Where students with enormous potential achieve exceptional success.
We want our students to have the confidence to apply to multiple graduate schools without the burden of cost. Fee waivers play a vital role in increasing diversity and competitiveness of applicant pools. CSTEP offers application fee waivers for some graduate school programs. For more information, please visit the CSTEP office.
*Please note Fee Waives are for current UB CSTEP students only. International, graduate and Non-UB students are not eligible.
Note: For students interested in applying for graduate programs at UB, visit the Graduate School’s Admissions website for more information on the fee waiver process.
Please note each school has a different fee waiver process. Contact CSTEP staff for further details.
Binghamton University grants waivers for the $75 application fee to CSTEP students. You must submit a certified form or letter from your program director attesting to your participation. Upload your documents on the application or email gradadmission@binghamton.edu.
Contact: Graduate School Assistant Dean & Director of Graduate Admissions, Ben Balkaya, balkaya@binghamton.edu
Students who were recipients of EOP, HEOP, SEEK, McNair Scholars, or CSTEP participants are eligible for a fee waiver. They must submit a Certification of Participation form (PDF) with their application packet.
Contact: gradoffc@buffalostate.edu or Jennifer Simson, admission coordinator at murrayje@buffalostate.edu.
Current students who are in CSTEP are eligible for a fee waiver. To qualify, applicants must have a letter or email from the appropriate agency sent to the Graduate School Admissions Office.
Contact: gradschool@stonybrook.edu, Office of Student Services Senior Assistant Dean Melissa Jordan
Brockport will waive the $50 application fee for CSTEP students applying for a graduate program. Students applying for programs that have an education certification component are required to pay $30 of the $80 application fee.
Contact: Michael Harrison (mharriso@brockport.edu), Director of The Center for Graduate Studies
Requirements:
Fredonia will waive the $75 application fee for CSTEP students applying for a graduate program.
Requirements:
Contact: Graduate.Studies@fredonia.edu or Director of Admissions Erica Arlequin at erica@fredonia.edu.
SUNY Oswego will waive the application fee for CSTEP students who select “Yes” to the "Are you a prior University at Buffalo CSTEP Enrollee?" question on their application.
Contact: Gradstudies@oswego.edu, or Sharon Griffin, graduate admissions counselor, at Sharon.griffin@oswego.edu.
CSTEP students can submit a fee waiver form to waive the $75 fee. See Funding Graduate Studies for more information.
Contact: Jane Champagne, director of Graduate Admissions at jchampagne@albany.edu or graduate@albany.edu.
In general, waivers of graduate application fees, which could be up to $85, are not granted. However, categorical exceptions are made for applicants who provide documentation of their participation as an undergraduate participant in CSTEP on any campus.
Also, an appeal for a deferral of the application fee can be made by applicants who provide documentation of their receipt of a GRE Fee Waiver. In all other cases, a deferral will be considered by the Office of Graduate Enrollment Management Services only in extraordinary instances of financial hardship and then only with clear documentation from an appropriate official at an institution of higher education certifying this financial need. Please note that self-declaration of need by an applicant or mere eligibility for student financial aid (loans) is not adequate justification. For more information, applicants should consult the department in which they are applying to graduate study.
If you fall into one of these categories please contact your program of interest to request an application fee waiver to be submitted on your behalf. In all cases, you will need to provide official supporting documentation.
Contact: Dean of the Graduate School, Graham L. Hammill (grad-dean@buffalo.edu)
Requirements:
CSTEP students who qualify as minority students may petition for a waiver of the $75 application fee for Roswell Park graduate programs.
Contact: Dr. Adam Kisailus (adam.kisailus@roswellpark.org), associate dean, Division of Educational Affairs
Requirements:
The School of Pharmacy will waive the $50 supplemental application fee for UB CSTEP students. After completing the PharmCAS application, students should complete the online supplemental application without paying the fee and email pharm-admit@buffalo.edu indicating that they are a UB CSTEP student. See more information on the PharmCAS Fee Waiver.
For students who miss the waivers, please email Jennifer Rosenberg at jmr16@buffalo.edu, associate dean of admissions, Enrollment Planning and Undergraduate Advisement.
