Requesting an Application Fee Waiver

Fee Waiver Form

The form to request a fee waiver is included in the payment section of the online application.  To be considered, applicants need to select the waiver payment option and upload any required supporting documents before submitting the online application.

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Eligibility

You must be a U.S. citizen or current permanent resident to be eligible for the graduate admissions 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

Undocumented students (not international) may be considered for an application fee waiver if they demonstrate financial need. Contact Graduate Admissions at gradadm@berkeley.edu for details.

If you are undocumented and the above does not apply to you, contact the Office for Graduate Diversity at undocugrad@berkeley.edu.

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 $3,216 (Updated each November)
  • Annual family income cannot exceed the maximum AGI listed in the Family Income Guidelines chart below.
FAMILY SIZE (including student) FAMILY INCOME (Maximum AGI on Tax Return)
1 $25,142
2 $33,874
3 $42,606
4 $51,338
5 $60,070
For each additional family member add $8,732

Required Documentation to Demonstrate Financial Need

To demonstrate financial need you must enter the EFC or AGI in the Payment/Fee Waiver page and upload one of following three 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 2023 – 2024 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 (available beginning October 1, 2022) and includes your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). Do not submit a copy of your FAFSA.
  3. A copy of your 2021 Federal Income Tax return. Provide either your Form 1040, if listed as an independent, or a copy of your parent’s or guardian’s 2021 Federal Income Tax return, if listed as a dependent.

Make sure you redact all Social Security numbers before submitting the documents. 

Upload all fee waiver documents to the Payment/Fee Waiver Page within the Graduate Application

2. Program Participation

A) Participants in the following programs will be approved for a fee waiver once we confirm your participation. Applicants DO NOT need to provide verification of program participation for the following programs:

  • Berkeley’s Firebaugh Scholars Program
  • Berkeley’s Getting into Graduate School (GiGS) Program
  • Berkeley’s Haas Scholars Program
  • Berkeley’s Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP)
  • Berkeley’s Underrepresented Researchers of Color (UROC) Program
  • Black in AI
  • Cal-Bridge
  • Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT)
  • National GEM Consortium (GEM)
  • Public Policy and International Affairs-Junior Summer Institute (PPIA)
  • Summer Undergraduate Program in Engineering at Berkeley (SUPERB)
  • The Women+ of Color Project
  • UC-Historically Black Colleges and Universities Initiative (UC-HBCU)
  • UC Leads Scholars Program (UC Leads)

B) 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.

  • 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)
  • Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars Program
  • 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(opens in a new tab)
  • Hispanic Serving Institutions-Pathways Program (HSI)
  • IIE/Fulbright
  • 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
  • National Association of African American Honors Programs (NAAAHP)
  • 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
  • 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)
  • Philosophy in an Inclusive Key Summer Institutes (PIKSI)
  • 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)
  • The PhD Project
  • Undergraduate Minority Biomedical Support (MBRS-IMSD)
  • University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Philosophy of Science Diversity Summer School

**Upload your program verification to the Payment/Fee Waiver Page.**

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:

Health and Medical Sciences Joint Degree (UCSF) You are applying to the HMS Joint Degree program
MD/MPH Joint Degree (UCSF) You are applying to the MD/MPH Joint Degree program (Not currently accepting applications)
Optometry Residency Program You are applying to the Optometry Residency Program at the School of Optometry
Education Abroad Program You are applying to Course Work Only status through the EAP
LASPAU (Contact Graduate Admissions for information)