3 HBCUs With No Application Fee

The first thing you have to pay when going to college is usually the application fee. It takes time and effort to properly process applications, but does that mean you need to be the one who pays for the service rather than the college?

Now more than ever, colleges are striving to make access to applications — and college in general — more affordable. One way they're doing this is by eliminating application fees.

So if you want to save more money while getting a quality education at a school that meets your cultural, academic, and social needs, it's time to check out the top 3 HBCUs with no application fee below.

Top HBCUs With Free Applications

Find out if any of the best HBCUs are schools with no application fee, as well as the ways that you can save on HBCU applications even when the college you want to attend doesn't regularly offer fee-free applications.

HBCUs With No Application Fee

Here are some HBCUs with no application fee that you can apply to and attend in the United States:

Xavier University of Louisiana

Xavier University of Louisiana is the only private historically Black Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It's known as a leader in both sciences and liberal arts.

First-time college freshmen applying to Xavier University of Louisiana can apply completely for free and don't have to submit their test scores, though students who don't submit test scores will have to complete an essay and resume.

Popular programs offered at this college include biology, public health, psychology, business administration, and chemistry.

Alcorn State University

Alcorn State University (ASU) is a public university, specifically a historically Black land-grant university, adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi.

It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and well-known as the only HBCU in the state with a comprehensive nursing program available. It also ranks among the top 25 HBCUs in the nation, according to the annual U.S. News & World Report HBCU ranking.

ASU makes no mention of application fee requirements for residents of the United States, though international students do have a small application fee of $60.

The university's most popular degree programs include nursing, biology, computer science, and business administration.

Jackson State University

Jackson State University (JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi, that's also a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

JSU Global's online list of admissions requirements for undergraduate students does not include an application fee, but graduates need to pay a $25 application fee before their application will be processed by the college.

Other admissions requirements for undergraduates include immunization records, a Certified Declaration of Financial Support that proves you can cover your college expenses for a year, ACT or SAT entrance exam scores, and official transcripts or diplomas.

JSU's top program subjects are education, art, history, computer science, and psychology.

Ways To Apply to Nearly Any HBCU for Free

Just because most HBCUs have application fees doesn't mean there aren't ways for you to apply to them for free. From specific waiver requests to yearly no-fee events for colleges, here are the ways that you can apply to nearly any HBCU for free.

Waivers

Many colleges can offer waivers based on financial need to high school and adult students — you can contact an admissions counselor at the college you want to apply to to find out what you need to do to receive a waiver.

There are also some programs, particularly for high schoolers, that assist students in preparing for and applying to college. This can include providing them with a certain number of application waivers that can be used for any college they apply too — this lets students apply to HBCUs for free regardless of whether they have application fees.

Fee-Free Application Weeks

Some states, such as North Carolina, have a College Application Week in which students are able to apply to any participating college for free during that week.

Some of North Carolina's top HBCUs participate. The list of schools with no application fee during this week commonly includes:

• Bennet College
• Fayetteville State University
• Johnson C. Smith University
• Livingstone College
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
• North Carolina Central University
• St. Augustine's University
• Shaw University
• Winston-Salem State University

How To Use the Common Black College Application to Apply to Multiple HBCUs for Free

The Common Black College Application was created in the late 1990s by admissions counselors at various HBCUs to help interested students instantly apply to as many as half the HBCUs in the U.S. for only $20 - though the number of participating colleges does vary in each admissions cycle.

Common HBCUs that can be applied to using the Common Black College Application include:

• Alabama State University
• Bethune-Cookman College
• Clark Atlanta University
• Kentucky State University
• multiple Southern University campuses in Louisiana
• Jackson State University
• North Carolina Central University
• Winston-Salem State University
• Central State University
• South Carolina State University
• Tennessee State University
• Wiley College
• Texas College
• Norfolk State University
• West Virginia State University

Save Money While Attending the HBCU of Your Dreams Today

Now that you know about the top HBCUs with no application fee, as well as ways to reduce the cost of applications at HBCUs that don't offer free admission applications regularly, it's time for you to save some money while applying to college today so you can get the education you need for less tomorrow.