PSYCAS Application Fees and Fee Waivers

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Fees

Fee Waivers

PSYCAS offers two types of fee waivers:

Financial-Based Fee Waivers, which cover the cost of the first program you apply to ($80).
Service-Based Fee Waivers, which cover the cost of the first three programs you apply to ($80, $40, and $40, for a total of $160).
- Note: even if you qualify for multiple service-based fee waivers, you can only receive one service-based fee waiver.

If you received a fee waiver during a previous cycle, you may still apply for another in the next cycle. You may request a fee waiver as soon as you create an application. Keep in mind that fee waiver funds can be quickly depleted. Contact customer service at 617-612-2088 before you submit a fee waiver request to determine if waivers are still available.

Qualification Requirements

You can only apply for one type of fee waiver per cycle. Additionally, you must request a fee waiver before you submit your application. Requests received after an application has been submitted will not be honored. PSYCAS recommends submitting a fee waiver request by July 31, 2022 to ensure timely processing.

If you are approved for a fee waiver, you are required to submit your application by the end of the cycle. Fee waiver amounts are applied the first time you submit your application. If you don’t use the full amount of your fee waiver in your first submission, you will forfeit the remaining balance and can’t apply it towards future application submissions. For example, if you are awarded three service-based fee waivers, you must use them to apply for three programs in a single transaction or you will forfeit the remaining balance and cannot apply them towards future application submissions.

Financial-Based Fee Waivers

To qualify for an income-based fee waiver, you must have either:

Filed a 2020 Federal Income Tax Return Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ with an adjusted gross income that falls below the Low Income Level listed below, or
Been listed as a dependent on a filed 2020 Federal Income Tax Return Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ with an adjusted gross income that falls below the Low Income Level listed below. If you were claimed as a dependent by a parent or guardian on their 2020 Federal Income Tax Return, PSYCAS requires you to use that individual's Federal Income Tax Return instead of your own.

Low Income Levels for 2021-2022 Cycle Awards*

If applicable, use the following chart to help you determine if you come from an economically disadvantaged background.

Size of Family*	Income Level**
1	$25,760
2	$34,840
3	$43,920
4	$53,000
5	$62,080
6	$71,160
7	$80,240
8	$89,320
For each additional person add:	$9,080

The low income level is based on 200 percent of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services poverty guidelines. It is used to determine what constitutes a low-income family for the purposes of the SDS and LDS programs.

* Size of family means the number of exemptions listed on the qualified income tax return forms. For example, a family size of 4 may include two parents and two dependents.

** Income Level refers to the adjusted gross income stated on the federal income tax return 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ.

Service-Based Fee Waivers

To qualify for a service-based fee waiver, you must have participated in one of the eligible service-based organizations:

Gates Millennium Scholar
Leadership Alliance
McNair Scholar
Peace Corps: information on obtaining a Description of Service (DOS) from Peace Corps in-country volunteers is available here. Upload the DOS to your PSYCAS application.

Click on an organization above to download the fee waiver form. Complete the form, and if necessary, also have a certifying officer or program administrator complete their section of the form.

Applying for a Fee Waiver

Determine when to apply for your waiver.	Keep in mind that fee waivers are valid until the end of the cycle. Be ready to submit your application if you are approved.
Start your application.	You must have an account to apply for a fee waiver. Fee assistance applications are not accepted by mail or email.
Complete and submit your fee assistance application.	Click on your name in the upper right corner of the application, then select Fee Waiver. Select either financial- or service-based fee waiver from the drop-down. If selecting financial-based fee waiver, enter your household's adjusted gross income for 2020 and the current number of members in your household. Note that “size of family” includes the number of people claimed as dependents on the tax report. Then upload a copy of the filed 2020 Federal Income Tax Return Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ. This form was either filed by you or by someone who listed you as a dependent (such as a parent or guardian). Remember, if you were listed as a dependent, you must submit that individual's tax return form instead of your own. If selecting service-based fee waiver, select the service program from the drop-down. Then upload a copy of the completed document.
Await notification.	Once you submit your fee waiver request, it can take up to ten business days to process. The status of your request will be sent to both your email address and your application inbox. While your fee waiver request is pending, you are unable to submit your application. To submit your application and forfeit your waiver request, return to the Fee Waiver section and click Cancel Request. Once you submit your application, you are ineligible to apply for another fee waiver.
Submit your application and pay any remaining balance.	If you are approved, the waiver amount will be automatically deducted from your total fees, and you are responsible for any remaining balance. Contact customer service immediately if you do not see the waiver amount deducted. Outstanding transcripts, evaluations, and/or test scores do not have to be received within this timeframe.

Coupon Codes

Some programs provide coupons that offset application fees. If you received a coupon code from your program, use the information below to apply it to your payment.

Note that coupon codes cannot be redeemed after an application has been submitted. Additionally, if you miss a program deadline due to waiting for a coupon code, you must request a deadline extension from your program, not PSYCAS.

Using a Coupon Code

You can apply your coupon code(s) when you are ready to submit your application.

Click the Submit Application tab at the top of the application.
Click Submit, or to submit to more than one program, click Submit All.
On the payment page, enter the coupon code(s) you received from the program(s) under Apply Coupon.
Click the Apply Coupon button.
Complete the rest of the payment details pages.

Note the following:

When a coupon code equals the total transaction amount, you don’t need to enter additional payment information.
When a coupon code is less than the total transaction amount, you'll need to enter payment information for the additional balance.
When a coupon code is more than the total transaction amount, you don’t need to enter additional payment information. However, you'll forfeit the remaining balance offered by the coupon code, as PSYCAS will not issue credits or carry remaining balances forward.
Coupon codes cannot be applied to chargeback fees.

If you used a coupon code(s) when submitting to a program(s), the code(s) will be listed under Payment History.