Davidson College Drops Application Fee, Expanding Access for Future Students

“We don’t want $50 to stand in the way of a talented, courageous student getting the unparalleled opportunity of the Davidson experience,” said Chris Gruber, vice president and dean of admission and financial aid. “We are waiving that fee permanently, but it is particularly important at a time when everyday expenses are stretching family budgets.” 

The disappearing fee is another step to keep Davidson affordable and accessible. Three weeks ago, the college went tuition-free for families earning up to $175,000. Families whose total income is $85,000 or less receive a full scholarship for tuition, fees, housing and meals starting in the fall of 2027. 

Davidson already waives its fee for a variety of groups, such as those who identify a financial hardship and North Carolina applicants during the state’s Free Application Week. Applying to college can be complicated and, then, requesting a fee waiver often is a cumbersome process. The college is making that simpler.

Davidson College over the past two decades has intensified its efforts to recruit students from all backgrounds. Davidson is among only about two dozen colleges in the nation who take a trio of steps toward affordability: admitting domestic students without regard for their ability to pay, meeting 100 percent of calculated need and providing financial aid packages with no loans. Davidson was the nation’s first liberal arts college to remove loans from aid packages. 

Waiving the admission application fee helps remove another barrier. For example, high-achieving, low income students may not apply to a college because of its sticker price or because no one from their high school has attended that college. A 2013 Stanford University study found that a few inexpensive steps by colleges, including waiving the application fee, substantially increased the number of those talented students who applied to competitive colleges.