Requesting an Application Fee Waiver

Only U.S. citizens or current permanent residents are eligible for an application fee waiver.

There are two ways in which you may qualify for an application fee waiver:

1. You can demonstrate financial need, or
2. You have participated in certain programs that qualify for a fee waiver

Once you complete the Biographical Information and Personal Background sections of the application, the fee waiver will automatically appear in the Payment / Fee Waiver section if you are eligible.

Undocumented students (AB540 & non-AB540) may be considered for an application fee waiver if they demonstrate financial need. Visit Prospective Undocumented Graduate Students for additional information.

1. Financial Need

Financial need is determined by the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) number listed on your Student Aid Report (SAR), or by the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) on your tax return. To be eligible for the Fee Waiver:

• EFC cannot exceed $5,000
• Annual family income cannot exceed the maximum AGI listed in the Family Income Guidelines chart below.

Required Documentation to Demonstrate Financial Need

To demonstrate financial need, enter the EFC or AGI in the Payment/Fee Waiver page and upload one of following items through the online application:

1. A statement of need from a financial aid officer at the college or university that you are currently attending. This statement must include your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), the financial aid officer’s signature, and your signature verifying that the information reported is correct.
2. A photocopy of your 2024 – 2025 Student Aid Report (SAR) or 2025 – 2026 Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR is generated from the information that you provide on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov) form and includes your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). Do not submit a copy of your FAFSA.
3. A copy of your 2023 Federal Income Tax return. Provide either your Form 1040, if listed as an independent, or a copy of your parent’s or guardian’s 2023 Federal Income Tax return, if listed as a dependent.

Please redact all Social Security numbers before submitting the documents.

2. Program Participation

Participants in the following programs must submit verification of program participation, such as a letter bearing the original signature of the program director or adviser, or a copy of the current contract. Please upload your program verification to the Payment/Fee Waiver Page in the application.

• American Economic Association Summer Training and Scholarship Program
• American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
• American Philosophical Association COMPASS program
• AmeriCorps, Teach for America, or the Peace Corps
• Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS Presenters Only)
• Berkeley’s Firebaugh Scholars Program
• Berkeley’s Getting into Graduate School (GiGS) Program
• Berkeley’s Haas Scholars Program
• Berkeley’s STEM Excellence through Equity & Diversity (SEED) Scholars Honors Program
• Berkeley’s Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP)
• Berkeley’s Underrepresented Researchers of Color (UROC) Program
• Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars Program
• Black in AI
• Cal-Bridge
• California Pre-Doc Program (Sally Casanova Scholars)
• Científico Latino
• Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)
• Cultivating Underrepresented Students in Philosophy (CUSP)
• Former Foster Youth
• GRE Fee Reduction Program
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)
• Hispanic Serving Institutions-Pathways Program (HSI)
• IIE/Fulbright
• Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT)
• Laureates & Leaders (MIT)
• Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP)
• Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
• McNair Scholars Program
• Mellon Mays Minority Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF)
• Meyerhoff Scholars Program – University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Millennium Scholars Program (Penn State)
• National Association of African American Honors Programs (NAAAHP)
• National GEM Consortium (GEM)
• National Name Exchange
• National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCCh)
• National Organization of Minority Architects Student Member
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
• National Society of Black Physicists
• National Society of Hispanic Physicists
• Native Forward Scholars Program
• NIH Blueprint Program for Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education Experiences (BP-ENDURE)
• NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative
• NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Training Program (PREP)
• NIH Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement Program (RISE)
• NIH/NIGMS Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC)
• NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU)
• Partners for Justice (PFJ)
• Philosophy in an Inclusive Key Summer Institutes (PIKSI)
• Public Policy and International Affairs-Junior Summer Institute (PPIA)
• Questbridge
• Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI)
• Rutgers Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy
• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS Presenters Only)
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
• Summer Immersion Program in Philosophy (Brown)
• Summer Undergraduate Program in Engineering at Berkeley (SUPERB)
• The PhD Project
• The Women+ of Color Project
• UC Leads Scholars Program (UC Leads)
• UC-Historically Black Colleges and Universities Initiative (UC-HBCU)
• Undergraduate Minority Biomedical Support (MBRS-IMSD)
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
• University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Philosophy of Science Diversity Summer School

Application Fee Exemption Eligibility

The following categories of applicants are exempt from paying an application fee. If any of these categories apply to you, you may choose “Fee Exemption” in the payment section of the online application: