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Written by admin on February 15th, 2010

Students are Lured to Colleges by No Fee Applications

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One of the debts that must be managed in many households is college tuition. The cost of attending college continues to rise every year which means the choice of college can have far reaching effects on finances. Choosing a college is not a decision that should be made lightly.

Colleges have become very competitive when it comes to marketing to potential students. The marketing has gotten more aggressive and some think too glitzy. Until recently, admission to a college required an application fee, an application, and an essay. Even after submitting the package it could take weeks to get a response.

Now some colleges and universities have decided the best way to lure new students is to offer them an opportunity to skip the application and the essay while promising a quick response. When every dollar counts, a college application fee can be difficult to come up with and most students apply to more than one college. When fees range from $40 to over $100 the cost of just trying to select a college can rise rapidly.

The new marketing ploy being used by a variety of colleges involves waiving the application fee. In some cases the use of the term “waive” is a bit deceptive because the college does not require anyone to pay a fee. But potential students getting envelopes in the mail marked “application fee waived” or “no essay required” are finding the marketing efforts really do get their attention.

Objectors to this type of marketing by colleges centers on the fact students could be choosing colleges or universities based on the no-fee policy without regard as to whether it is the right choice for pursuing career goals. Once accepted to a school the debt accumulates quickly, so it’s important to attend the best and most affordable school.

The new forms are called express applications. They were designed to build student enrollments during a recession that has made college unaffordable for many people. Even those who are able to get financial aid discover it is composed primarily of loans that must be repaid after college. Starting post-college life already in debt can be difficult.

Another goal of this aggressive marketing approach is to attract students able to pay the full tuition rates. Some colleges also claim the streamlined application process helps to create a more diverse student body.

The schools use carefully chosen words when naming their college application processes. For example, the University of Minnesota uses the “Golden Gopher Fast Application”. Marquette offers the “Advantage Application”. The University of California at Davis sends out the “Distinctive Candidate” application.

Are these marketing campaigns working? They are for some schools and especially the one using professional marketers. But the high school counselors work diligently to remind the seniors and their parents that choosing a college requires a lot of thought and to not be sold on a school simply because there is no application fee. A bargain price on the application is not an indicator of a school’s suitability.

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