Key takeaway: The federal IPEDS collection does not publish an application fee field, so no honest list of fee-free online colleges can be built from it. What we can do is give you the verified pool to check: 1,486 bachelor's-level institutions in our directory report at least one program completable entirely online (IPEDS IC 2024), ranked by BOC Score below. Confirm the fee on each school's own admissions page before you apply.
Many online-focused universities have dropped the application fee entirely, and many others waive it on request or during a specific enrollment window. Because that policy changes term to term and appears in no federal dataset, treat any site that publishes a definitive fee-free list as guessing. This page tells you where the policy actually lives and how to get the fee removed when a school does charge one.
Schools to Compare
These are the accredited bachelor’s-level institutions that report at least one program completable entirely online (IPEDS IC 2024), ranked by BOC Score. That single distance education flag is the only filter behind this list.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$102,772
Avg net price
$12,116/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 64
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$124,080
Avg net price
$13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 100
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 127
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 6
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,588
Avg net price
$6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 172
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
8%
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$89,718
Avg net price
$13,370/yr
TuitionIn‑state$64,144
Out‑of‑state$64,144
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 78
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
9%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,511
Avg net price
$12,548/yr
TuitionIn‑state$15,203
Out‑of‑state$49,403
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 161
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$83,648
Avg net price
$13,138/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 206
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$91,885
Avg net price
$14,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 99%
- Programs offered: 105
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
27%
Graduation rate
87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$84,943
Avg net price
$12,470/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,758
Out‑of‑state$50,958
Key stats
- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 133
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Be clear on what this list is not. IPEDS does not collect application fees, so no school appears here because it charges nothing, and no school is excluded because it charges. The ranking reflects accreditation, outcomes, and the other BOC Score inputs described in our methodology. Check the fee yourself on each school’s admissions page, then use the outcome data on the cards to decide where the application is worth filing at all.
Where the application fee policy actually lives
- The admissions page, not the marketing page. Look for a heading like “How to apply” or “Application checklist.” The fee, if there is one, is stated with the required documents.
- The application form itself. Start the form without submitting. The payment step appears near the end, and if there is no payment step there is no fee.
- The admissions counselor. Ask directly: “Is there an application fee, and are there any conditions under which it is not charged?” Get the answer by email so you have it in writing.
- Enrollment events and open house periods. Many schools suspend the fee during a defined window. If you are close to a start date, ask whether one is running.
How to request a fee waiver
An application fee waiver is an admissions matter, not a form of student assistance, and asking for one costs you nothing. The common routes:
- Ask outright. Write to admissions, state that the fee is a barrier, and ask whether it can be waived. Online-focused schools that recruit adult students remove it on request routinely.
- Use an employer or partner code. If your employer, union, professional association, or military affiliation has an agreement with the school, the fee is often removed automatically with the right code. Ask your human resources office whether such an agreement exists.
- Apply through a campus visit or virtual event. Attendance at an information session frequently carries a waiver code.
- Ask your school counselor or transfer advisor. Counselors and community college transfer offices can often request a waiver on your behalf.
- Check the common application platform. Where a school accepts a shared application, the waiver request is a checkbox inside that platform rather than a separate letter.
Keep the confirmation. If the fee still appears at the payment step, reply to the waiver email before you pay.
Why the fee is a poor filter
The application fee is a one-time administrative charge and it is small relative to everything else a degree involves. Choosing a school because it costs nothing to apply to is backwards. A better sequence:
- Shortlist on accreditation and outcomes. Use the graduation, retention, and earnings data on the cards above.
- Confirm the program you want is offered fully online. The distance education flag is institutional, not program-level.
- Get a written transfer credit evaluation if you have prior college credit. Our guide to degree completion programs explains how.
- Then handle the fee. Apply to your shortlist and request waivers where a fee exists.
If applying to several schools at once is what makes the fee matter, narrow the shortlist first. Three well-chosen applications beat ten filed because they were free.
What to do when the fee stands
Some schools will not remove it, and that is a normal answer rather than a sign of a bad school. Two things help:
- Sequence your applications. Apply first to the school your transfer evaluation favors. If that application succeeds, the rest may not be needed at all.
- Watch the deadline calendar. Fee suspensions cluster around start dates and enrollment events, so an application filed a few weeks earlier or later may cost nothing. Ask the admissions office when the next window opens, and whether applying now and deferring the start date achieves the same thing.
Do not let a fee push you toward a school with weaker outcomes. The graduation, retention, and earnings figures on the cards above describe the next several years of your life; the fee describes an afternoon.
Quick Answers
Which online colleges have no application fee?
Federal data does not publish application fees, so there is no verified national list. Many online-focused universities charge none, and policies change by term. Check the admissions page of each school on your shortlist, or ask an admissions counselor by email.
Can I get an online college application fee waived?
Often, yes. Ask admissions directly, use an employer or association partnership code, attend an information session that carries a waiver, or request one through your counselor or transfer advisor. Fee waivers are an admissions courtesy and are given freely to adult applicants.
Is a school with no application fee less selective?
Not necessarily. Removing the fee is a recruiting decision, and open-admission policy is a separate matter recorded in federal data. See our list of online colleges with open enrollment for schools that admit any qualified applicant.
How many accredited online colleges should I apply to?
Enough to have a real choice and few enough that you research each one properly. Two or three applications, each to a school whose program and transfer evaluation you have already confirmed, is usually the right shape.
Next steps
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (IC 2024), distance education program flags (DISTPGS) and predominant credential level; application fees are not collected in IPEDS. Directory counts as of the September 2026 data refresh.
