University of Maryland Increases Graduate Application Fee From 75 to 90 USD

What Changed in the UMD Application Fee

The University of Maryland graduate application fee moved from $75 to $90 on August 5, 2026. The change is a flat 20% jump. It is the first revision UMD has made to this fee in several cycles. The fee is still charged once per program, not once per cycle. Anyone applying to two departments pays twice.

The change applies to applicants for terms after Fall 2026. That means Spring 2027, Summer 2027 and Fall 2027 intakes fall under the new rate. Anyone still finishing a Fall 2026 application pays the old $75.

UMD confirms three important rules on the new fee:

• The $90 fee is non-refundable, even if an application is withdrawn or rejected.
• Applicants who already submitted for terms after Fall 2026 will not be charged the extra $15.
• Students reapplying in a later cycle must pay the fee again in full.

Key Insight: The fee is charged when you submit, not when you start the form. If you began an application in July and had not paid by August 5, you now owe the new $90.

The Graduate School also confirmed that partial-payment refunds for the $15 gap will not be issued. This closes the door on retroactive waivers. UMD College Park remains a strong US target despite the hike, especially for computer science and business analytics applicants.

Source: UMD Graduate School official admissions communications, August 2026.

Read More: Cost of MS in USA for Indian Students 2026

Who Pays $75 and Who Pays $90

The intake term decides the fee, not the day you file. If your target term is Fall 2026, you pay $75. If your target term is Spring 2027 or later, you pay $90.

The rule is straight, but a few edge cases confuse applicants. Here is a clean split.

The Graduate School has said it will not review individual requests for the $15 difference. Anyone who paid $75 for a Spring 2027 seat before August 5 keeps that rate. Anyone who did not pay is now charged the higher amount.

How UMD Compares With Other US Schools

UMD’s new $90 fee brings it in line with MIT and UC Berkeley, but still below Stanford. It sits above CMU and Purdue.

Application fees at top US graduate schools cluster in a narrow band. Most public research universities sit between $75 and $110. Elite private schools push higher. Below is a snapshot for common US targets on an Indian shortlist.

Source: Official graduate admissions pages of each university.

The $15 hike does not price UMD out of any shortlist. It puts UMD in the mainstream MS application-fee band. If X is a Tier 1 target and Y is UC Berkeley or MIT, then Z is the same $90 spend either way.

Key Insight: Application fee is a poor filter for shortlisting. Tuition, funding odds and job outcomes matter far more than a $15 gap.

For a broader view of US master’s fees and funding, the list of top MS universities in the USA covers 100+ schools with side-by-side data.

Read More: MS in USA Universities, Deadlines, Eligibility and Fees

What the Fee Costs Indian Applicants in INR

At today’s rate of INR 95.23 per USD, one UMD application now costs INR 8,571 instead of INR 7,142. The gap per application is INR 1,429. Most Indian MS applicants file to 8 to 10 US universities. If UMD is one of them, the extra rupee cost is small on a single application. Across a full US shortlist, the total add-up matters more.

Indian families building an MS budget should treat application fees as a small but real line item. A safe rule is to budget INR 60,000 to INR 85,000 for a 6 to 10 school US application cycle. That is on top of test fees, transcripts and SOP editing.

Check Out full MS admissions guide for the USA covers this budget in more detail, along with the round-by-round timeline.

Applicants should also check the MS eligibility rules for Indian students before spending on any application. A wasted fee on a school where the profile is below the bar is worse than the fee itself.

UMD Fee Waivers and Why Most Indians Miss Out

UMD offers two main fee-waiver pathways, but Indian F-1 applicants rarely qualify for either. The waiver rules are set by US federal and university policy, not by need alone.

The Graduate School lists two routes. The first is FreeApp, which is only for domestic students with proven financial need through FAFSA. Indian students do not file FAFSA, so this route is closed. The second is a set of career and professional preparatory programs. These are US-based pipelines like McNair Scholars and LSAMP.