Baruch College, Weissman School of Arts and Sciences grants waivers for the $75 application fee to CSTEP students’ case-by-case. You must contact the school directly and let them know you’re a CSTEP student from the University at Buffalo. Contact provided below.
Contact: Weissman’s Office of Graduate Studies at wsas.graduate.studies@baruch.cuny.edu.
CUNY School of Professional Studies grants waivers for their $75 application fee to CSTEP students. On the application, you can enter the code “CSTEP20240828” to bypass payment submission. If you experience any difficulty, please contact the email below.
Contact: CUNY School of Professional Studies admissions office admissions@sps.cuny.edu
John Jay waives their $75 application fee to all students that apply in the Fall of 2024.
Link to fee waive message: https://www.jjay.cuny.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions/general-requirements
There is no fee for graduate program applications and thus no need for CSTEP students to complete a special process when applying.
UB CSTEP program members may use the code "CSTEP" to waive the $50 graduate application fee.
Contact: graduate@clarkson.edu or Kerop D. Janoyan, dean, Graduate School, at kjanoyan@clarkson.edu.
Students may use the following code to waive the application code: BKCSTEP. If students are interested in applying, Long Island University offers onsite admission every Wednesday for almost all of their programs. See LIU-Brooklyn event information.
Contact: bkln-enroll@liu.edu
CSTEP students may use the code NYITGR to waive the application fee. On the application, answer "yes" to the fee waiver question, then enter the code.
Contact: admissions@nyit.edu or Karen Vahey, dean, Admissions & Financial Aid, Karen.Vahey@nyit.edu.
RPI will waive the $75 application fee for CSTEP students. To apply, email Jarron P. Decker, Director of the Office of Graduate Admissions, at deckej3@rpi.edu, to have the fee manually waived.
RIT will provide fee waivers for the $65 application fee to CSTEP students. Students who are interested in applying to RIT for graduate study should contact Philip Bradley, assistant director for Graduate Enrollment Services, at pmbges@rit.edu to request the application.
Interested students should contact the Graduate Admissions office at 585-385-8064.
Contact: grad@sjfc.edu or Kristin Blake, assistant director of transfer and graduate admissions, at kblake@sjfc.edu.
Graduate programs (PhD and Master’s) in the School of Medicine and Dentistry will waive application fees for CSTEP participants.
Requirements:
Brandeis GSAS offers CSTEP students a waiver for the $75 application fee. Toward the end of the application on the "Additional Information" page, select the CSTEP affiliation to waive the fee.
Contact: Jaclyn Farina, Assistant Dean of Admission, farina@brandeis.edu or gradschool@brandeis.edu.
Rice University will provide fee waivers for the $85 application fee for sciences and engineering majors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Those students qualify for our AGEP application fee waiver. If they are a non-STEM major, they would need to be a part of a McNair Program to receive a waiver.
Contact: Theresa Chatman, director of Graduate Recruitment and Retention at 713-348-5180 or email at tlc@rice.edu.
Arizona will provide fee waivers for the $85 application fee for CSTEP students who indicate participation in a CSTEP program.
Contact: gradadmissions@grad.arizona.edu or Andrew H. Carnie, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate College at carnie@email.arizona.edu.
Requirements: Students must request a fee waiver from the institution and provide a statement of verification from the program director
The application fee will be waived for current CSTEP participants and for applicants who participated for at least a year within the last two years. To apply for the fee waiver, applicants fill out the Special Programs Fee Waiver Request form through the online application after submission of the application, and upload a letter from a program official documenting the dates of participation. CSTEP is listed under the Special programs on the GSAS website, and the application includes the CSTEP program as a choice when completing the Special Programs fee waiver request.
Contact: gsas-admissions@columbia.edu or Renee Schwarz, director admissions operations, at rschwarz@columbia.edu.
The application fee will be waived for current CSTEP participants. Students should select CSTEP as a choice in the drop-down menu, or McNair, if CSTEP is not listed. This will apply to the majority of the doctoral programs. The School of Public Health uses a different application with a separate fee waiver process, students interested in their programs, can request to have their fee waived.
