10 Best Colleges with no application fee in New York| Ranking & Costs

The Colleges with no application fee in New York helps you remove the dent which college application fees can make in your wallet.

However, these college application fees are important steps in the student’s admission process in most colleges and universities.

In this article, I will be listing the best colleges with no application fee in New York as well as their details and rankings by various bodies.

Why Do Colleges Have Application Fees?

There are two major reasons why colleges ask for application fees.

The first is that it helps them cover the cost of reviewing the applications though, electronic systems have reduced the manual Labour involved in every step of the process.

Colleges are able to offset these costs by charging an application fee.

The second reason is that most colleges charge application fees to put up soft financial barriers.

This is to give room for students who are serious about attending this school if they get accepted.

If applications were free, it will be easier for students to apply to countless schools with the aim of improving their chances of getting into the best possible school.

What this does is that it prevents schools from knowing the right number of serious students to admit for an incoming class.

Application fees represent a small portion of the revenue of the university.

How much does it cost?

Application fees vary from school to school. The ranking of a school doesn’t seem to be a factor in determining the application fee of a College.

For instance, Princeton University’s application fee is $65 while MIT charges $75 for the application fee. The University of California application fee is $70 ($80 if you’re an international student).

So you see, it is best to check the website of the school you are interested in to know the exact fee they charge.

About application fee waivers

There are important fee waivers in the college application process to consider.

Some of the college admission tests have their fees waived.

Before we talk about the Best Colleges with no application fee in New York, let’s look at these college admission test waivers.

SAT waivers


Eligible students
 can get a fee waiver for the SAT, which is meant to cover two free SATs, six free SAT subject tests, and unlimited score reports to send to colleges.

You can also get 2 free Question-and-Answer Service (QAS) or Student Answer Service (SAS) reports.

SAT waivers cover simple SAT registration and score reporting. You may pay fees to receive rushed scores or change your test centre or test date.

ACT Waivers

The ACT also offers fee waivers to eligible students. This waiver is designed to cover the registration fee for the ACT with or without writing. Check your eligibility.

College applications

If you received any of the ACT or SAT waivers, then there is a possibility that you will be eligible for the college application fee waivers.

The process of requesting application fee waivers is quite different and often times it will depend on which application you are filling or the test you took.

If you’re using the Common Application, indicate on your profile page that you’ll be using a fee waiver and select at least one indicator of economic need from the list provided.

The good news is that if you received SAT application waiver, then you will get a lot of fee waivers at the colleges that participate.

There are fee waivers that require the submission of forms. For example, if you received an ACT fee waiver, you are eligible to use their Request for Waiver or Deferral of College Admission Application Fee Form.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) also offers a Request for Application Fee Waiver Form to students with limited financial resources.

These forms can be used to contact schools directly.

CSS Profile Application waiver

The CSS Profile Application is another part of the college application process. Filling in your profile at the CSS Profile cost $25 for the initial CSS profile as well as one college or program report. There is an additional cost of $16 for each additional report.

What is the CSS profile?

The CSS Profile is a financial aid request form that is required by some schools beyond the FAFSA which you are conversant. This profile provides detailed information about your income and assets information.


Eligible students can receive a CSS Profile fee waiver, which covers all application and reporting fees.

The reason for receiving a CSS Profile fee waiver include receiving the SAT waiver, being an orphan or ward of the court under 24, or meeting family income requirements.

Things to take note of

A) There are fee waivers for everything, ranging from college admission tests to the college application itself, as long as you are qualified.

B) Your eligibility for the SAT and ACT fee waivers go beyond your income. Students often qualify based on their enrollment into a community program.

C) If you received these test waivers, then you are more likely to be considered for the college application fee waiver.

D) The common application offers fee waivers for both ACT and SAT test-takers.

E) The CSS Profile fee waiver is known to help students apply to get financial aid at a variety of colleges.

Moving on, here is the list of the Best Colleges with no application fee in New York.

List of Best Colleges with no application fee in New York

These institutions were ranked by prepler.com. Prepler rankings are based on rigorous and in-depth analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education.

