GSAS Application Fee Waivers

U.S. Military Service

Submit copies of any of the following with your fee waiver request:

• Active Duty Orders
• Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214, 215 or 256)
• Military ID Card (active duty, National Guard, Reserves, IRR, or retiree).
• VA Issued ID Card for Health Care
• Veterans ID Card
• Driver’s License with Veterans Designation or State Veterans ID Card
• Veterans Group Membership Card 

Financial Need Waiver

GSAS may grant an application fee waiver to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program and who submit official documentation that demonstrates financial need. Applicants can submit one or more of the following to demonstrate financial need:

1. An official letter that verifies your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), signed by you and a financial aid officer at your current institution.
2. A copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) (available from the FAFSA website).
3. A copy of your most current U.S. federal income tax return (Form 1040).

GSAS reserves the right to request additional information beyond the above.

International Applicants

To be considered for an application fee waiver based on financial circumstances, please upload a brief explanation of how the application fee presents a financial hardship for you. Relevant factors include unemployment or underemployment, economic and/or political conditions in your home country, or other extenuating circumstances that make paying the application fee especially difficult. Please include any documents that support your request, such as letters from your current university, personal tax returns, or other financial documents attesting to your financial hardship. (Please cross out any sensitive data like social security numbers).

Participation in a Special Program

GSAS may also grant an application fee waiver on the basis of participation in certain programs within the last two years. Applicants must provide documentation of participation or affiliation, and include dates of participation. Applicable programs and/or affiliations include the following: 

• American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
• Americorps
• Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minorities Students (ABRCMS)
• Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholar
• Cientifico Latino Graduate Student Mentorship Initiative (GSMI)
• Collegiate Science & Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)
• Fulbright Scholars
• Jackie Robinson Foundation
• Jesuit Volunteer Corps Members
• Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program
• Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
• McNair Scholars
• Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows Program
• Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC)
• Minority Biomedical Research Support Program (RISE)
• National Association of African American Honors Programs (NAAAHP)
• Peace Corps Volunteers
• Project 1000 Scholars
• Questbridge
• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• Teach for America
• TRIO Scholars 

How to Request an Application Fee Waiver

1. Submit your completed online application.
2. Log into your Application Status Page and click the link to the Application Fee Waiver Request form.
3. Complete the form as directed and upload all verification documentation by the  application deadline for your program of interest. 

All completed fee waiver requests will be reviewed by GSAS Admissions. Applicants will be notified of the decision only when all necessary documentation has been submitted. GSAS reserves the right to request additional information beyond the above. Failure to submit the completed request form with the proper documentation by the application deadline will result in an incomplete fee waiver request and require payment of the application fee. Fee waivers are not guaranteed. Applicants not approved for fee waivers must submit the non-refundable application fee online.

Virtual Information Session Application Fee Waiver

Beginning October 2024, attend one of our current Virtual Information Sessions* before April 1, 2025 and your $80 application fee will be waived automatically when you submit your application. Visit GSAS Admissions Events to register for an information session.

NOTE: You must attend the info session before submitting your application for admission to qualify for the application fee waiver. We are not able to refund the application fee if you choose to pay the fee before a waiver is approved.