Apply to College for Free This Month: Waivers Hit Two States

Apply to College for Free this month, and keep hundreds of dollars in your pocket. Two states are wiping out college application fees for thousands of students right now: New York just launched this fall's statewide application-fee waiver program, and Texas is in the final hours of its free-application week, which ends tonight. If you are a high school senior, a transfer student, or an adult heading back to school, the next few weeks are the cheapest time all year to apply.

Application fees are one of those costs that sneak up on families. A single application typically runs fifty to ninety dollars, and most students apply to several schools, so the total can easily climb into the hundreds before a single acceptance letter arrives. Fee-waiver weeks and months erase that upfront cost entirely, and several states now run them every fall. Here is what is open, what is ending, and how to make sure you do not miss your window.

New York: One Hundred Thirty-Plus Schools, Two Months of Waivers

New York's program is the biggest of the season. Governor Kathy Hochul announced the 2026 College Application Initiative in mid-October, and this year it stretches across two full months instead of one. More than one hundred thirty public and private colleges and universities are waiving application fees during designated periods, and more than seven hundred high schools across the state are taking part, according to a statewide guide to the program.

The timing depends on the system. SUNY schools waive fees starting in the third week of October and running into early November, with students allowed up to five free applications during the window. CUNY's waiver period stretches into mid-November, with dates that vary depending on where a student attends high school. More than forty-five private colleges are participating too, each with its own designated waiver dates, so checking each school's instructions matters.

The program is now in its thirteenth year, and the numbers explain why it keeps growing. Last fall, more than three hundred thousand applications went through the initiative, saving students and families over fifteen million dollars in fees, according to the state's announcement. The push especially encourages students from lower-income households and those who would be the first in their families to attend college to apply to at least one school.

"Every New York student should have the opportunity to pursue a college education, no matter their ZIP code or their family's income," Hochul said in the state's announcement. The waiver does not guarantee admission and does not make tuition free. It removes one specific upfront cost, which is often the cost that stops a student from applying to a reach school in the first place.

Texas: Free This Week, and the Clock Is Ticking

The state's free-application week is almost over: eligible undergraduate applications submitted through ApplyTexas are exempt from fees until 11:59 p.m. Central time tonight, reported by Texas Public Radio.

The Texas program works differently from most. It was created by a state law passed in 2025, and all public colleges and universities in the state are required to participate for eligible applications. There is no income limit: eligibility depends on meeting the Texas residency rules used for admission, not on a family's finances. That makes it one of the broadest free-application programs in the country.

Last year, more than a quarter-million applications were submitted during the free week, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The savings add up fast for students applying to several campuses, since the per-school fees are steep on their own. One catch to watch: the exemption applies to the application fee only, and individual schools decide which platforms qualify, so a University of Houston application through the Common App, for example, may not be covered. Transcripts, test scores, and other materials may still be required after you submit.

More States Are Running Free Windows Too

New York and Texas are the headliners, but they are not alone. Colorado opens a three-day window later this month covering all thirty-two of its public colleges, including CU Boulder and Colorado State, plus select private schools. North Carolina runs its own free week in late October through its College Foundation program. Georgia goes bigger still, with an entire Apply to College Month throughout November covering public universities and select private colleges. South Dakota's window runs through the end of November for public universities and technical colleges.

A few practical rules apply everywhere. First, confirm the details with each school before you submit, since dates and eligible platforms vary. Second, free applications do not mean free college: tuition, housing, books, and deposits still apply, and a waiver is not an admission offer. Third, residency rules matter, especially in Texas, where each institution verifies eligibility under state rules rather than taking an address at face value.

The strategy behind these programs is simple. Admissions offices know that the application fee is a filter, and not a fair one: it screens out the students who can least afford to pay it. Waiving it for a week or a month costs colleges almost nothing and brings in applicants who might never have applied. For students, the math is even simpler. If you were planning to apply to four or five schools, doing it during a waiver window can save the price of a textbook, a month of groceries, or the deposit on your first apartment. And if money is tight at home, moving back in with family while you sort out college plans is a move more of your generation is making without shame. Apply to College for Free while the windows are open, because the fees come back the moment they close.