Contact: Alycia Mosley Austin, Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, Graduate School, alycia_mosley_austin@brown.edu
The application fee will be waived for current CSTEP participants. Applicants will use a fee waiver code for the next admissions cycle (2023-2024). The code will be included as a fee waiver program in September 2022 when applications open on the site.
Contact: Renita Miller, PhD, Associate Dean of Access, Diversity and Inclusion, Princeton Graduate School, Renitam@princeton.edu
Harvard University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences grants waivers for the $105 application fee to CSTEP students. Found within the applicant portal, after completing a series of questions in the Application Fee section of the application, the application system will provide an immediate response regarding fee waiver eligibility. Once on the application fee page, answer “yes” to the question: “Have you participated in a graduate school preparation program or conference for individuals from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds?” Then select the option “CSTEP.”
Link to Applicant Portal: HERE
The Graduate School is pleased to offer fee waivers for the $105 application fee to qualified participants of CSTEP programs. For CSTEP students, applicants can request a fee waiver and send the following information to dean_gradschool@cornell.edu, Kathryn Boor, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education:
Applicants will receive an email reply with a fee waiver code and instructions on how to use it. Please note: Fee waiver requests will be processed Monday through Friday, during normal business hours. Please allow 72 hours for processing.
The application fee will be waived for current CSTEP participants. The CSTEP Director should provide a letter of verification to the contact in the Graduate School.
Contact: Katelyn King, Admissions Coordinator/Program Assistant, Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Katelyn.L.King@dartmouth.edu
The application fee will be waived for current CSTEP participants. The CSTEP Director should provide a letter of verification to the contact in the Graduate School.
Contact: Michelle D. Nearon, PhD, Sr. Associate Dean for Graduate Student Development and Diversity, Yale Graduate School, michelle.nearon@yale.edu
University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice grants waivers for the $65 application fee to CSTEP students. You must reach out to the contact provided below and tell them that you are a part of our CSTEP program.
Contact: Associate Dean of Enrollment & Global Outreach, Mary Mazzola, at mmazzola@upenn.edu
University of Pennsylvania School of Education automatically waives their $75 application fee to all applications submitted between September 1 - March 1. If you are applying during this time, you should not be prompted to submit payment information.
Link to Applicant Portal: HERE
Fee waivers for the $85 application fee are available to CSTEP students. Proof of participation is required. The Application Fee Waiver Request Form must be submitted with required documentation. Acceptable documentation includes a letter from the program director on official letterhead. If a program does not appear, please send an email inquiry to see if the program is eligible.
Contact: seasgradmit@columbia.edu or Janine Maslov, graduate admissions officer, at jm3605@columbia.edu.
SUNY New Paltz accepts fee waiver requests from CSTEP students applying to the computer science or electrical engineering graduate programs. See the Graduate Studies website to learn how to apply for a graduate application fee waiver.
Contact: gradstudies@newpaltz.edu or Alana Matuszewski, manager of graduate recruiting and advising, at matuszea@newpaltz.edu.
Requirements: Send official verification letter from CSTEP director to gradschool@umd.edu or 301-314-9305.
The CUNY School of Law offers a $60 application fee waiver to CSTEP students. Students can email either Maya Alperin, admissions specialist, at maya.alperin@law.cuny.edu, or admissions@law.cuny.edu to request the waiver and waiver code.
Syracuse University Law School will provide fee waivers for the $75 application fee to CSTEP students. Students who are interested in a fee waiver should contact Danielle Burgo, associate director of admissions, at dlburgo@law.syr.edu for a fee waiver code.
The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law’s $35 application fee is waived for all applicants until February 15th. UB CSTEP students who would like to request a fee waiver after February 15th should e-mail Sharleeta Dunlap, Assistant Director of Admissions, at lawadmission@udc.edu. Students must put in the Subject line of the email “CSTEP Applicant-Fee Waiver Request”. Applicants will receive an email confirmation with a fee waiver code.
Please note: Fee waiver requests will be processed Monday through Thursday, during normal business hours. Please allow up to 72 hours for processing.
