Earlier this year, the school partnered with QuestBridge, the national match program that connects low-income students with elite colleges (Colby College and Bowdoin College are also partners). Still, application fees, which average about $50, can deter low-income or first-generation students from applying. In 2019, about 90% of public colleges and 57% of private colleges had an application fee. Colby in Waterville does not collect any application fees. All of the schools in the University of Maine System eliminated application fees for domestic undergraduate students years ago, a spokesperson said.