The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs - Diversity Programs is pleased to offer application fee waivers to US citizens and US permanent residents who demonstrate a financial hardship, current or former members of the United States Armed Forces, or those who have participated in specified organizations and training programs listed below. Please complete an application fee waiver request form to the school in which you are applying. Allow at least three business days to process your request, and you will receive an email once your application fee waiver request has been reviewed. Please read the content below to view a full listing of the organizations, programs, and criteria in which we will grant an application fee waiver.
Eligibility Requirements for Fee Waivers:
Applicants who are current or past members of the following organizations may qualify for an application fee waiver. Eligible applicants should complete the fee waiver request and upload a copy of an official certificate of participation.
- AmeriCorps
- Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers
- Leadership Alliance
- Lewis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-AMP) programs/ VA-NC Alliance
- Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
- Mellon Mays Graduate Initiative
- National College Advising Corps
- National GEM Consortium
- Peace Corps
- Project 1000
- Summer Institute for Literary and Cultural Studies
- Teach for America
- Vietnam Education Foundation
Applicants who are active duty service members or veterans may qualify for an application fee waiver. Eligible applicants should complete the fee waiver request and upload one of the following documents:
DD Form 214 – Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty
DD Form 256 – Honorable Discharge Certificate
WD AGO – Enlistment Record
Military orders
Military identification card
Veteran identification card (Virginia)
Applicants who receive unemployment benefits, a GRE fee reduction, or an undergraduate student with an expected family contribution of $0 may qualify for a need-based fee waiver. Eligible applicants should complete the fee waiver request and provide one of the following documents:
- An unemployment benefits statement dated within the previous six months
- A GRE fee reduction certificate from the Education Testing Service (ETS)
- A FAFSA indicating an expected family contribution (EFC) of $0 toward tuition for the current academic year
Note: Applicants who are applying to graduate programs while not concurrently enrolled in an undergraduate degree are not eligible for the need-based fee waiver based on EFC.
Application Fee Waiver Submission Guidance:
Before beginning the application fee waiver form, please make sure that you have first created an online account by establishing a username and password to start your graduate school application. If you have not created an account, you will be required to do so before you can access the application fee waiver form. Select the respective school for your graduate program from the Start Your Graduate Application accordion option below and select "First-time users" to create your online account.
Select the respective application fee waiver form from the Submit in Your Application Fee Waiver Form accordion below, and log into your online account with your username and password.
- Biomedical Sciences Fee Waiver Form
- School of Education & Human Development Fee Waiver Form
- School of Data Science Fee Waiver Form
- Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Fee Waiver Form
- School of Architecture Fee Waiver Form
- School of Continuing & Professional Studies Fee Waiver Form
- School of Engineering & Applied Science Fee Waiver Form
- School of Nursing Fee Waiver Form
Complete all questions asked and upload any requested documentation to confirm your eligibility status, if applicable.
Important information to know in processing an application fee waiver request:
- You must have your application started before requesting a fee waiver.
- You cannot be granted a fee waiver after payment of the application fee.
- International applicants are not eligible for application fee waivers.
Application fee waiver requests are accepted up to a week prior to the application submission deadline for each program. Within a week of the application submission deadline, no application fee waiver requests will be granted. If you are unsure of your program’s deadline, then consult the school’s website.