The NACAC fee waiver form is a one-page request that asks a college to waive its undergraduate application fee for a student who cannot afford it. You complete the student half, an authorized official (usually a school counselor) verifies one of eight financial-need indicators, and a copy goes directly to each college’s admissions office. NACAC recommends using it at no more than four schools, and not every college accepts it, so confirm with each admissions office before sending.
Who Qualifies
The form lists eight indicators of economic need. You only need to meet one, but the official who signs must check which one applies. If no box is checked, the college will deny the request.
- You received or were eligible for an SAT or ACT testing fee waiver.
- You are enrolled in or eligible for the Federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program.
- Your family’s annual income falls within the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Income Eligibility Guidelines. For 2026–2027, reduced-price eligibility (185 percent of the federal poverty level) is roughly $61,050 for a household of four.
- You participate in a federal, state, or local program for students from low-income families, such as GEAR UP or a TRIO program like Upward Bound.
- Your family receives public assistance such as TANF or SNAP.
- You live in federally subsidized public housing, a foster home, or are experiencing homelessness.
- You are a ward of the state or an orphan.
- Other: a school official, financial aid officer, or community leader writes a short explanation that paying the fee would be a hardship for your family.
That last box is the catch-all for students whose situations don’t fit the first seven cleanly but who genuinely cannot pay. It’s also the box international applicants use.
How to Fill Out the Form
Download the fillable PDF from the NACAC website, or pick up a printed copy from your high school counseling office. The form has two halves.
The Student Half
Enter your full legal name, date of birth, and mailing address, plus the name and address of the specific college this copy is going to. Add your high school’s name and address. Sign and date the certification statement at the bottom, which confirms you understand and meet the eligibility criteria. Use the same name and address format you used on your application itself. Mismatches slow processing and can cause the admissions office to lose track of the form.
The Authorized Official Half
Someone who can verify your financial situation completes this section: a school counselor, principal, postsecondary support staff member, or an official from a community-based organization. They print their name, title, organization, phone, and email, check at least one of the eight need indicators, and sign the certification confirming you are a current 11th- or 12th-grader at their school or an individual seeking undergraduate enrollment who meets the indicated need.
If you don’t have access to a high school counselor (you’re homeschooled, already graduated, or your school doesn’t have counseling staff who can do this), a community-based organization official can sign instead. Financial aid officers at a current institution can also sign, which matters most for transfer applicants.
Where to Send It
The completed form goes directly to each college’s admissions office. The form itself prints the instruction at the top: send it to the Dean or Director of Admission at the named institution. Contact each admissions office first to ask how they prefer to receive it. Some accept mail, email, and fax; others want one specific channel.
Each school needs its own copy. If you’re applying to four colleges, you complete four separate forms, one per school, with that college’s name and address on each. There is no central tracking. Each admissions office processes independently.
Limits on Use
NACAC recommends limiting the form to the four schools you’re most interested in attending. Acceptance is not automatic. NACAC does not maintain a directory of participating colleges, so calling or emailing each admissions office is the only way to confirm. Some schools use their own institutional waivers with different criteria and won’t take an outside form. If a school denies the waiver, you’ll be asked to pay before your file is reviewed. Common reasons for denial: the college doesn’t accept outside waivers at all, the form is incomplete or illegible, or the authorized official’s signature is missing.
When You Don’t Need the NACAC Form
If you’re applying through the Common Application, you don’t need the NACAC form for those schools. The Common App has its own fee waiver question with nearly identical criteria, and qualifying answers remove the fee automatically for every Common App college you submit to. The Coalition for College (now integrated with Scoir) works similarly: a short questionnaire in Part 1 of the application identifies you as eligible, and the fee is bypassed at submission.
The NACAC form is most useful when you’re applying directly through a college’s own portal or on paper, or when a school doesn’t participate in the Common App or Coalition.
Transfer Applicants
NACAC publishes a separate form for transfer students: the Request for Transfer Admission Application Fee Waiver. It splits into two paths depending on whether you’re eligible for a Pell Grant.
Pell-eligible transfers have two verification options. You can attach your FAFSA Submission Summary, or a financial aid officer at your current institution can complete a section confirming your Pell eligibility. If you’re not Pell-eligible, you check one of the economic need indicators (similar to the first-year form) and can self-certify against the USDA income guidelines. Email the completed form and any supporting documents directly to the admissions office at the school you want to transfer to.
International Applicants
International students applying to U.S. colleges as first-time undergraduates use the standard NACAC fee waiver form. Check the “Other request” box, and have the authorized official write a short explanation of the financial barriers to paying the fee. Approval is up to each individual college. NACAC suggests contacting an EducationUSA advising center in your home country for help with the process and for identifying an appropriate authorized official.
After You Submit
Processing times vary. Some admissions offices review waiver requests within a few business days; others take a week or more. Check each school’s applicant portal for status rather than assuming the waiver went through.
If the admissions office needs more documentation, such as a tax transcript, a benefits award letter, or a letter from a social services agency, they’ll reach out through the portal or by email. Watch those channels closely, because an unverified waiver can hold up your entire application. Once a school accepts the waiver, the fee is removed for that admission cycle and no further follow-up on the financial side is needed.