ACT Newsroom & Blog: Unite, Inc. and the ACT Fee Waiver Program: Championing College Access for Rural Alabama Students

Written by ACT | Nov 19, 2025 6:00:00 AM

ACT has long promoted the idea that postsecondary options should be accessible to every student, from every background. The ACT Fee Waiver Program supports this mission by covering registration for two ACT tests and providing free test prep, extra score reports, and potential college application fee waivers for eligible students.

Partnering with organizations that share ACT’s mission to provide access to testing and resources has afforded students even more opportunities to explore their postsecondary options.

Unite Inc., founded in August 2011 by Dr. Travis Smith while he was a student at Alabama State University, is dedicated to serving rural Alabama high school students. Its mission is to increase college access, academic achievement, and degree attainment, especially with HBCU colleges across the country.

Dr. Smith, executive director, and his team provide ACT college preparation courses, professional development workshops, and college transition coaching to expose students to a wide range of postsecondary opportunities.

A cornerstone of Unite’s work is leveraging the ACT Fee Waiver Program to eliminate financial barriers that often prevent students from taking the ACT, an essential step toward college admission and scholarship eligibility. Dr. Smith explains, “These waivers give students increased motivation, knowing they can now afford to take the test and ease the financial stress that is often exacerbated in rural communities. This makes studying and test prep materials more accessible when knowing you can actually register for the test.”

Unite helps students pursue higher education with greater confidence and reduced financial stress. Their students have:

Earned over $43 million in scholarships
Accepted to 550+ universities nationwide
Completed 2,500+ hours of community service
Achieved a 100% high school graduation rate
Maintained a 100% college retention rate
Secured internships at several Fortune 500 companies

Dr. Smith and his team champion the impact of the ACT Fee Waiver Program. “Throughout our three years of engaging with the ACT Fee Waiver Program, I’ve seen more students sign up to take the test more than once, increasing their chances of raising their scores.”

In fact, according to recent ACT research data, 34% of students who took the ACT more than once increased their ACT Superscore by two or more points.

Dr. Smith encourages fellow educators and organizations to actively promote the program, emphasizing that many students remain unaware of its availability and the opportunities it can unlock.

As a result of their efforts, students have expressed interest in diverse higher education pathways, including two- and four-year institutions, HBCUs, PWIs, and both public and private colleges, demonstrating the program’s intentional investment in improving rural Alabama students' education access.

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