RANKED: The 25 colleges that make the most money from students' application fees

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RANKED: The 25 colleges that make the most money from students' application fees

College

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Just applying to college is expensive.

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College is a huge financial undertaking, and the costs start racking up well before you enroll in your choice school.

LendEDU recently released its annual ranking of the colleges that make the most money off of student applications. The student-loan information site analyzed data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and reported how much revenue 500 American colleges and universities earn from application fees for the 2016-17 academic year.

LendEDU notes that the revenue figures are estimates based on the number of applicants and the school's application fee. Some colleges offer discounted or waived application fees for need-based financial aid students.

The top of the list is full of blue and gold. Eight campuses in the University of California system - where the application fee is $70 and the number of applicants ranges from over 42,000 to 97,000 - ranked in the top 25.

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Below, take a look at the top 25 colleges that earned the most revenue off student applications last year, ranked from lowest to highest.

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25. Harvard University

25. Harvard University

Total applicants: 39,041

Application fee: $75

Projected revenue: $2,928,075

24. Purdue University (main campus)

24. Purdue University (main campus)

Total applicants: 49,007

Application fee: $60

Projected revenue: $2,940,420

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23. University of California, Riverside

23. University of California, Riverside

Total applicants: 42,629

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $2,984,030

22. University of Washington, Seattle

22. University of Washington, Seattle

Total applicants: 43,517

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $3,046,190

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21. University of Massachusetts, Amherst

21. University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Total applicants: 40,822

Application fee: $75

Projected revenue: $3,061,650

20. Fordham University

20. Fordham University

Total applicants: 44,816

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $3,137,120

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19. Columbia University

19. Columbia University

Total applicants: 37,009

Application fee: $85

Projected revenue: $3,145,765

18. San Diego State University

18. San Diego State University

Total applicants: 60,834

Application fee: $55

Projected revenue: $3,345,870

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17. California State University, Long Beach

17. California State University, Long Beach

Total applicants: 61,808

Application fee: $55

Projected revenue: $3,399,440

16. University of California, Santa Cruz

16. University of California, Santa Cruz

Total applicants: 49,181

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $3,442,670

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15. Pennsylvania State University (main campus)

15. Pennsylvania State University (main campus)

Total applicants: 52,974

Application fee: $65

Projected revenue: $3,443,310

14. The University of Texas, Austin

14. The University of Texas, Austin

Total applicants: 47,511

Application fee: $75

Projected revenue: $3,563,325

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13. Cornell University

13. Cornell University

Total applicants: 44,965

Application fee: $80

Projected revenue: $3,597,200

12. Northeastern University

12. Northeastern University

Total applicants: 51,063

Application fee: $75

Projected revenue: $3,829,725

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11. Stanford University

11. Stanford University

Total applicants: 43,997

Application fee: $90

Projected revenue: $3,959,730

10. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

10. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Total applicants: 55,504

Application fee: $75

Projected revenue: $4,162,800

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9. New York University

9. New York University

Total applicants: 60,724

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $4,250,680

8. University of Southern California

8. University of Southern California

Total applicants: 54,280

Application fee: $80

Projected revenue: $4,342,400

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7. Boston University

7. Boston University

Total applicants: 57,441

Application fee: $80

Projected revenue: $4,595,280

6. University of California, Davis

6. University of California, Davis

Total applicants: 68,553

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $4,798,710

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5. University of California, Santa Barbara

5. University of California, Santa Barbara

Total applicants: 77,112

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $5,397,840

4. University of California, Irvine

4. University of California, Irvine

Total applicants: 77,816

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $5,447,120

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3. University of California, Berkeley

3. University of California, Berkeley

Total applicants: 82,561

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $5,779,270

2. University of California, San Diego

2. University of California, San Diego

Total applicants: 84,208

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $5,894,560

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1. University of California, Los Angeles

1. University of California, Los Angeles

Total applicants: 97,112

Application fee: $70

Projected revenue: $6,797,840