• FreeApp: Domestic students only. Requires FAFSA. Not open to F-1 applicants.
• Career-prep waivers: Reserved for participants in named US programs. Rarely reaches Indian applicants.
• Department-level waivers: Some UMD departments offer their own waiver for select cases. Ask the program directly.

What UMD’s waiver policy covers for Indian students:

• It does not cover general international financial need.
• It does not cover currency-based hardship (weak rupee vs dollar).
• It does cover a small number of Indian applicants who joined US-based prep programs during undergrad exchanges.

Waiver requests must be filed at least 15 business days before the program deadline. The Graduate School typically responds in 10 to 15 business days.

Key Insight: Most Indian applicants should plan to pay the $90 fee outright. Chasing a waiver you are unlikely to get can eat into your deadline buffer.

Applicants with strong profiles can offset the fee cost through US scholarships for Indian students. A single scholarship covers years of application fees combined.

Source: UMD Graduate School Fee Waiver Information page, August 2026.

Check top STEM scholarships for Indian students in the USA

Deadlines That Decide Your Fee Bracket

The safest way to pay $75 is to file a Fall 2026 program that is still open before its listed deadline. Any application for a term after Fall 2026 will trigger the new $90 rate.

UMD’s graduate deadlines vary by department. Some Fall programs stay open into spring. Others close by December. Here are the key windows Indian applicants should watch.

Source: UMD Graduate School and department pages, verified August 2026.

Applicants who target the full list of UMD MS courses should check the individual program page. Deadlines can move by weeks between departments.

Applicants who need help mapping a full application timeline can use the MS in USA application guide for Indian students as a base template. It covers test-score deadlines, LOR requests and visa timelines.

How to Pay and What to Do Next

UMD charges the $90 fee inside the online application portal at gradapply.umd.edu. The transaction appears on your card statement as "UMCP Bursar Net Pay".

Indian applicants can pay with an international credit or debit card. The portal accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Some banks may block cross-border transactions by default, so applicants should confirm with their card issuer before the deadline.

Source: UMD Graduate School Apply Now page, August 2026.

• The fee is deducted only when you hit submit on the application.
• Save the payment confirmation email as proof.
• If the payment fails, contact gradappsupport@umd.edu before retrying.

What paying the fee gives you:

• A full review by the target program’s admissions committee.
• Access to fee-verified programs like the MS in Data Science at UMD.
• A permanent record of your application in UMD’s system.

What paying the fee does not give you:

• A guarantee of admission.
• A refund if the program rejects you.
• A waiver on any future reapplication fee.

Action Plan for Indian Applicants

The best move for most Indian applicants is to accept the new $90 fee and focus on application quality. A stronger SOP or an extra LOR from a strong recommender is worth far more than $15 saved.

Here is a simple 4-step plan for the coming cycle:

1. Confirm your target intake (Fall 2026 = $75, later = $90).
2. Budget INR 60,000 to INR 85,000 for 6 to 10 US application fees.
3. File early if the Fall 2026 door is still open for your program.
4. Confirm your MS in USA exam requirements match the target program before you pay.

Applicants planning across STEM and non-STEM tracks should also review the MS in Computer Science in USA guide. It maps fee, tuition and OPT eligibility side by side.

Key Insight: A UMD MS is a STEM-designated course (lets you work in the US for up to 3 years after) for most STEM subjects. That means OPT plus a STEM extension of 24 months on top. That value dwarfs the application fee.

Also Check:

The University of Maryland graduate application fee change is a small policy shift with a real impact on the Indian applicant wallet. The $15 hike is easy to swallow in isolation but adds up across a full US shortlist. The bigger story is that UMD stays a top target for Indian STEM and business applicants, and its fee is now in line with MIT and UC Berkeley. The right move is to plan the intake carefully, file before deadlines to lock the lower rate where possible, and treat the fee as a fixed cost of a serious US application. Do not let $15 push a strong school off the list.