1. Submit an application for the Free or Reduced Lunch Program. Even if you have no intention to use the free or reduced lunch benefit, filing this application can qualify you to have many of your college-related fees waived. You can apply online through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. The form is located under the More/Meal Benefits Tab. Click here for instructions for completing the application on Infinite Campus. 

2. Notify your counselor that you were approved for the Free or Reduced Lunch Program or ACT/SAT fee waiver or if your family is experiencing a financial hardship. 

3. Follow the instructions in the next sections to request fee waivers for testing (ACT, SAT, AP) or for college application fees.

4. File for financial aid to help you pay for college. Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) starting in December of your senior year in order to qualify for the maximum amount of federal, state and college money for which you may be eligible. The student must be a citizen or permanent resident to submit a FAFSA but can file the Alternate Application for Illinois Financial Aid if ineligible to submit a FAFSA.

Before registering for an ACT, SAT or AP test, contact the PHS Assessment Coordinator, Mrs. Laura Bernstein, to obtain a fee waiver card/code in order to waive fees for test registration, to send scores to colleges, or to submit the CSS Profile in the future. Even though you do not pay to register for the state SAT that all juniors take in school, you should obtain an SAT fee waiver card/code to waive future expenses. 

Instructions for Requesting College Application Fee Waivers:

1. For Common Application (CA) applications:

• Complete the Common App Fee Waiver request in Common App.

• Counselor will verify eligibility.

• If student is eligible, counselor will approve request in CA. If not eligible, counselor will notify student.

2. For non-Common App applications:

   • Indicate on SchooLinks that you are eligible for a fee waiver. This was done in the Account Setup section of SchooLinks.

   • Counselor will verify eligibility.

   • If student is eligible, counselor will approve request in SchooLinks. If not eligible, counselor will notify student.

3. If your request is approved, please do the following:

• Indicate in your college applications that you are eligible for a fee waiver. You should be able to submit your application without submitting payment.