By Kaitlin Mulhere.
Ash Parasa understood it’d be expensive to apply to the large set of colleges he was considering.
But like many students finishing up college applications before January and February deadlines, the high-school senior didn’t grasp just how many fees come with applying to college until he was in the middle of paying them.
There are application fees, of course. But there are also fees to submit your SAT or ACT scores and a fee to fill out a supplemental financial aid application.
Altogether, between 20 applications, ACT and SAT subject test reports, and the CSS Profile (a supplemental financial aid form), Parasa will shell out $1,700 in college costs—before even becoming a college student.
Parasa, who’s a student at Morris County School of Technology in Denville, N.J., knows he’s applying to far more colleges than average. And he knows that his parents have willingly spent those sums—something that many families wouldn’t be able to afford. But still, he considers the cost unreasonable. Read the full article
