For Many High School Seniors, the Cost of Pursuing College and Career Paths Is Their First Real Barrier
This Giving Tuesday, we’re launching a campaign called “Open the Door.” It’s not just a name, it’s a statement about what we believe and what we’re fighting for.
Every year, RePublic students work tirelessly to prepare for their futures. They wake up early, stay after school for tutoring, push through challenging coursework, and dream about the possibilities that await them, whether that’s a university, a technical program, an apprenticeship, or the workforce.
They have the grades. They have the determination. They have the resilience that comes from navigating obstacles their entire lives. And then they encounter not one, but two barriers: the cost of applying to college and the cost of earning industry-recognized certifications that prepare them for work.
This should never stand in the way. And at RePublic, we refuse to let it.
Two Hidden Barriers Nobody Talks About
When we talk about education affordability, we focus on tuition, room and board, and textbooks. These are the big numbers—the ones that feel insurmountable. However, two barriers stand in the way of those: college application fees and career certification costs.
The College Application Barrier
Here’s what the research shows: Application fees range from $50-90 per school, with top universities like Stanford, Columbia, and Harvard charging $85-$90 each. When a student applies to just six schools—which is the national average—they spend $300-540 in fees before they ever see a financial aid package. Apply to eight schools? That’s $400-$720.
For context: According to the Ed Trust, a student from a low-income family would need almost 150% of their household income to cover the full cost of college. Application fees may seem like a small part of that equation. But for many families, they are the first hurdle, and they are often the one that stops students from even trying. Research proves this matters. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that when test score reporting fees dropped by just $6, the percentage of students sending additional score reports jumped from 5% to 65%. A $6 difference changed the behavior of 60% of test-takers. When application barriers drop, student behavior changes. Students apply. Students reach for selective institutions. Students’ lives change.
Yet those barriers persist not because they have to, but because we’ve accepted them as normal.
The Career Certification Barrier
But college isn’t the only path our seniors pursue. Many need industry-recognized credentials to meet graduation requirements, enter the workforce, gain apprenticeships, or qualify for technical programs.
CareerSafe OSHA 10-Hour certifications cost about $35 each and cover critical areas like:
- Workplace Safety (Construction, General Industry, Automotive)
- Cyber Safety Awareness
- Employability Skills
- Public Safety (EMS, Law Enforcement)
- Specialized Industries (Healthcare, Culinary, Manufacturing, Veterinary)
At RePublic, our seniors need these certifications to graduate college and be career-ready. But for many families already stretched thin, an extra $35-70 per child is simply out of reach. That means some seniors graduate without the credentials that make them safer on the job, more employable, and more competitive for college and career programs. These aren’t optional nice-to-haves. For many students, they’re graduation requirements.
Who This Hits Hardest
The impact of these barriers is not equal. They affect every family, but they disproportionately impact students and families who can least afford them. First-generation college students are more likely to come from low-income backgrounds. According to recent research, 24% of all undergraduates in the U.S. are first-generation and low-income. These students often have limited family guidance on the college process, limited resources to support applications, and limited financial bandwidth. When a first-generation student faces a $50-90 application fee AND a $35 certification cost, they’re not just thinking about money.
They’re thinking:
- Do I apply to this reach school or save the fee for a safety school?
- Do I use this money for college applications or career certifications?
- Do I use this money for either, or help my family with rent?
- If I apply and don’t get in, was that money wasted?
These aren’t abstract questions. They’re real calculations happening in real households across Jackson, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee, the communities RePublic serves.
Students of color face even steeper barriers. Research shows that students from marginalized communities experience compounded obstacles: less access to college counseling, fewer relationships with teachers who can write recommendations, less knowledge about the college application process itself. Application fees and certification costs add yet another layer of friction to processes that already feel stacked against them. Low-income students apply to fewer schools and pursue fewer certifications. Without the resources to absorb multiple application fees or certification costs, low-income students strategically apply to fewer schools and pursue fewer career credentials. This means fewer opportunities, fewer acceptances, and a smaller safety net if their first-choice path doesn’t work out.
What RePublic Believes
At RePublic, we believe that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. We know this because we see it every day. We work with 4.0 students who struggle to complete the FAFSA because their families don’t have documentation. We work with brilliant writers who don’t attend college visits because transportation costs feel impossible. We work with resilient, driven seniors who have overcome more in their lives than most people face in a lifetime—and yet they pause when it comes time to submit applications or earn certifications because $50 per application or $35 per certification feels like $500 to their families.
