Application Fee Waiver Request Process
In an effort to reduce financial barriers to attending graduate school, the Kenneth P. Dietrich Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers application fee waivers. Please note that fee waivers are approved on a case-by-case basis and not all fee waiver requests will be granted.
Most requests received will be reviewed and responded to within 3-5 days during normal business hours: Monday - Friday 8:30a.m. to 5:00p.m. EST. During high-volume periods, fee waiver reviews may take up to 7 business days. We encourage you to apply for a fee waiver as early as possible to ensure it is reviewed before your department’s application deadline.
*Thanksgiving and Winter Break Notice - To ensure timely processing and avoid response delays during the Thanksgiving and Winter Recess breaks, the Application Fee Waiver Request Form will be temporarily unavailable. During these closure periods, no new requests will be accepted or processed. These brief pauses help prevent delays and duplicate submissions during the break periods. Late requests may not be accommodated once the form is closed.
Starting September 11, 2024, applicants residing in Russia and Belarus will no longer be able to access Qualtrics to request an application fee waiver. If you are residing in Russia or Belarus and need a waiver, please email gradadmn@pitt.edu with the subject line Russia/Belarus Application Fee Waiver.
To be considered for a fee waiver, please complete the following fee waiver survey for review:
https://pitt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cD38CmmjcOT3Tvw
Types of Fee Waivers
1. If the application fee represents a financial hardship for an applicant they may qualify for a fee waiver. Our admissions system provides further guidance.
2. We are pleased to offer application fee waivers on the basis of participation in the following programs, fellowships, and events:
- American Geophysical Union Bridge Program (AGU Bridge)
- American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
- AmeriCorps (current participant or recent alum, within the last two years)
- Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)
- APS Bridge Students for Physics
- BTAA
- Cientifico Latino Graduate School Mentorship Program (GSMI)
- Ecological Society of America Diversity Forum
- Gates Millennium Scholars
- HIS Pathways to the Professoriate
- Hot Metal Bridge Program, University of Pittsburgh (HMB)
- Institute of for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT)
- Laureates & Leaders Program
- Leadership Alliance
- Lewis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-AMP)
- LRDC Undergraduate Research Internship Program (University of Pittsburgh)
- Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF)
- Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC)
- Mobilization and Political Economy REU Site, University of Pittsburgh (MPE)
- Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP)
- National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (GEM)
- National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE)
- National Science Foundation - Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU)
- National Society for Hispanic Physicists (NSHP)
- National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP)
- Peace Corps (current participant or recent alum, within the last two years)
- Pitt 2 Pitt applicant applying to one of the following programs at the University of Pittsburgh: MA in TESOL, MA in Applied Linguistics and/or Hispanic Linguistics, MA in Applied Statistics, MS in Quantitative Economics
- Post-Baccalaureate Research and Education Program (PREP/NIH)
- Project 1000
- PSP – Center for Philosophy program for HPS and Philosophy (University of Pittsburgh)
- Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI)
- Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE/NIH)
- Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program
- Society for Advancement of Chicanos & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
- Teach for America (current participant or recent alum, within the last two years)
3. We are pleased to offer application fee waivers to the following applicants:
- applicants who have earned or are in the process of earning an undergraduate or graduate degree from a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) within the United States
- Honorably Discharged Veterans and Active Duty members of the U.S. Armed Services
- current University of Pittsburgh staff
4. International applicants: If you are applying through certain outside fellowship organizations, you may be eligible to have your application fee waived.
Application Fee Waiver FAQ
How long will it take for my request to be reviewed?
Most requests received will be reviewed and responded to within 3-5 days during normal business hours: Monday - Friday 8:30a.m. to 5:00p.m. EST. During high-volume periods, fee waiver reviews may take up to 5 business days.
We encourage you to apply for a fee waiver as early as possible to ensure it is reviewed before your department’s application deadline.
Response times may vary during holidays when our office is closed.
Please see the academic calendar below for reference. Academic Calendar - Calendar (pitt.edu)
How many times can I use the fee waiver code?
You can only use the application fee waiver code once. If you are applying to more than one program, you must submit a request for each program.
If you already received a fee waiver code, you could submit a screenshot of the email granting the code as documented proof.
Can I use this fee waiver code for any University of Pittsburgh program?
No. The fee waiver codes will only work for the programs within the Dietrich Arts & Sciences. If you are applying to multiple programs within the Dietrich School, you must submit a fee waiver request for each application.
What if I do not have access to a bank account to submit as proof of financial hardship?
International Student: Alternatively, you can submit a parent/guardian bank statement, pay slip showing monthly/annual salary, or proof of need-based scholarship from previous education eligible within the past three years.
Domestic Student: Alternatively, you can submit a parent/guardian bank statement, pay slip showing monthly/ annual salary, Pell Award/$0 EFC, or enrollment in a low-income program.
Please ensure that the bank statement is from within the past 6 months. The Pell Grant must be from within the past three years or $0 EFC for this current academic year.
What are the financial guidelines to qualify for a need-based waiver?
We do not have a specific cut-off and review each applicant on an individual basis based on income, expenses, etc.
Can I receive a refund if I pay the application fee before my fee waiver request is reviewed?
No. Our office is unable to provide refunds for application fees if you submit your application and payment before applying for a fee waiver or receiving a response to your request. We encourage you to submit your fee waiver request as early as possible and wait for a response before submitting your application and payment.
Can I receive a refund of my application fee if I am not admitted to a program?
No. Application fees are nonrefundable, regardless of the admission decision. If you are not admitted to the program, your application fee will not be refunded.
GradCAS Guide
Where do I submit the fee waiver code?
The fee waiver code must be submitted in the coupon code box located in the payment page before submission.
Contact the GradCAS help center for adding information applicable or any other questions regarding the application website. You can reach out to the help center using the link provided below.
https://help.liaisonedu.com/GradCAS_Applicant_Help_Center
If you cannot find the answer, you can also contact them by phone at 857-304-2086 or via email: at gradcasinfo@liaisoncas.com.