Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention

Comprehending the Cost

Are Application Fee Waiver Statements Readable?

Z. W. Taylor

The University of Texas at Austin

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jcotr.v26i1.2113

Keywords: higher education, policy, linguistics, admissions, equity

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Abstract

As the cost of college rises, students and their families seek new ways to save money. Application fee waivers are offered by many postsecondary institutions in the United States, but higher education as a field has not examined whether or not the application fee waiver statement published on each institution’s website is readable. This study examined the readability of application fee waiver statements of the public and private institutions charging the highest undergraduate application fees for the 2015-2016 academic year (n = 39). The results suggest that the majority of application fee waiver statements are unreadable by prospective postsecondary students, and no statements were translated into a language other than English. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are addressed.

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Author Biography

Z. W. Taylor, The University of Texas at Austin

Department of Educational Leadership and Policy