“Research shows that waiving college application fees increases college matriculation (particularly for students at under-resourced high schools receiving college counseling) and induces high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds to apply and be admitted to more selective institutions.” – Marshall Anthony Jr., higher education research analyst.

While application fees may be a drop in the bucket for college budgets, they can be a significant investment for students and their families, especially for students from low-income backgrounds, and the current approaches like fee waivers, are not enough to ensure equity in access.