It is reasonable for prospective students to pay some fee to apply to a university program. However, these fees seem to be rising fast. This makes me wonder if university applications are seen as a profit center rather than just something whose cost must be covered. A student I know recently paid $192.50 to apply to three programs at one university in Ontario. I’d be interested in seeing a justification of this price. It seems high enough that someone is making a profit. Many applications can be handled quickly because the student either definitely qualifies or definitely doesn’t qualify. Borderline cases are more costly to handle, but it seems unlikely that the average cost could justify the price of $192.50. I’d be interested to hear expert opinions on costs from readers who have knowledge of the application process.