Three ways to save on college application process

NEW YORK — Before worrying about college tuition, there’s the small matter of getting your child into a school.

It’s a process that can sap you of thousands of dollars, especially if you’re booking hotel rooms and plane tickets to visit faraway campuses. Application fees alone can be more than $60.

“It’s costing a fortune. I’m afraid to even keep track,” said Elaine Dickinson, a resident of suburban Albany, N.Y., who visited several schools in the Northeast this summer with her 17-year-old daughter, Kate.

Like other parents, however, Dickinson considers the costs necessary to securing the best future for her child. With so much at stake, she admits it’s easier to surrender any attempt at budgeting. Yet at a time when anxieties are high, mindful spending can help focus your goals.

As you ramp up the college application process in coming months, here’s how you can tackle three major costs.

Test fees

The National School Lunch Program provided free or low-cost lunches to more than 30 million children last year. If your child was among them, your family could also be eligible for an SAT fee waiver. School guidance counselors can tell you about additional eligibility guidelines. Standard registration for the SAT costs $45.

Otherwise, knowing the test schedules and deadlines will help you avoid paying extra.

With the SAT, for example, there’s a $23 fee for late registration and a $22 fee to change when or where you take the test. That’s on top of the standard registration cost. The ACT test has comparable fees.

To stay on top of deadlines, go to www.collegeboard.com and www.actstudent.org.

A little planning can also help prevent the need to have scores rushed to a school. The option costs $27 plus $9.50 for each SAT report. It can add up, so don’t opt for a rush out of fear.

“That’s an area where anxieties may be causing them to spend more money than they need to,” said Doris Davis, associate provost for admissions and enrollment at Cornell University.

Davis suggests calling the school to ask if a rush is necessary. For instance, students applying for early admission at Cornell don’t need to have SAT scores rushed, even if they take the test a few days after the Nov. 1 application deadline.

Early admission applications are read well into December at Cornell, so it’s OK if scores come in a week or two after the deadline.

“But no matter how much we reassure students, we always get rushed scores,” Davis said.

Policies will differ from school to school, of course, so call the admissions office to check for guidance.

Applications

It typically costs around $60 to apply to a college. So if your child applies to 10 schools, that’s $600 off the bat.

To save some time and money, carefully weigh the chances that your child will end up at a particular university.

“The biggest way families can save is to research and be realistic,” said Peter Mazareas, vice chairman of the College Savings Foundation, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C.

Often, he said students apply to schools they wouldn’t attend even if accepted or have little chance of getting into.

That said, your child should apply to at least one or two “reach” schools, as well as a couple fallback and safety schools. All told, six or seven schools should cover the bases, Mazareas said.

Once you’ve tightened the list of schools to target, look into whether you can get application fees waived. You’re eligible for up to four requests to waive college application fees if you qualify for the SAT fee waiver.

Colleges may also accept letters from your guidance counselor stating that the fee would pose a hardship.

You might be also be able to bypass the fee if the college is courting your child for academic or athletic reasons. Some schools have a “VIP application” for students they’re trying to entice, said Dean Skarlis, a college admissions consultant in Albany, N.Y. But it’s likely the school would have to reach out to your child for such privilege.

Of course, you could save a lot of money and heartache by applying for an early decision if your child is set on a particular school. If your child is accepted, you can use the money you’re saving on other applications to celebrate.

Campus visits

Traveling to check out campuses can get expensive fast. To narrow down the list of schools to visit, start by taking virtual tours.

Sites like YOUniversityTV.com, CampusTours.com and eCampusTours.com offer free guides on hundreds of universities. While they can’t replace in-person visits, they might help rule out options your child is on the fence about.

While you’re online, be sure to check out the academic and student life pages of official university Web sites. You might learn something that helps decide whether the school is worth a trip.

“I’ve had students apply to schools without realizing they don’t offer the major they’re interested in,” said Skarlis, the college admissions consultant.

Of course, you’ll want to visit schools in person if there’s a good chance your child could end up there. But even then, there are ways to save.

Local alumni groups often sponsor bus trips and overnight stays for prospective students. You can find about such programs by calling or e-mailing the school’s admissions office, or asking your child’s guidance counselor.

Otherwise, try to make campus visits part of a family trip on a weekend or during winter break. For instance, Dickinson and her daughter set aside time to tour the University of Maryland while visiting family in the area this summer. Even better — they made it a point to visit other nearby schools, too.