Graduate Programs with Zero Application Fee?

Maybe you are just trying to add some free schools to your list, in which case this advice will be irrelevant. But you don’t want to select graduate programs on the basis of how much they charge for application fees. In fact, paying an application fee might save you money in the long run - you might get into a program with more assistantships and scholarship money, or a program that has money for conference travel, or a program that secures you a better job at the other end.

Also, some graduate schools do fee waivers. Even if they don’t have a formal one, it never hurts to ask if they will waive their fee for you.