The Materials Science & Engineering Program, College of Engineering and Applied Science, and Gradute School at CU Boulder have several opportunities for exceptional applicants to obtain graduate application fee waivers.

College of Engineering & Applied Science

CU Engineering offers several fee-waiver opportunities for US citizens and domestic residents. Please review the options provided by the college on their website. Note that these opportunities are limited to PhD program applicants, and the deadline is November 15.

The Graduate School

The Graduate School offers application fee waivers for participants in the following programs: AmeriCorps (currently serving), Black in AI (BAI), Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative, Gates Millennium Scholars, Leadership Alliance, Louis-Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), McNair Scholars Program, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Scholar Program, Peace Corps (currently serving), Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), SMART, Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and Teach for America. If you are affiliated with one of these programs, please send proof of your affiliation to gradadm@colorado.edu after you have started an application and before you submit, and we will process your fee waiver for you. 

If you are in the U.S. military you will receive an automatic fee waiver as a thank you for your service. Active duty, veterans, previously served, and active reserve are all eligible for this automatic fee waiver.

If you are undocumented and/or a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) beneficiary, please contact gradadm@colorado.edu to inquire about possible fee waivers.

International Students

Qualified international students may qualify for a fee waiver through a partnership between the MSE program and the international admissions office. To request a fee waiver, please first complete the entire MSE graduate application. Then email mse@colorado.edu with your application number and a request for a fee waiver. Application fee waivers will not be considered until the application is complete. Not all requests for fee waivers will be granted and an application fee waiver does NOT guarantee admission into the MSE PhD program. Fee waiver requests may take 2-3 weeks to process and there are a limited number of waivers available.