Trying to boost high school student enrollment by waiving application fees: What could go wrong? Find out below.

In an attempt to get more high school seniors to apply to state colleges, the Indiana Higher Education Commission launched its “College Go!” program last summer. During one week in October, students could apply to schools for free, avoiding the common $50 fee.

The result: Enrollment staffs spent hundreds of hours sorting through applications – some incomplete, some sent by students who had no intention of attending college – and it ultimately cost Indiana State University $300,000.

How did it come to this? Many Indiana high schools simply instructed their students to fill out online admission applications as part of a class project, whether or not they had any real interest in attending.

The Indiana Higher Education Commission has learned a few valuable lessons from the debacle. This year, College Go! Week will start a month earlier, and colleges won’t be as pressured to waive application fees.

Think it’ll go better than last year? Offer your advice in the comments section.

Tags: free college applications, Indiana State University