These students deserve better.
Our mission is to prepare RePublic seniors for college and career success. That means not just academics, though we’re deeply committed to rigorous preparation. It means removing the barriers that stand between a student’s preparation and their ability to apply, certify, and pursue their path. A student’s dreams should never be limited by a $50 application fee or a $35 certification fee. This isn’t about asking for sympathy. It’s about recognizing an injustice and fixing it.
This Giving Tuesday: Open the Door
That’s why we’re launching the “Open the Door” campaign this Giving Tuesday, December 2 2025.
Here’s how it works:
Your gift goes into the Open the Door Fund, which removes both barriers for RePublic seniors:
💛 $25 helps a senior take their next step toward one college application or certification
💛 $50 covers one full college application fee OR one CareerSafe certification, giving a senior genuine choice and access
💛 $75 supports both: part of an application AND a certification, helping a senior be ready for both college and the workforce
💛 $150 fully funds one senior’s college and career readiness by covering multiple application fees and at least one industry certification
💛 Custom amount – Every dollar you give is split between college access and career readiness
Every dollar goes directly to removing barriers for RePublic seniors across both our Jackson and Nashville locations. We’re not funding a campaign or administrative costs your gift directly removes a barrier for a student.
Why This Moment Matters
We’re launching this campaign during an extraordinarily difficult time for many families. We know that SNAP benefits have been reduced. We know that economic uncertainty creates hardship. We know that families across our community are struggling to put food on the table and keep lights on.
This makes the “Open the Door” campaign even more crucial.
Because when families are in crisis, both college AND career planning often feel like luxuries. Thinking about application fees and certification costs feels impossible when you’re worried about rent next month. But we also know that education—college education and career credentials- is one of the most powerful tools for breaking cycles of poverty and building generational wealth.
Investing in college and career access right now is investing in futures that extend far beyond this moment of crisis.
When we help a RePublic senior apply to college AND earn a career certification during this difficult season, we’re saying: Your dreams matter. Your future matters. Even in crisis, we’re not abandoning our commitment to your success.
How to Support
This Giving Tuesday, December 2, we’re inviting you to join us in opening doors. Your gift isn’t one-time giving—it’s an investment in the next generation and the future of our community.
- Alumni: You attended schools because someone believed in you. Now it’s your turn to believe in the next generation. Your $25 gift opens a door for a student who looks like you—hungry, driven, ready to change the world.
- Parents and Teachers: You know these students. You’ve watched them work, struggle, and overcome. You know what they deserve. Your donation removes barriers that stand between them and their dreams.
- Community Partners and Business Leaders: Education and career readiness strengthen our entire community. When students can apply to college and earn certifications without financial barriers, they’re more likely to attend college, graduate, enter the workforce prepared, and give back. Your investment in RePublic students is an investment in the future of Jackson and Nashville.
- Everyone: If you believe that talent is equally distributed but opportunity is not, and if you’re ready to do something about it, this is your moment.
Visit RePublic.org/giving-tuesday to donate or learn more.
All gifts are tax-deductible. RePublic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
More Than Money: The Bigger Vision
This campaign is about more than raising funds for application fees and certifications, though that’s critical. It’s about making a statement: At RePublic, we don’t just prepare students for college and career. We help them get there. It’s about saying that barriers like application fees and certification costs are not inevitable. They’re choices made by institutions and systems, and they can be changed.
- It’s about demonstrating what’s possible when a community comes together around a simple, tangible goal: removing two barriers at once.
- It’s about showing our students that when they work hard, prepare themselves, and dream big, we show up. Not eventually. Not someday. Now.
A Final Word: You Belong Here
To our RePublic families who may be reading this during an impossibly difficult time: we see you. We know that this season feels different this year. We know that worries about food, rent, and security weigh heavily. We know that thinking about college applications and career certifications might feel like luxuries you can’t afford.
But here’s what we also know: Your children belong in college. Your children belong in careers. Their ambition belongs there. Their talent belongs there. Their futures belong there.
And we’re not going to let financial barriers stand in their way.
We are RePublic. We believe in your students. We believe in your families. And this Giving Tuesday, we’re asking our community to believe with us. Open the Door. Help a RePublic senior apply to college and earn a certification. Change a life. Build a future.
Take Action This Giving Tuesday
Donate Today: republiccharterschools.org/openthedoor
Questions? Contact us at kvernon@republiccharterschools.org
Follow our campaign on social media: #OpenTheDoor #GivingTuesday #RePublicSchools
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