More Than 60 Georgia Colleges Drop Application Fees in November

Georgia high school seniors can apply to more than 60 colleges for free starting Nov. 1.

The Georgia Student Finance Commission partnered with the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and private colleges to waive application fees from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30. The program is called Apply to College Month Initiative. This is the sixth year the commission has run fee waivers during November. Seniors face no limit on how many participating schools they can apply to. Students who apply to public colleges through the GEORGIA MATCH dashboard in November get the waiver applied automatically. The list of participating colleges and instructions for claiming the waiver are posted on GAfutures.org.

Governor Brian P. Kemp pointed to state action on education costs, including restoring the HOPE Scholarship to cover tuition fully and funding need-based aid during the legislative session. The commission's press release included comments from Kemp and commission President Chris Green. Students can look into $1 billion in scholarships and grants through GAfutures.org. Those with questions about waivers, GEORGIA MATCH, or state grants can book a meeting with a regional outreach representative at gafutures.org/outreach.

Officials have not said how many students they expect to use the waiver in November. State leaders have not released a figure for what each student saves, though the commission noted the savings can add up for students applying to multiple schools.