It’s possible Ohio University’s applicants, if accepted, will earn back their non-refundable application fee once on campus.
OU charges $45 to undergraduates to apply to the Athens campus, generating $745,000 for OU during the 2012-13 school year with all application fees added together, OU spokeswoman Katie Quaranta said in an email.
That revenue goes to the General Fund — which funds hundreds of activities, sports, departments and salaries on campus — not OU’s admissions office, said
Candace Boeninger, OU’s director of admissions.
The university does not track how much of that fee is generated by each application, including those submitted by prospective postsecondary or graduate students, Quaranta said.
“The way that it works is a student who’s applying online, we use a third-party application vendor to help support that process,” Boeninger said. “The vendor sends a lump-sum check, minus a processing fee, to Ohio University.”
OU collects that amount in monthly disbursements as applications come in throughout the year, Boeninger said.
“Most of our applications, in general, are online,” Boeninger said. “Depending on the season or where we are in the cycle, it’s upwards of 95 percent of our applications come online.”
The fees for applying to OU vary, with non-degree seeking and postsecondary applicants paying $20, Boeninger said.
OU’s application fee is about average compared to other Ohio public universities. Shawnee State University doesn’t charge an application fee for an undergraduate degree. Ohio State University, on the other hand, charges $60, according to the school’s admissions website.
“For me personally, it was not a barrier (to entry), but I could see the argument that people from other social backgrounds would see it as a barrier,” said Peter Andrews, a freshman studying physics. “It’s probably harder for other people.”
High school students who qualify for free or reduced lunch at their school or who qualify for a College Board or ACT fee waiver automatically qualify for an application fee waiver at OU, Boeninger said.
“If the $45 application fee is a barrier, there is a way (students) can work with their high school counselor or other organizations to demonstrate need and have the fee waived,” Boeninger said. “I want to make sure students and families understand it should never be a barrier to application.”
dd195710@ohiou.edu
@WillDrabold
