Fee Waivers
A fee waiver is granted by a school to waive the standard $65 application fee. These waivers are offered at the discretion of each school, and not all schools provide them.
How to check if a fee waiver code is valid
Question: I received a fee waiver from my school, but its not working.
In admin, under Organizations, find Fee Waivers.
Search the code the family provided. The status should show active.
Inactive:
If the search returns no results or the code is inactive, let the family know the code they received is not valid and refer them back to the school for a new one.
Active, not working:
If the code is active but not working, confirm that the family is not copying and pasting it, as this can sometimes introduce extra spaces or characters that cause the system to read the code as invalid.
Applying a Fee Waiver After Submission
Sometimes families reach out after submitting their application to ask if it's too late to apply a fee waiver. In these cases, we do have the option to refund the application fee if appropriate.
Question: I already paid for the application and a school already sent me a fee waiver code. Can I switch that out and get a refund?
Follow the steps above to confirm a valid fee waiver.
Send the family the refund request form. To find the form, simply use the macro function and search refund request form.
Access Codes
An access code is a code required by certain schools before they can be added to an application.
NOTE: Access codes can only be provided by the school. FS is not able to provide a family with an access code, unless the access code is posted on the school website for the family to view.
Schools may implement an access code for various reasons. In some cases, it is added after applications have closed for the year; in others, it may be used to maintain greater control over who is eligible to apply for financial aid.
Checking for a Valid Code
Sometimes parents will reach out to us because their code isn’t working. While we cannot provide them with the correct code, we can confirm if the access code they were given is valid.
Always recommend they type in the code, rather than copy-paste. Sometimes extra spaces get added when copying and can cause the system to see the code as invalid.
In admin, under Organizations, click on Application Periods
Next, search for the name of the school. You can also search the access code the family provided to you.
You are allowed to confirm if the access code is valid. If the access code is incorrect, please send them back to the school to obtain the correct code.
NOTE: Please ensure you are looking at the right enrollment year. When searching access codes, both previous and upcoming school years will show in the list along with the current academic enrollment year.
Deep Dive 🏊🏻♂️
If you click on the hyperlink with the school’s name, you can see more information regarding the access code. Sometimes this is helpful when more information is needed.
“When I first submitted my application, I didn’t need a code. Why do I need one now?
1: Application Type
2: Is an access code required?
3: The access code for the school
4: Soft close deadline for new families - students can still apply after this date
5: Soft close deadline for returning families - students can still apply after this date
You can also check the history to see if & when an access code was implemented or changed.
