For Virginia high school seniors, the last two weeks of October offer a chance to take an important step toward college — for free. During Virginia College Application Weeks, Oct. 19-30, 2026, the University of Mary Washington will waive its application fee for students who apply through the Common App using the code VCAW.
The statewide initiative, Virginia College Application Weeks, brings together the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), Virginia colleges and universities, and national education nonprofit ECMC to help students navigate the college application process. Now in its 10th year, the initiative is expanding to two weeks and reaching numerous high schools across the Commonwealth.
This year, the opportunity is also the talk of the town in UMW’s hometown of Fredericksburg. UMW Dean of Admissions and Associate Vice President Melissa Yakabouski and Director of First-Year Admissions Sarah Lindberg recently took to the airwaves on Town Talk with Ted Schubel to offer advice to prospective students and their families.
“This is really about finding a good fit for the student and making sure that they can be successful academically, that they are going to find a community that is going to support them, that is going to provide them with a lot of different experiences,” Yakabouski said on the program. Read more about Virginia College Application Weeks at UMW.