Application fee waiver policy

Institution: Ethical Futures Institute · ethicalfutures.institute

This page is the published summary of how we handle application fee waivers. We operate it consistently with our Tuition & access and admissions materials.

Purpose

The $125 USD application fee offsets review costs. A published waiver path supports fair access: people who cannot pay are not excluded if they meet stated criteria—without informal favors.

Who may request a waiver

Applicants may request a fee waiver before paying for a given admissions cycle.

One waiver request per applicant per cycle.

Automatic eligibility (self-attestation; no documents required)

Waiver approved if the applicant certifies truthfully that any one of the following applies:

Current full-time undergraduate student at an accredited post-secondary institution.
Unemployed and without significant other income (we publish any income threshold we enforce).
Household income at or below 200% of the U.S. federal poverty guidelines for the applicant’s household size (publish the official HHS link; update annually).
Participation in a named access program (optional: list only programs you will honor).

Process: Checkbox(es) + one-line attestation: “I certify the above is accurate.” False statements may result in denial or revocation of admission.

Discretionary eligibility (short narrative)

If the applicant does not meet automatic criteria but faces documentable hardship, they may submit ≤ 150 words describing caregiving or medical crisis, displacement or disaster, fixed income without discretionary funds, or another barrier that made the fee prohibitive.

Staff reviews with a yes/no rubric (not academic scoring). Decision within 7 business days of a complete request.

What we do not do

Waivers based on expected admission or “merit.”
Retroactive refunds of an already-paid fee (except where we confirm a processing error on our side).
Uncapped waivers without a published per-cycle cap if you need budget control.