Post by sader1970 on Aug 11, 2022 6:17:45 GMT -5
From the T&G:
Holy Cross drops application fee for Worcester Public School students
Jeff A. Chamer
Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER — Worcester Public School students looking to apply to the College of the Holy Cross won't have to wonder how they'll pay for the application fee anymore, as the university announced Wednesday that it had eliminated its $60 application fee.
Effective on Aug. 1, the fee was dropped in an effort to reduce the financial barriers for currently enrolled district students.
“By waiving the application fee for Worcester Public School students, we aim to encourage more academically qualified students to explore and apply to Holy Cross —one of the nation’s top liberal arts institutions,” Holy Cross President Vincent D. Rougeau said.
It's not the first time a university in Central Massachusetts has eliminated application fees to make college education more accessible to students. In 2020, Worcester Polytechnic Institute announced it was going to start waiving its $70 application fee.
Other universities also offer fee waivers. Nichols College charges no application fees to apply, and Fitchburg State University, like WPI, continued to offer fee waivers after eliminating them in 2020.
The Holy Cross press release said that the elimination of the application fee is part of an ongoing effort, the release said, to enroll "high-achieving students from low-income families."
Other efforts to make the school more accessible have included making standardized testing an optional part of the application process, a policy that was put in place in 2005. Holy Cross was, according to the press release, one of the first of five schools in the United States to enact this policy.
Additionally, Holy Cross meets 100% of each admitted student's demonstrated financial need.
"We recognize that undermatching is a genuine issue among high-achieving, low-income students,” said Cornell B. LeSane II, vice president for enrollment management at Holy Cross, in the release. "As a college that meets 100% demonstrated financial need, we want to remove the undue burden that an application fee may present."
Holy Cross joins a select number of schools that offer some type of fee waiver to undergraduate students.
Clark University
The university eliminated application fees for everyone in 2020 and plans to continue to do so in the future, said Meredith Twombly, vice president of admissions and financial aid.
College of the Holy Cross
Students currently enrolled in the Worcester Public School district will not have to pay the $60 undergraduate application fee. The new policy took effect on Aug. 1.
Fitchburg State University
In fall 2020, Fitchburg State announced it would be eliminating its application fee for undergraduate programs. That policy has continued into fall 2022, the school's website said.
Mount Wachusett Community College
It is free to apply to MWCC.
Nichols College
The university, which accepts applications year-round, has no application fees.
Quinsigamond Community College
It is free to apply to QCC.
UMass Chan Medical School
According to the school's website, application fees are waived for M.D./Ph.D. program applicants who are granted an American Medical College Application Services fee waiver.
The AMCAS website said it awards fee waivers based on household size and income. For 2022, applicants will be granted fee assistance if each household reported on their application has a 2021 total family income that is 400% or less than the 2021 national poverty level for that family size.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
In October 2020, WPI announced it would be eliminating its $70 application fee for undergraduate applicants. The policy remains in effect.
When you see what other Worcester area colleges are doing, is this any big deal?
Jeff A. Chamer
Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER — Worcester Public School students looking to apply to the College of the Holy Cross won't have to wonder how they'll pay for the application fee anymore, as the university announced Wednesday that it had eliminated its $60 application fee.
Effective on Aug. 1, the fee was dropped in an effort to reduce the financial barriers for currently enrolled district students.
“By waiving the application fee for Worcester Public School students, we aim to encourage more academically qualified students to explore and apply to Holy Cross —one of the nation’s top liberal arts institutions,” Holy Cross President Vincent D. Rougeau said.
It's not the first time a university in Central Massachusetts has eliminated application fees to make college education more accessible to students. In 2020, Worcester Polytechnic Institute announced it was going to start waiving its $70 application fee.
Other universities also offer fee waivers. Nichols College charges no application fees to apply, and Fitchburg State University, like WPI, continued to offer fee waivers after eliminating them in 2020.
The Holy Cross press release said that the elimination of the application fee is part of an ongoing effort, the release said, to enroll "high-achieving students from low-income families."
Other efforts to make the school more accessible have included making standardized testing an optional part of the application process, a policy that was put in place in 2005. Holy Cross was, according to the press release, one of the first of five schools in the United States to enact this policy.
Additionally, Holy Cross meets 100% of each admitted student's demonstrated financial need.
"We recognize that undermatching is a genuine issue among high-achieving, low-income students,” said Cornell B. LeSane II, vice president for enrollment management at Holy Cross, in the release. "As a college that meets 100% demonstrated financial need, we want to remove the undue burden that an application fee may present."
Holy Cross joins a select number of schools that offer some type of fee waiver to undergraduate students.
Clark University
The university eliminated application fees for everyone in 2020 and plans to continue to do so in the future, said Meredith Twombly, vice president of admissions and financial aid.
College of the Holy Cross
Students currently enrolled in the Worcester Public School district will not have to pay the $60 undergraduate application fee. The new policy took effect on Aug. 1.
Fitchburg State University
In fall 2020, Fitchburg State announced it would be eliminating its application fee for undergraduate programs. That policy has continued into fall 2022, the school's website said.
Mount Wachusett Community College
It is free to apply to MWCC.
Nichols College
The university, which accepts applications year-round, has no application fees.
Quinsigamond Community College
It is free to apply to QCC.
UMass Chan Medical School
According to the school's website, application fees are waived for M.D./Ph.D. program applicants who are granted an American Medical College Application Services fee waiver.
The AMCAS website said it awards fee waivers based on household size and income. For 2022, applicants will be granted fee assistance if each household reported on their application has a 2021 total family income that is 400% or less than the 2021 national poverty level for that family size.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
In October 2020, WPI announced it would be eliminating its $70 application fee for undergraduate applicants. The policy remains in effect.
When you see what other Worcester area colleges are doing, is this any big deal?