These institutions might have an application fee if you plan to apply through the offline pathway. However, if you choose the online means of application, then below are the Colleges with no application fee in New York to consider.

  1. United States Military Academy
  2. Clarkson University
  3. United States Merchant Marine Academy
  4. Hobart William Smith Colleges
  5. Saint John Fisher College
  6. St Bonaventure University
  7. Le Moyne College
  8. Alfred University
  9. Niagara University
  10. St John’s University-New York

See other colleges in this list.

Here is a short review of each of the best Colleges with no application fee in New York.

United States Military Academy

This is the first on the list of best colleges with no application fee in New York. The United States Military Academy is a public university that is based in West Point, New York.

It is somewhat competitive, with an acceptance rate of 9%. It is one of the best Colleges with no application fee in New York with an enrollment of more than 1,210 bachelor’s degree candidates.

It is ranked 712 out of 6828 in the 2021 list of best colleges in America. It is also on number 68 out of 453 on the 2021 list of the best colleges in New York.

Also, it is number one on the list of the Best Protective services Colleges & Universities in America.

They have a graduation rate of 95% in 4 years and their most popular major is engineering, followed by social sciences.

Clarkson University

Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit university that is based in Potsdam, New York. It is an institution with an enrollment of over 677 bachelor’s degree candidates.

It has an acceptance rate of 65% and is number 2 on the list of the best colleges with no application fee in New York.

The university offers financial aid up to $49,886 as compared to the cost of attendance that is $65,106.

It is a private research university with an enrollment of about 4,300 students. Below are their rankings.

2021 Best Colleges in America: #189 of 6828

2021 Best Colleges in New York: #15 of 453

Best Pharmacology and toxicology Colleges & Universities in America: #9 of 22.

Their most popular major at Clarkson University is Engineering, followed by business management.

The graduation rate in this institution is at 77% in four years and 23 in 6 years.

United States Merchant Marine Academy

This is not just one of the best colleges with no application fee in New York, it is also one of the five United States service academies, located in Kings Point, New York.

Students at this institution are called Midshipmen and are trained in areas like Marine engineering, navigation, ship administration and so on.

Below are their rankings:

2021 Best Colleges in America: #714 of 6828

2021 Best Colleges in New York: #69 of 453

Best Marine Science Colleges & Universities in America: #5 of 17

The two most popular majors in this institution are Engineering and Transportation.

The graduation rate of students in four years is 92%.

The estimated cost at this institution is $8,646 while Financial aid offered to students is up to $4,006. Also, they have an acceptance rate of 22%.

Hobart William Smith Colleges

This is one of the best colleges with no application fee in New York with an acceptance rate of 63%.

This institution offers degrees of bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and master of arts in teaching.

They are located in Geneva, New York. Below are their rankings:

2021 Best Colleges in America:2021 Best Colleges in America

2021 Best Colleges in New York: #32 of 453

2021 Best Private Colleges in New York: #26 of 339.

The most popular major at Hobart William Smith College is Social Sciences followed by Journalism, Biomedical, English and Psychology.

The graduation rate at this institution in four years is 94%.

Estimated cost: $69, 775.

Financial Aid: $51,456.

Saint John Fisher College

St. John Fisher College is a private liberal arts college in Rochester, New York. It is an institution with an enrollment of over 626 bachelor’s degree candidates.

Their admission criteria are somewhat competitive, with an acceptance rate of 64%.

It is 5th on the list of the best Colleges with No Application Fee in New York. Below are their rankings:

2021 Best Colleges in America: #204 of 6828

2021 Best Colleges in New York: #17 of 453

2021 Top Religious Colleges in New York: #2 of 54

The most popular majors at Saint John Fisher College is Medical followed by Business Management, Education, Biomedical and Journalism.

The graduation rate, being the percentage of first-time, full-time students who graduated from the Institution within four years is 89%.

Estimated Cost: $47,770

Financial Aid: $30, 787

St Bonaventure University

St Bonaventure University is a private not-for-profit university based in Saint Bonaventure, New York.

