College Admissions Tests: Fee Waivers

At this time of year, it's no surprise that one of the most frequently asked questions I've been hearing is about fee waivers for college admissions tests:
Do the College Board and ACT organizations offer fee waivers?
What do they cover?
How can I help the students I work with obtain one?

Yes! Both the College Board and ACT offer fee waivers for eligible students. Eligibility requirements are basically the same for each. The student seeking a waiver must be:
1) In high school (for ACT, the student must be a junior or senior);
2) Testing in the United States or Puerto Rico; or, if testing internationally, the student must be a US citizen;
3) Be able to provide evidence they cannot afford to pay the registration fee.

Fee waivers for the SAT or ACT cover registration costs for the exams. Students who utilize the testing waivers may also be eligible to receive waivers for college application fees.

Students may obtain waivers from their high school counselor.


While the basics for each testing company are the same, some of the specifics differ. So, for the most up-to-date and accurate information, students should consult the following resources:
For SAT and SAT Subject Tests:
http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-fee-waivers 

For the ACT Test:

http://www.actstudent.org/faq/answers/feewaiver.html

 

Partner Spotlight: College Dreams

Founded in Grants Pass, Oregon, College Dreams has been serving rural Southern Oregon students for the past 13 years. Their 2010 CACG award allowed the nonprofit organization to continue developing a college-going culture in their community. They motivated over 100 8th and 9th graders to achieve academic excellence, register for rigorous high school courses, and to begin exploring college and career options.

Over the course of the year students in the College Dreams program participated in a wide variety of activities, including several college visits. These photos offer just a small snapshot of a few students' first-ever visit to two independent colleges in Portland. While at Lewis & Clark College and the University of Portland, students toured the campuses, ate in the dining halls, met current students and admissions counselors, checked out the college bookstores.

Being on college campuses is one of the very important (and fun & informative!) elements of the program, but it certainly isn't the only. In fact, the College Dreams story can best be told by of their own:

In the News: "Know Before You Owe"

While college applications have become increasingly more streamlined (note, for example the rise of the Common Application), not all parts of the college search, application, and selection process are uniform across schools. Many families find financial aid notifications to be particularly daunting, since there is no standard format for award letters.

"At Congress’ direction, the Department of Education plans to publish a model format that schools can use to communicate financial aid offers. [We have one] potential example of how schools could present information to prospective students and their families. The CFPB sketched this out, with input from the Department of Education as a “thought starter,” not as a proposal."

To read the entire article, see the sample form, and submit your ideas about how to make the award letters more user-friendly, visit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's "Know Before You Owe" webpage.

Welcome to the CACG Blog!

Welcome!

This blog has been designed to ensure the 2011 Oregon College Access Challenge Grant recipients have quick and easy access to information and news about the grant program, but it's also intended to offer resources and information for all college access providers.

We've spent just about a year providing College Access Challenge Grant funds to some incredible organizations who are working hard to ensure that all of Oregon's youth have opportunities to pursue post-secondary education. We've been honored to learn more about the work being done and the students whose lives are being touched. We know there are many, many more schools, organizations, and individuals who are making a difference in young people's lives. We also know there's a wealth of information that can make the job a little easier - and that sometimes finding that information takes time away from working directly with students.

Our goal with this blog is to gather some of the most useful information in one place. We'll also be pointing you to news articles or current blog posts that might be of interest - especially those that highlight changes or updates that are of particular importance to college access providers. We'll shine the spotlight on some of the inspiring work being done around the state. And, we'll keep an updated calendar of events, scholarship deadlines, and grant opportunities.