Maxwell School - Request for Application Fee Waiver

Thank you for your interest in the Maxwell School—the #1-ranked school of public affairs and Syracuse University's home for the social sciences! This form is to officially request a an application fee waiver to Maxwell graduate programs. Please review this information carefully as some fees are automatically waived when you begin the application and do not require a fee waiver request.

This form is only for students applying to a graduate program within the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. If you are applying to a program in another school/college at Syracuse University, please do not use this form.
Your request should only be made after you have created an online application account AND filled it out at least through the "Program Selection" page.
Maxwell offers a very limited number of fee waivers based on financial hardship as well as for participation/affiliation with select programs or organizations.
If you belong to one of the following groups, you do not need to submit a request form! Rather, the application fee will automatically be waived based on your response to the relevant question(s) on the online application.
- US Veterans / Active Duty US Military Personnel
- Syracuse University students and alumni
- McNair Scholars
- International Fulbright Scholars (via IIE, AMIDEAST, or LASPAU)
- Citizens of Ukraine, Palestine, or Israel
If you are requesting a waiver based on hardship, please provide as much detail as possible. Not all requests can be approved, so providing specifics regarding your situation will improve your chances of being granted a waiver.

* Denotes a required field

AS OF FEBRUARY 2025, financial hardship fee waivers for the summer 2025 or fall 2025 terms are only possible for our executive master's and midcareer certificate programs. Individuals interested in any of our other graduate programs can only be eligible for a fee waiver if they have participated in an eligible program/organization.

Academic Interests

What degree program are you applying to?

NOTE: If your program of interest is not listed, application fee waivers are not currently available.

The doctoral program selected requires you to have earned your master's degree in a relevant field prior to enrollment. Will you meet this requirement?

Unfortunately, it appears that you are not eligible for admission to this program and thus you cannot request an application fee waiver at this time. Please email MaxEnroll@syr.edu or contact your program of interest directly for more information.

Have you started an online application for this program via our new online application system?

STOP! Our fully online Executive MPA program has a separate application and process than our other graduate degrees. Please reach out to the Executive MPA Online Program directly to inquire about the possibility of an application fee waiver.

STOP! Please create an online application account before continuing, making sure to select the appropriate program via the "Program Selection" page.

If you are not ready to start your application, you can request additional information here.

PLEASE NOTE: The program you selected requires students to have approximately 7 years of professional work experience. If you are unsure about your eligibility, please email Margaret Lane, Assistant Director of Executive Education, prior to submitting your request for an application fee waiver.

PLEASE NOTE: You have selected the in-person EMPA offered at our Syracuse, N.Y. campus. If you are looking for the fully online EMPA, please contact admissions@onlinempa.syr.edu directly rather than submitting this form.

Please read the following important notes regarding application fee waivers for the Department of Anthropology:

Students requesting application fee waivers from the Department of Anthropology should first contact the department’s director of graduate studies.
Waivers are not granted for the M.A. in Anthropology.

Please describe your research interests in a brief (50 words or less) statement.

Which professor(s) from your academic department of interest have you been in contact with about your research interests? Please list them below.

What entry term are you applying for?

NOTE: Application fee waivers can only be requested for the upcoming year.

Waiver Request Details

What type of application fee waiver are you requesting?

STOP! The Maxwell School's Executive Education Program has graciously offered to pay the application fee for all midcareer professionals applying to the certificate of advanced study. Please change your prior selection to "Participation in a program/group/organization..." and then select "Midcareer professional applying to standalone C.A.S. program."

PLEASE NOTE: The Maxwell School does not fully fund master's students. As part of the application fee waiver process, your explanation/justification must acknowledge that you understand that you will not be awarded full funding and that you will need to contribute all of the cost of living (meals, housing, transportation, etc.), fees, plus a significant portion of the tuition charges. If you do not address how you plan to contribute to the cost of your education, your application fee waiver request will be denied.

Additionally, please be aware that we have an extremely limited number of application fee waivers available. While we will do our best to select the most worthy requests, we unfortunately cannot approve requests for all students who have need.

Financial Hardship Details
Please provide a detailed and specific explanation (150 – 250 words) of your hardship and why you are requesting an application fee waiver. A limited number of waivers are available on a first come, first served basis. Applicants who provide the necessary detail are most likely to be granted a waiver.

Examples of hardship may include but are not limited to:

political instability
medical issues
loss of job or employment
death in family
childbearing responsibilities
other relevant situations

PLEASE NOTE: If you belong to one of the following groups, you do not need to submit this request form! Rather, the application fee will automatically be waived based on your response to the relevant question(s) on the online application.

US Veterans / Active Duty US Military Personnel
Syracuse University students and alumni
McNair Scholars
International Fulbright Scholars (via IIE, AMIDEAST, or LASPAU)
Citizens of Ukraine, Palestine, or Israel (for 2025 admission)

PLEASE NOTE: The Maxwell School's Executive Education Program has graciously offered to pay the application fee for all midcareer professionals applying to the certificate of advanced study. Unless you belong to one of the groups noted above, please select "Midcareer professional applying to standalone C.A.S. program" from the following drop-down menu.

Please select which group you are involved with that are eligible for an application fee waiver (if you participated in multiple, just choose one):

PLEASE NOTE: This selection is only for UNITED STATES CITIZENS who have (or will have) completed a grant funded by the Fulbright Program. If you are not a United States Citizen, please do not proceed; International Fulbright Scholars will have their application fee automatically waived when they (or their IIE/AmidEast/Laspau advisor) fill out the application for admission.

STOP! In order to get an application fee waiver associated with the Graduate Education for Minority Students (GEM) Fellowship, you must first apply for a fellowship at the GEM website. Syracuse University will provide application fee waivers for applicants who are recommended by GEM.

Please make sure you have selected an option from the prior menu. If you were unable to find your group but believe you participated in a group or program that is eligible for an application fee waiver, please type in the group name/description:

PLEASE NOTE: The Economics department requires copies of your transcripts and resume in order to make a decision on an application fee waiver request. Please use the "Material Uploader" below to upload your documents. Additionally, please enter your GRE scores if you have already taken the exam. Please be aware that if you move forward with the application process, official copies of your transcripts and test scores will need to be submitted at a later date.

Unofficial Transcripts

Resume

GRE - Verbal Score

GRE - Quantitative Score

GRE - Analytical Writing Score

Personal Information

First Name

Preferred First Name / Nickname

Last Name

Email Address

Verify Email

Would you like to receive occasional text messages from the Maxwell School?

Mobile Phone Number (include "+" and country code for international numbers)

Phone Number (include "+" and country code for international numbers)

Date of Birth

Sex/Gender

Primary Citizenship

Do you have Permanent Resident status (i.e. Green Card) in the United States?

U.S. Armed Forces Status

Branch of Service

Please email a copy of your English Language Proficiency Scores to the Economics director of graduate studies, Dr. Yoonseok Lee, at ylee41@syr.edu. If you have not yet taken the test or believe you are eligible for a waiver, please email Dr. Lee with those details as well.

STOP! Since you are a citizen of Ukraine, you qualify for an application fee waiver from Syracuse University without needing to justify financial hardship or participation in a group. Please navigate to your online application and make sure your primary citizenship is entered as Ukraine. Your $75 fee will automatically be waived when you formally submit your application.