App Fee Waiver or a merit/engagement-based College-Specific Waiver—has zero negative impact on your admission chances. This is an ethical and operational certainty in college admissions.

Core Protection 1: The Admissions Firewall

Admissions offices are systematically firewalled from an applicant’s payment status. Application readers do not see whether a student paid the fee or used a waiver. This operational and technological separation ensures that every application is reviewed exclusively on its merits, without financial bias. A real-world example from our research confirms this: an admissions officer explicitly told a concerned family that readers are blind to payment status and that waivers have no bearing on the decision.

Core Protection 2: Institutional Mission & Strategy

Selective colleges are committed to building socioeconomically diverse classes. Fee waivers are their primary tool to remove financial barriers and encourage applications from all qualified students. They want you to use the waiver.

Expert Insight: The Waiver as a Recruitment Tool

Far from being a negative, receiving a college-specific waiver is often a positive recruitment signal. Colleges proactively send these waivers to students they have identified as strong candidates based on academic data, demonstrated interest (like attending an event), or other strategic priorities. The waiver is an investment by the college to encourage your application and increase their ‘yield’—the likelihood you will attend if accepted.

Are there other ways to get application fees waived?

Yes. Beyond the need-based Common App waiver, students can secure waivers through our ‘Application Fee Waiver Matrix,’ a framework organizing four distinct channels.

The Application Fee Waiver Matrix

1. Engagement-Based Waivers:
Colleges frequently reward demonstrated interest. Proactively seek these by:

• Attending virtual or in-person campus tours, open houses, and info sessions.
• Visiting a college’s booth at a college fair.
• Pro-Tip: Always register for events with the same professional email address you use for your applications, as this is how waiver codes are often distributed.

2. Programmatic & Institutional Waivers:
These are system-wide opportunities that apply to all applicants.

• No-Fee Institutions: A significant number of colleges (e.g., Colby, Grinnell, Carleton, Tulane) have eliminated application fees for all students.
• State-Sponsored Programs: Many states host ‘Free Application Weeks’ for their public universities like Colorado.
• Policy Check: This landscape is dynamic. A college that was free last year may not be this year (e.g., WPI reinstated its fee after a multi-year pause). Always verify the current policy on the college’s official admissions website.

3. Affinity-Based Waivers:
Students affiliated with certain college access organizations (e.g., QuestBridge, College Greenlight, Matriculate) may automatically qualify for waivers at partner institutions.

4. The Direct Professional Appeal:
If other methods are unavailable, the student—not the parent—can email the general admissions office or their regional counselor. This is a mature sign of demonstrated interest.

• Optimized Template:
  • Subject: Application Fee Waiver Inquiry - [Your Name], [High School]
  • Body: “Dear [Admissions Office/Counselor Name], My strong interest in [College Name], particularly the [Specific Program, Professor, or unique feature], has made it a top choice for my undergraduate studies. I am writing to respectfully inquire if a discretionary application fee waiver would be possible to allow me to submit my application for consideration.”

Can I submit and pay for applications to different colleges at different times?

Yes. The Common App is designed for individual, sequential submissions. Understanding this functionality is key to strategically managing your application process.

The ‘Application Version Control’ Principle

Think of each submission as a time-stamped, locked ‘version.’ When you submit to College A, the Common App creates a PDF snapshot of your entire application—main essay, activities, etc.—at that exact moment. This is the version College A receives.

After submitting, you can edit the common sections of your application (e.g., main essay, activity descriptions). When you later submit to College B, the system generates a new, updated PDF snapshot. College A will never see the changes made for College B, and vice-versa.

Strategic Implications:

• Deadline Management: Submit to Early Decision/Early Action schools first, locking in those applications and freeing you to focus on later Regular Decision deadlines.
• Application Tailoring: After submitting to one school, you can subtly refine an activity description or your main essay to better align with the values of the next college on your list.

Critical Limitation & Best Practice

• The Lock-In Rule: While you can edit common sections between submissions, you cannot change the version of an essay or other information already sent to a college. The ‘version control’ only applies to future submissions. Furthermore, core profile data (name, DOB) cannot be changed after the first submission without contacting support.
• Strategic Best Practice: Finalize a strong ‘base version’ of your entire application before submitting anywhere. Use the editing feature for minor, strategic refinements rather than major overhauls, which can introduce errors.

What are my options if I cannot afford the application fees?

If application fees present a financial barrier, do not let them stop you. Execute the following 5-step ‘Zero-Cost Application Pathway’ to systematically eliminate these costs.

Step 1: Assess for the Universal Waiver

• Key Action: Review the eight eligibility criteria for the need-based Common App Fee Waiver in your Profile section. This is the most powerful tool available.
• Expert Tip: If you qualify, notify your school counselor immediately. Your waiver is not active until they complete the digital verification on their end.

Step 2: Leverage Demonstrated Interest

• Key Action: Proactively pursue college-specific waivers by engaging with colleges.
• Expert Tip: Create a simple spreadsheet to track the virtual/in-person events you attend for each college. Note any fee waiver codes you receive and the date, as they sometimes expire.

Step 3: Conduct Programmatic Research

• Key Action: Check the admissions website of every college on your list for a ‘no fee’ policy. Search for state-sponsored initiatives like [Your State] free college application week.
• Expert Tip: Policies change annually. Do not rely on last year’s information; verify the policy for the current application cycle directly on the college’s website.

Step 4: Make a Direct, Professional Appeal

• Key Action: If other methods fail, the student (not the parent) should draft a polite, professional email to the admissions office inquiring about a discretionary waiver.
• Expert Tip: Address the email to the specific regional admissions counselor for your high school. This personal touch is more effective than a generic email to the main office.

Step 5: Confirm the Waiver Post-Submission

• Key Action: After submitting, log in to the college’s applicant portal and check your financial or to-do list section.
• Expert Tip: If you see a balance due for the application fee, do not panic. Immediately forward your waiver authorization (e.g., the email from the college) to both the admissions office and the bursar’s/student accounts office to resolve the clerical error.

Conclusion

Ultimately, managing application fees is a key logistical step in the college application process. The key takeaways are that payment is handled on a per-school basis, fee waivers are a common tool that will not harm your admissions chances, and you have multiple avenues to secure them—through the general Common App waiver, directly from colleges, or via state-sponsored programs. Navigating these options is an important part of a well-planned application strategy. Our team helps families understand and leverage all available resources to ensure the application process is as smooth and cost-effective as possible, connecting this practical step to the broader goal of finding the right college fit.