Applying due to waived app fees?

[Anonymous]

Help me - should we or shouldn’t we try since it’s free? Is this just marketing or a type of recruitment?

My kid is a NMSF and also National Hispanic Recognition Scholar. 1500 SAT split down the middle with 4.1 WGPA. Not FGLI

He is getting flooded with emails from schools offering to waive app fees including Northwestern, Case Western, and NEU.

We are chasing merit so these schools weren’t on our list as our HHI is $200k. We were focused on full ride options from Alabama, Oklahoma, USF, UT Dallas plus Va Tech and GMU.

He’s currently interested in a humanities major such as English but may pivot to business. Very average ECs but has a leadership role as president of a student club and runs an out of school club as well.

Should he still apply to these other schools? They are great schools and much more prestigious than the full ride options on our current list. He could get it done this weekend but seems pointless to do so if it’s out of range financially.


Example from Case Western:

I was hoping to have received your application already because I'd like to consider you for admission to Case Western Reserve University. You still have time to submit your Common App or the Coalition with Scoir before the November 1 deadline for Early Action and Early Decision I.

Because I want to make applying easier for you, I've waived your application fee for either application. Plus, Case Western Reserve University has a test-optional policy, so you are not required to submit test scores.

Additionally, supplemental materials (Secondary School Report, transcript[s] and recommendations) can come at a later date, after you submit your application.

[Anonymous]

If you have a fee waiver from Northeastern, definitely apply there. They give scholarships to NMSF.

I believe the HHI threshold for ivies is $250k so there is merit available so no harm in applying (except for writing the essays) if you get a fee waiver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have a fee waiver from Northeastern, definitely apply there. They give scholarships to NMSF.

I believe the HHI threshold for ivies is $250k so there is merit available so no harm in applying (except for writing the essays) if you get a fee waiver.

FWIW, OP said Northwestern, not Northeastern.

I also think I'd encourage my kid to apply anywhere that interested DC and waived the fee.

[Anonymous]

If your kid is at all interested and has the bandwidth to take on more supplemental essays (for schools that have them), sure go ahead. If the effort of extra supplementals isn’t worth the fee waiver, don’t bother with schools DC wouldn’t have applied to anyway or has no interest in. Kids have a LOT going on right now. Don’t add to the plate unless it’s really worth it.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t apply to a school solely because of an application fee waiver. That is essentially a marketing tool for them, but can be helpful for students if it’s a school they were already planning to apply to. Don’t base your student’s app list on waivers. And getting these emails doesn’t mean your child has a better chance of admission, it just means they’re on the school’s email distribution list like everyone else!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a fee waiver from Northeastern, definitely apply there. They give scholarships to NMSF.

I believe the HHI threshold for ivies is $250k so there is merit available so no harm in applying (except for writing the essays) if you get a fee waiver.

FWIW, OP said Northwestern, not Northeastern.

I also think I'd encourage my kid to apply anywhere that interested DC and waived the fee.

He got offered waivers to both NW and NEU - think I’ll encourage him to add 1-2 to the list. So many supplements to do and I’m not sure if it’s worth the stress.

[Anonymous]

My son at a SN school got fee waivers at 3/5 schools he applied to. I think they give them to many who might be disadvantaged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son at a SN school got fee waivers at 3/5 schools he applied to. I think they give them to many who might be disadvantaged.

He is probably being targeted for communications due to his SAT and Hispanic recognition award. They want to increase diversity, but can't ask race, so getting this info form the college board is an easy way to increase diversity while focusing on the high stats students.

no harm in applying if the supplements are not overwhelming. If he gets in and wants to go and does not get good merit can use the merit from the other schools in "negotiations" - depends how badly they want a Hispanic student - if he was a white male there would be little wiggle room to negotiate at schools like Northwestern.