Transfer Application Fee Waivers

Hello Transfer Council Members (Past, Present and Future?!, thought I’d hit all of you!),

I have received inquiries from several students asking about a Transfer Application Fee Waiver through the Online Transfer Advising site.  Below is the response that was developed several years ago in consultation with Audrey Hill who recommended that MC use the same guidelines as the College Board…

If a student answers yes to one of the questions, we do not actually ask for documentation but we do check with Financial Aid to ask if the student gets aid in the form of a Pell Grant or other substantial aid.  If the answer is yes, then a counselor can write a letter on letterhead to be sent to the transfer school asking that the application fee be waived based on the student’s significant financial need.  

If you would like to refer a student with a fee waiver question directly to me, I’m happy to send the student this list of questions and follow up with the fee waiver letter(s).

Anne

Anne Schleicher, Counselor (Part-time)

Montgomery College Online Advising Services

www.montgomerycollege.edu/transfer

From: Schleicher, Anne D
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2019 2:03 PM
To:
Subject: RE: Online Advising Request #19-0313 | Transfer Planning

Dear               ,

Montgomery College follows the College Board's fee waiver policy to determine a student's eligibility for a Montgomery College-issued transfer application fee waiver letter (https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/fees/fee-waivers).  You should also check each school's admissions page regarding Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) membership as some schools waive the application fee for PTK members regardless of your financial situation. (www.ptk.org).

If you answer yes to any one of the five questions below, you may request a fee waiver letter from Montgomery College to be used with college applications.  You may be asked to provide documentation to verify your answer:

1.    Does your annual family income fall within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service? http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/notices/iegs/IEGs.htm

2.     Are you enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families (e.g. Federal TRIO programs such as Upward Bound)?

3.     Does your family receives public assistance?

4.     Do you live in federally subsidized public housing, or a foster home, or are you homeless?

5.     Are you a ward of the state or an orphan?

Can you please tell me whether you have an answer of Yes to one or more of the above questions and let me know which one(s), for example, Yes to # 3, etc.    
Also, do you receive a Pell Grant as part of Financial Aid from Montgomery College?

Please let me know which of the above applies to you, and also, for each school that you are applying to, please look up “application fee waiver” in the Search Box to see if they require a specific form or letter to request a fee waiver.

Anne Schleicher, Counselor (Part-time)

Montgomery College Online Advising Services

www.montgomerycollege.edu/transfer