Lawrence drops application fee, early decision admissions

Lawrence University is embarking on a new era for the school’s admissions process in a move aimed at making the application more accessible to all qualified students.

Applicants for the 2016-17 academic year will no longer be required to pay the $40 application fee. Meanwhile, the Early Decision admission process has been eliminated. The decisions come as part of an effort to make the institution’s application process more student-focused.

Ken Anselment, Lawrence's dean of admissions and financial aid, said the school was one of the first to drop the ACT and SAT requirements 10 years ago. Now, Lawrence is looking at new ways to offer innovative student services.

“While we may have appeared forward-thinking 10 years ago when we became a test-optional institution, we’ve been a little late to the party when it comes to eliminating the application fee,” Anselment said. “Despite the budget implications for Lawrence, we felt it was important to simplify the process and eliminate any potential hurdle that would prevent a qualified student from considering Lawrence.”

Anselment said similar thinking was behind the decision to get rid of the binding early decision requirement that locked students into attending Lawrence if they opted to attend the school earlier than later.

“We believe it is more beneficial to let the students fully consider all their options,” Anselment said. “Students who know Lawrence is the right place for them can certainly make their decisions as early as they’d like, but they will no longer need a binding agreement from Lawrence to do so.”

Lawrence University a private liberal arts college in Appleton, Wisconsin.