Kansas Apply Free Days run October 5 through 9, 2026. During those five days, any Kansas resident can submit undergraduate applications with no application fee.
What is covered. All seven public universities, all 19 public community colleges, and all six technical colleges in Kansas, plus the 21 private institutions that are members of the Kansas Independent College Association.
Who qualifies. Any Kansas resident, regardless of age or income. That includes first-time freshmen, transfer students, returning students, and people seeking a second bachelor’s degree. Graduate and mid-degree programs do not qualify.
The one rule that matters. You can start and save an application any time, but it must be submitted during the window to get the fee waived. Applications submitted outside those dates, even because of a technical problem, will not qualify.
Worth knowing. Kansas’s 19 public community colleges never charge an application fee, and neither do Washburn or Pittsburg State. Many private institutions are free to apply to as well. So this matters most if you are applying to KU, K-State, WSU, Fort Hays State, or a technical college.
This is part of Apply Kansas, a statewide campaign each October in which high schools host application events with trained volunteers helping students complete at least one application during the school day. Ask your counselor whether your school participates.
After you apply, file the FAFSA. It opens around the same time and it is the gateway to grants, scholarships, and work-study.
Sources: Kansas Board of Regents, kansasregents.gov/students/apply-free-days and kansasregents.org/applyfree; Lawrence Times coverage of prior Apply Free Days, lawrencekstimes.com; Kansas Reflector, kansasreflector.com.