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Indiana students can apply to 36 colleges in the state for free next week, saving them hundreds of dollars in fees.
The fee is waived during College Application Week, which runs from Sept. 25 to 29. The effort is part of a push to increase college-going in the state, which stagnated at 53% of high school graduates from the class of 2021, and was declining before the COVID-19 pandemic.
While some Indiana colleges have no application fee, those that do range from about $25 to $65 per application, so the cost can add up quickly, said Michelle Ashcraft, senior associate commissioner and chief programs officer for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, who leads the commission’s K-12 outreach team.
The commission has several initiatives aimed at increasing the college-going rate after high school, including automatic enrollment into 21st Century Scholars, which covers tuition for qualifying students; requiring all students fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to access more funds; and pre-admissions, where students at participating schools receive a letter telling them which of the participating Indiana colleges they’d be admitted to if they apply.
The application fee waiver next week not only reduces the cost of applying for college, it also means students are researching colleges and applying earlier in the year, Ashcraft said. She added that increases their chances at merit scholarships and helps to meet early deadlines.
If a student hasn’t yet started an application or decided where to apply, Ashcraft said it’s still “very feasible” for students to apply to multiple colleges during College Application Week.
Colleges in the state have worked to streamline their application process, and in some cases, have one-page applications, she said, adding that if a student is undecided about college, this means they have the option for free.
However, Ashcraft said that if students have concerns about affording the application fee after this coming week, they should contact that school’s admissions office and ask if waivers are available.
Below is a list of Indiana colleges and universities participating in College Application Week.
Students should go to the institution-specific application (not the Common App) on that school’s website and fill it out as usual. If a code is listed below, enter that when prompted, otherwise the fee should be automatically waived, Ashcraft said.
List of participating colleges:
Anderson University
Bethel University
Caris College
DePauw University
Earlham College
Franklin College
Grace College
Hanover College
Huntington University
Indiana Tech
Indiana State University (Fee waived until Oct. 1)
Indiana University East
Indiana University Fort Wayne (Fee waived from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1. Use code: FWCOLLGO)
Indiana University Indianapolis (Use Code: INCOLLGO)
Indiana University Kokomo
Indiana University Northwest
Indiana University South Bend
Indiana University Southeast
Indiana Wesleyan University
Ivy Tech Community College
Manchester University
Marian University
Martin University
Oakland City University
Purdue University Fort Wayne (Fee waived from Sept. 25 to Oct 8. Use Code: CollegeGo2023)
Purdue University Northwest (Fee waived all of September)
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary’s College
Trine University
University of Evansville
University of Indianapolis
University of Saint Francis
University of Southern Indiana
Valparaiso University
Vincennes University
Wabash College
Chalkbeat Indiana a is a not-for-profit news site covering educational change in public schools.
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The ROI for attending college and stacking student loans just isn’t there.
Depends on which college, in terms of ROI as well as what you actually pay after grants and other discounts. Look at a few of the Best Value lists from US News, Forbes, etc.
A college degree is still a barrier to entry for many careers that pay well.
Data shows that college graduates make at least one million dollars more over their working life than those who don’t have a college degree. In current dollars, that’s an average of $25,000 more per year (more than enough to pay off a student loan in as little as five years).