First-Year Applicants

Submit the $90 nonrefundable application fee or follow the instructions below to request a fee waiver in your application.

Fee Waiver Request

Use the Common Application fee waiver guidelines to determine your eligibility. If your financial situation meets the fee waiver guidelines, request a fee waiver by selecting “Yes” to the Common App Fee Waiver question in your application.

In order to have your fee waiver request approved and the application fee waived, you must also complete one of the following:

• (Preferred and Fastest Method) Ask your secondary school counselor or school official to verify your eligibility for a fee waiver online in the Common Application; or
• Download and print the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC): Fee Waiver Form . Complete the Student section of the form first. Then ask your counselor to complete the Authorized Official and Economic Need sections. Your counselor should then send the form as an email attachment to credentials@stanford.eduwith your date of birth in the body of the email.

You do not need to wait for your fee waiver request to be approved before submitting your application. If we need more information, we will reach out to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my application fee has been received or if my fee waiver request has been approved? If not received or approved, what should I do?

The application fee appears as a checklist item in your Stanford portal. When your payment is received, this checklist item will have a green check. If you request a fee waiver and it is approved, this checklist item will have a gray check.

If your application fee checklist item is still showing a red X, follow the applicable step:

• If you paid the fee in Common App, log in to Common App, navigate to the Review & Submit tab and if there was an error, you will be prompted to re-submit the payment.
• If you requested a fee waiver, please ask your counselor to submit their form in Common App or send credentials@stanford.edu the completed NACAC form.
• If you requested a fee waiver and are not eligible to receive one, log in to Common App and navigate to the Review & Submit tab to change your payment method and pay the fee.

How can I request a fee waiver for the CSS Profile?

Stanford does not offer CSS Profile fee waiver codes; however, your fee may be waived by the College Scholarship Service (CSS) if you meet their criteria. Please visit the CSS Profile fee waiver page for more information.

International applicants should submit the CSS Profile if they are able. If you are an international student who cannot afford the CSS Profile fee, or if you live in a country from which the College Board cannot process payments, you may submit the International Student Application for Financial Assistance (ISAFA) instead. Please visit our Restrictive Early Action or Regular Decision financial aid pages for access to the ISAFA.

Where can I find information about tuition costs, the student budget and financial aid?

A good place to begin is the Undergraduate Basics section of Stanford's financial aid website . We also recommend our Net Price Calculator as a general guide to your family's eligibility for financial aid. Tuition costs and other expenses are itemized on the Student Budget page .

APPLY

• Admission Overview

First-Year Applicants

• Requirements and Deadlines
• Regular Decision and Restrictive Early Action
• Academic Preparation
• Application and Essays
• Application Fee/Fee Waiver
• Standardized Testing
• Transcript and Required School Forms
• Interview
• Arts Portfolio
• Guidelines for Homeschooled Applicants
• After Submitting Your Application

Transfer Applicants

• Requirements and Deadlines
• Eligibility
• Academic Preparation & Transfer Credit
• Application and Essays
• Application Fee/Fee Waiver
• Standardized Testing
• Transcripts and College Report
• Letters of Recommendation
• Arts Portfolio
• After Submitting Your Application

Veterans and ROTC

• Overview
• Financial Aid and the Yellow Ribbon Program
• Selecting the Appropriate Application Plan
• Key Contacts