Application fees

Posted: Thu, Dec 03 2009, 9:43 pm Post subject: Application fees

wat do you think of schools charging application fees?

I don't want to pay money then my child isn't accepted.

sounds like a big scam.

I would gladly pay as part of registration once accepted, but $50 per kid is a lot to ask without any guarantees.

is this normal?

Posted: Thu, Dec 03 2009, 10:11 pm Post subject:

It makes sense. The schools do incur extra costs during the application and selection process. Overtime for some staff, higher utilities for extended hours of operation (open school nights, longer admin hours), etc. $50/child sounds like a lot, especially for a large family, but compared to the thousands you're looking at for tuition it's a drop in the bucket.

It's also a good way for the schools to see who is really interested & who's not. People who want it "just in case" are less likely to apply if they have to pay for it.

(It works the same way for daycare here. And yes, one year I did actually pay application fees for 2 kids to 2 different daycares, because I wasn't sure where I was going to be for that year. It was also about $50, but $50/kid out of my paycheque is proportionately higher than $50/kid in the U.S.)
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Gold Member Joined: Jul 09 2006 Posts: 1937

You are right. Some schools do refund it if they do not accept you. Some apply it towards tuition if they do accept you. I guess other schools are so much in demand they can do whatever they want and get away with it.

Posted: Thu, Dec 03 2009, 10:17 pm Post subject: Re: re: application fees

Posted: Thu, Dec 03 2009, 10:31 pm Post subject: re: application fees

where I live none of the elementary schools asked for an application fee. I think only the high schools do.