Requirements:
Contact: sharleeta.dunlap@udc.edu Sharleeta Dunlap, Assistant Director of Admissions
Exclusive to UB CSTEP Students, the University at Buffalo School of Law will waive the $85 application fee. Students who are interested in a fee waiver should contact Lindsay Sutton at ljsutton@buffalo.edu for a fee waiver code.
Requirements:
Contact the Admissions Coordinator directly with your first and last name, an email address and LSAC number (if you have one). If you have your LSAC account created, she will assign an application fee waiver directly in their account. This way, when you go to check out, the number will automatically populate. If you do not have their LSAC account created, she will provide a number they can enter manually once they set up their account and submit their application to Penn State Law. Students who are interested in a fee waiver should contact Lorraine Swab, Admissions Counselor at lgs71@psu.edu
Contact Johanne Johnston Assistant Dean for Admissions and financial aid directly to get the process and fee waived. Contact: johanne.johnston@temple.edu.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine offers fee waivers for the $120 application fee to applicants who have participated in any program, such as CSTEP, for underrepresented minorities in science. Applicants who apply to Einstein and ask for a fee waiver without first having received their FAP will be required to pay an application fee. If not, the application will be considered incomplete.
Requirements:
Contact: admissions@einstein.yu.edu or Mimoza Meholli, MD, assistant dean for student affairs, at mimoza.meholli@einstein.yu.edu.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) will offer application fee waivers for former STEP and CSTEP students applying to their graduate school or medical school. For medical school, prospective students must complete the AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP) application process. ISMMS will automatically waive the application fee for any students qualifying via AAMC FAP. If the student does not qualify, they should contact ISMMS admissions and alert them of their current or previous participation in CSTEP to request a fee waiver prior to submission. For graduate school, prospective students should reach out to admissions directly at admissions@mssm.edu.
Contact: Valerie Parkas, MD, senior associate dean of admissions and recruitment at valerie.parkas@mssm.edu.
SUNY Upstate Medical School will provide fee waivers for the $110 application fee to all CSTEP students who indicate participation in a CSTEP program.
Requirements: Students must request a fee waiver from the institution and provide a statement of verification from the program director.
Contact: admiss@upstate.edu, Jennifer Welch, associate dean of admissions and financial aid and chief enrollment officer.
Only students who qualify for AAMC FAP will be able to waive the secondary application fee for the Jacobs School prior to completing their application. However, applicants who have participated in CSTEP but do not qualify for FAP, should contact the Jacobs School admissions office and inform them that you participated in the UB CSTEP program. The Jacobs School will verify your CSTEP participation and refund your application fee.
Contact: Dori Marshall, MD, assistant dean for admissions, at orm@buffalo.edu.
Yale School of Medicine will waive the application fee for any CSTEP students applying to the MD or the MD/PhD program. To receive a fee waiver, applicants should send an email requesting the fee waiver to medical.admissions@yale.edu prior to submitting their application. A letter of verification from the CSTEP Director should be included along with their request. Applicants will receive an email confirmation of the fee waiver and will then be able to submit their application.
Contact: Barbara Watts, Ed. M., Acting Director of Admissions, Yale School of Medicine at barbara.watts@yale.edu
Applicants should inform the Office of Admissions that they are in CSTEP and would like a fee waiver. The office will work closely with them.
Contact: Laureen Zubiaurre, DMD, MS, PhD, senior associate dean for admissions and career planning, at laz1@columbia.edu.
The $80 supplemental application fee will be waived for CSTEP students. Applicants should contact us once they have submitted their application at hsdm_dmd_admissions@hsdm.harvard.edu. Each CSTEP applicant requesting a fee waiver will be provided with a verification letter and form from the CSTEP Director on letter head. They will reach out with this letter once they have submitted their application to Harvard system.
Contact: Sarah Troy-Petrakos, MBA, Director of Admissions, at Sarah_Petrakos@hsdm.harvard.edu
CSTEP students, with documentation, are exempt from paying the supplemental application fee. Additionally, if admitted, CSTEP students are not required to pay the deposit.
Contact: Luke Ramey, assistant director for Student and Community Initiatives at sdmadmit@buffalo.edu.