The Cost of Applying: Financial and Structural Challenges for Low Income Students

Seniors applying to college for 2026 are currently in the midst of polishing their essays and stressing over deadlines, all while managing the coursework for their challenging AP classes and extracurriculars. While stressful, the purpose of these extensive applications is to create a holistic and fair process, a process that supposedly proves talent and ambition overshadows circumstance. Yet, for the half a million low income students entering this application season, this process feels exactly the opposite. The 74 reports that almost ⅓ of college applicants are low-income, and a 2025 BestColleges survey highlights that ⅔ of this group expressed they felt “high or extreme stress” about applying to college. This is almost double that said by more privileged peers, revealing that, while college applications are made to create equitable conditions, they end up reinforcing the same inequities they were meant to overcome. 

These conditions start even before the application process. The average student applies to 6-10 schools: the cost for applying to one school is already $50-60, meaning just beginning to apply to schools can cost from $300-600. This cost doesn’t even factor in the money required to send SAT/ACT scores or transcript fees. While fee waivers do exist, receiving one is not guaranteed, and they are rarely given out. For a low-income student, these costs can mean the difference between applying to a college they are truly deserving of and settling for one that fits in their budget. One Inside Higher Ed study reported that students from households earning under $40,000 were twice as likely to skip applying to a “reach” school due to cost concerns. As for the 2026 application season, these financial barriers are only perpetuated. This year's release of the new FAFSA has left students in confusion and chaos, with delays, calculation errors, and ineffective communication from colleges. The National College Attainment Network reported that, in spring 2025, FAFSA completions were down more than 25% compared to the previous year, with the largest drops in low-income communities. Low-income students are missing out on crucial aid, all because of technical and technological errors. 

A common practice by prospective seniors or college students is to visit the campus they might decide to settle on. These college visits are viewed as essential to choosing the right school, since they introduce students to campus life, let them meet professors and students, develop a sense of community, and much more. However, the cost of travel, lodging, transportation, food, all adds up. Unfortunately, this means many low-income students cannot afford to visit colleges. They are left to rely on low-quality virtual tours and secondary descriptions to make the biggest decision of their lives. A 2024 study published in Research in Higher Education found that students from families earning under $30,000 were significantly less likely to visit campuses in person, despite 84% saying that such experiences were important in their college decision. Often, this decreases their chances of choosing, or even applying, to that school, since students who don’t visit are less likely to develop the sense of connection that has a major influence on college decisions. Even if they did apply, they would be put at a disadvantage due to having less knowledge of the school and the application as a whole, as proven by a 2021 study conducted by the University of Southern California. 

These financial barriers not only limit opportunities, they also decrease confidence. Many low-income students, observing their peers applying to 10-20 colleges, visit their dream campuses, or higher college counselors, doubt their own abilities to shine in such a competitive pool of students. This can discourage even the most talented and ambitious students from putting in effort in school and applications, or even applying at all. This loss of confidence can arise long before college applications. It can arise when students don’t have access to equal learning materials, when they have less opportunity due to cost discrepancies, when, even if their skill set matches those of their peers, their struggles overshadow their potential. 

Orlando Book Bank aims to circumvent this. If students have the tools they need to explore their passions and succeed, they can believe in their ability to achieve higher goals: and that overcomes any problems with money. True educational equity is achieved when all students, rich or poor, first-generation or legacy, man or woman, have the chance to learn on an equal ground. At Orlando Book Bank, we believe every student deserves the opportunity and resources to dream big. We collect and donate educational materials to organizations, schools, and individuals, to bridge the socioeconomic gap between so many students. We believe that learning and ambition should never be limited by income. 

By donating books to Orlando Book Bank, you can help us give students the resources they deserve. In your communities, you can mentor students on the college application process and provide guidance on test prep or essays. You can raise awareness on these issues, just like we are: research, articles, and resources are all ways to spread issues relating to education inequities throughout your network. You can connect students to opportunities they may not have, such as internships or summer programs. There is so much you can do to help: every action, whether it be a big donation or just answering a few questions, helps bridge the socioeconomic gap between students.