Fee waivers

[jjr8888]

How do you ask for one?

[nimda]

I just asked the chairs of the departments that I was applying to; they cleared it with the admissions office. Worked with a few of the schools.

[gouache]

It depends on the school. Search around the admissions website (for the graduate school itself) and you can usually find information on it. I tend to search "admission fee waiver" in the search bar within the school's website to see what I can find. Some don't have any information on it, in which case I'd just email the head of graduate admissions.

[losemygrip]

I would add that you do normally have to provide a rationale for why this causes you a hardship. When I applied years ago, I explained that I was financially independent, worked two jobs for X amount of money, etc. Worked most places (except Berkeley). Private schools seem more lenient about it.

[gouache]

For future applicants: Yale doesn't allow you to get a fee waiver. The School of Art (different from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, which lets you waive) hasn't let anyone use a fee waiver since the 70s.