It is an institution with an enrollment of just about 439 bachelor’s degree candidates. It is number 6 on the list of the best colleges with no application fee in New York.

They have an acceptance rate of 70%. Below are their rankings:

2021 Best Colleges in America: #889 of 6828

2021 Best Colleges in New York: #75 of 453

Best Catholic Colleges in New York: #9 of 20

The most popular major at this institution is Business Management followed by education, Journalism, Biomedical and Social sciences.

They have a graduation rate of 86% in four years and 14% in 6 years.

Estimated cost: $47, 338

Financial aid: $233, 776

Le Moyne College

On the list of best Colleges with No Application Fee in New York, this institution comes 7th. It is a private, not-for-profit university that is based in Syracuse, New York.

It is an institution with an enrollment of over 545 students. They have an acceptance rate of 63%.

The College is the second-youngest of the twenty-eight Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States and is the only comprehensive Catholic college in Central New York. Bellow are their rankings:

2021 Best Colleges in America: #445 of 6828

2021 Best Colleges in New York: #40 of 453

2021 Top Religious Colleges in New York: #5 of 54

The most popular major in this institution is Business Management, followed by Medical and Education majors.

They have a graduation rate of 87% in four years and 13% in 6 years.

Estimated cost: $49,995

Financial aid: $32,751

Alfred University

This is one of the private not-for-profit Universities in New York, based in Alfred. It is an institution with an enrollment of many bachelors degree candidates.

They have very competitive admission criteria with an acceptance rate of 62%. It is a small and comprehensive university.

The undergraduate population is around 2000 and about 300 graduate students. Bellow are their rankings:

2021 Best Colleges in America: #525 of 6828

2021 Best Colleges in New York: #50 of 453

Best Ceramics Colleges & Universities in America: #19 of 68.

Out of 20 the majors categories at Alfred University, the 5 most popular are; Education, Visual and performing arts, Engineering and Business Management.

The graduation rate of students in 4 years is 77% and 23% in 6 years.

Estimated cost: $43,686

Financial aid: $25,709

Niagara University

The admission criteria in this institution are also competitive and it is ranked as number 9 on the list of best colleges with no application fee in New York.

They have an acceptance rate of 84%.

Niagara has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs.

Approximately half of the students are residents, while the other half commute from the surrounding area. 

This institution is known to be a liberal arts college, but recently offers programs in the pre-professional and technical disciplines. Below are their rankings:

2021 Best Colleges in America: #958 of 6828

2021 Best Colleges in New York: #80 of 453

Best Catholic Colleges in New York: #11 of 20

Out of the 21 majors categories at Niagara University, the 5 most popular are Business Management, Education, Medical, social sciences and Journalism.

They have a graduation rate of 89% in four years and 11% in 6 years.

Estimated cost: $47, 400

Financial aid: $34,630

St John’s University-New York

This is one of the best colleges with no application fee in New York with an acceptance fee of up to 67%. It is number 10 on the list.

This institution is organized into five undergraduate schools and six graduate schools with over 16,440 undergraduates and over 4,647 graduate students.

This institution offers more than 100 bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs as well as professional certificates. Below are their rankings:

2021 Best Colleges in America: #236 of 6828

2021 Best Colleges in New York: #19 of 453

2021 Top Religious Colleges in New York: #3 of 54

Out of 28 majors categories at St John’s University-New York, the 5 most popular are Business Management, Education, Medical, Legal and Journalism.

With the graduation rate being a strong indicator of the success of a student attaining their educational goals, they have a graduation rate of 64% in 4 years and 36% in 6 years.

Estimated cost: $59,865

Financial Aid: 37,114

See more of these Colleges

Recommendations:

Having seen the best colleges with no application fee in New York, check out the following:

Conclusion

Don’t sacrifice the opportunity to attend a school that is perfect for you because of the application fee because you will most likely regret the decision later.

Consider these best colleges with no application fee in New York and ensure your dream of becoming a graduate comes to fruition. All the best!

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