Application Fee Waiver

Application fee waiver requests are available for ten groups of applicants. If you believe you qualify for an application fee waiver, please check the box on the Program of Study page in the online admissions application and then complete the Application Fee Waiver Request link that will be made available in the menu on the left side of the application page. You should then upload the required documentation listed below.

After you submit your application with the required fee waiver documentation, The Graduate School will review the fee waiver request. If your fee waiver request is approved, the application will be processed and no further action is needed. If denied, you will be notified by email and the application will not be processed until the application fee is received. Fee waiver requests must be received before the deadline for any application to be considered. If you submit an application with a request for a fee waiver near the application submission deadline for your program, your fee waiver request will not be reviewed until after the deadline. Please check with the academic program to which you are applying for more information on their timeline.

After you have submitted your fee waiver request, please allow several days for your request to be reviewed by The Graduate School. We will send additional information, including status updates, via email.

  1. Full-time permanent employees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who submit an application and upload a UNC-CH Employee Application Fee Waiverpdf icon approved by a central UNC-CH Human Resources Benefits Representative.
  2. United States active duty or veteran military personnel: To qualify for this application fee waiver, applicants must complete all required questions on the Military Service application page. No additional documentation is required.
  3. Participants in The Graduate School's Summer Undergraduate Pipeline (SUP) program. To qualify for this application fee waiver, applicants must upload a verification letter signed by a SUP Coordinator.
  4. Participants who successfully complete one year of service with the Carolina College Advising Corps (CCAC) at the time of application submission. To qualify for this application fee waiver, applicants must upload a verification of program completion letter signed by the CCAC Program Director.
  5. Participants in the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program: To qualify for this application fee waiver, applicants must upload a verification letter signed by a campus IMSD representative.
  6. Participants in the Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) program: To qualify for this application fee waiver, applicants must upload a verification letter signed by a campus MARC representative.
  7. Participants in the McNair Scholars program: To qualify for this application fee waiver, applicants must upload a verification letter signed by the current campus McNair representative.
  8. Participants in the Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP): To qualify for this application fee waiver, applicants must upload a verification letter signed by a campus PREP representative.
  9. Participants in the Undergraduate or Graduate Research Training Initiative for Student Engagement (U-RISE, G-RISE): To qualify for this application fee waiver, applicants must upload a verification letter signed by a campus U-RISE or G-RISE representative.
  10. U.S. citizens who meet the following need-based eligibility:
    • are currently enrolled in a degree program. To qualify for this application fee waiver, applicants must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program in the semester immediately preceding the academic term for which they are applying
    • have received need-based financial aid in each term of enrollment.

    To qualify for a need-based fee waiver, please provide a verification letter on letterhead signed by your current institution's financial aid office to be considered. If you are unable to obtain a letter from your current institution's financial aid office, please upload official financial aid award statements from all academic years of enrollment.

We are happy to consider your waiver request once you have uploaded the required documentation showing that you meet the criteria described above and have submitted your application. Participation in scholarship programs or payment waivers granted by other sources does not automatically make you eligible for a fee waiver at this campus, but we welcome fee waiver requests from applicants who meet the need-based eligibility criteria described above.

After you submit your application with the required fee waiver request documentation, the Admissions Office will review your materials and mark your application payment as "waived" or contact you for additional information or payment.

This is a fee waiver process and not a fee payment reimbursement process. Once the application fee is paid by either check or credit card, a waiver or reimbursement is no longer an option.