Application Fee: Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Instructions
Upon submission of an application, applicants will be prompted to pay the $80 processing fee. Some applicants may be eligible to receive an application fee waiver. In order to request a waiver, please review the five categories below to determine if you meet the eligibility criteria. Note that you'll only be able to submit a waiver request within the application. You'll upload the supplementary documentation there as well. We will only reach out to individuals whose request for a fee waiver has been declined. If you do not receive a confirmation of determination from us, that means you've been deemed eligible to receive the waiver and it'll be applied to your application once we've processed it. Please do not reach out to confirm the status of your waiver and note that there are often delays in it showing up on your application checklist. Be advised that application fees are non-refundable, regardless if you're later determined to be eligible for a waiver or not.
Fee Waiver Categories:
Category A: Current University of Chicago student or University of Chicago alumni from degree programs (includes current non-degree visiting students and past non-degree visiting students).
You'll be instructed to upload your transcripts as verification.
Category B: Current University of Chicago Staff (including full-time research professionals).
Category C: Current/recent participants in a qualifying program.
Documentation certifying participation is required. Acceptable forms of documentation include award or acceptance letters, letters from program directors, program completion certificates, etc. Qualifying programs are:
AEA Summer Programs attendees
Americorps/Vista
Big Ten Alliance FreeApp Recipients
Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars
California Forum on Diversity
Expanding Diversity in Economics (EDE) Summer Institute attendees
Fulbright/IIE Fellowship recipient
GEM
GRE fee reduction voucher recipients
IDDEAS participants (IDDEAS@Booth/Kellogg or IDDEAS programs hosted by other schools)
Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers (IRT)
Leadership Alliance
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
National Name Exchange
Next-Gen Psych Scholars Program (NPSP)
Peace Corps
PhD Project Annual Conference attendees
Posse Foundation Scholars
Project SHORT
Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA)
Ronald McNair Scholars and/or Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program
SACNAS
Sadie Collective
Summer Institute for Social Science Research Methods
Teach for America
U.S. Armed Forces or uniformed services: Currently serving (active duty or reserves) or honorably discharged
Category D: Current undergraduates receiving need-based financial aid from a U.S. institution:
If you are currently (as of the date of the application deadline for this program, i.e. December 15, 2023) enrolled as an undergraduate student at an institution within the United States and are receiving need-based financial aid from your current institution, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. A copy of the institution’s financial aid letter or a letter from the institution’s financial aid office is required.
Category E: Individuals experiencing financial hardship:
Applicants who are experiencing financial hardship and are not eligible for a fee waiver under any of the other categories may be considered for a fee waiver. Applicants requesting an application fee waiver on the basis of financial hardship must upload a brief written statement which explains their financial hardship and how they intend to cover their pre-matriculation expenses (e.g. moving expenses) if admitted. You will also be prompted to complete a hardship request form within the application.
Application fees are non-refundable. If you are requesting an application fee waiver, do not pay the application fee while your request is under review. You should only pay the fee if you receive an email from us indicating that your fee waiver request has been denied. All applicants are automatically prompted to pay the application fee upon final submission of their Stevens Doctoral Program application whether an application fee waiver was requested or not, so please disregard this request for payment unless/until the fee waiver request has been denied. If your request is approved, we will manually waive the fee once we have determined your eligibility.
Application fee payment will not be refunded if:
-You pay the application fee before receiving our fee waiver request decision, and later have your waiver request approved.
-You do not complete the fee waiver request form inside the application and pay the fee, then later realize you were eligible for a fee waiver.
Fee Waiver Decision Notification
We will not be reaching out to applicants whose request for a fee waiver has been approved. You will only be notified via email if your request has been denied. We do not make any determinations before your application to the Stevens Doctoral Program has been submitted, so please make sure to do so by the application deadline. Fee waiver requests are subject to review, are not guaranteed, and are not automated. Because reviews and waivers are done manually, it may take up to several weeks after the submission of your Stevens Doctoral Program application before you receive a decline notification or see your approved waiver show up on your account (fee waiver requests will not be reviewed until the full application has been submitted). Only applicants who select one of the categories above, provide the requested information/documentation, and qualify for the waiver under that category may receive a fee waiver. Fee waiver approvals are subject to the criteria listed above.
