10 Great Colleges You Can Apply to for Free
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College can be expensive even before you get in. About 80% of schools charge application fees, currently averaging $42 apiece. But thanks to the relative ease of online applications and growing use of the Common App, there a lot more outstanding schools without an application fee than there were a decade ago.
Ninety-five schools that are ranked in Money's 2015 Best Colleges didn't charge a dime to apply to in 2014, including these 10 colleges that scored in the top 200 for value in our rankings. For more tips to cut the cost of applying, see our article 5 Smart Ways to Save Money on College Applications.
Colby College
Location: Waterville, Maine
Money Best Colleges rank: 85
Average SAT/ACT: 1345/30
Learn more about Colby.
Wellesley College
Location: Wellesley, Mass.
Money Best Colleges rank: 93
Average SAT/ACT: 1410/31
Learn more about Wellesley.
Union College
Location: Schenectady, N.Y.
Money Best Colleges rank: 96
Average SAT/ACT: 1310/29
Learn more about Union.
Kenyon College
Location: Gambier, Ohio
Money Best Colleges rank: 101
Average SAT/ACT: 1320/30
Learn more about Kenyon.
Smith College
Location: Northampton, Mass.
Money Best Colleges rank: 127
Average SAT/ACT: 1225/27
Learn more about Smith.
Case Western Reserve University
Location: Cleveland
Money Best Colleges rank: 134
Average SAT/ACT: 1375/31
Learn more about Case Western Reserve.
Illinois Institute of Technology
Location: Chicago
Money Best Colleges rank: 157
Average SAT/ACT: 1270/27
Learn more about Illinois Institute of Technology.
Carleton College
Location: Northfield, Minn.
Money Best Colleges rank: 162
Average SAT/ACT: 1430/31
Learn more about Carleton.
University of Scranton
Location: Scranton, Pa.
Money Best Colleges rank: 167
Average SAT/ACT: 1120/24
Learn more about the University of Scranton.
Reed College
Location: Portland, Ore.
Money Best Colleges rank: 196
Average SAT/ACT: 1375/30
Learn more about Reed.