The article processing charge (APC) waiver and discount of 64 publishers and 9 journals, each read from the official policy: who qualifies, whose affiliation counts when co-authors are in different countries, and how to apply. Open a publisher for its eligible countries, its journals and how to ask.
Publishers
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ACM100% waiver for 102 countries100% waiver for authors in EIFL and Research4Life countries, plus hardship waivers and ACM Open institutional coverageCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationAAIP Publishing100% waiver for 81 countriesFull waiver for its Group A countries and a reduced APC for Group B countriesCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliation
American Chemical Society100% waiver for 26 countriesNo charge for World Bank low-income countries and a reduced price for lower-middle income countriesCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationAAmerican Mathematical SocietyNo country waiverNo country waiver; only a member discountCase by case · No country waiver schemeAAmerican Physical Society100% waiver for 115 countriesFull APC coverage for authors in more than 115 lower-income countries, in hybrid and gold journalsSubmitting author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationAAmerican Society for Microbiology100% waiver for 82 countriesAutomatic full waiver for Research4Life Group A and a partial waiver for Group BCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationAAnnual ReviewsNo country waiverSubscribe to Open: no article charges for anyoneCase by case · No APC is chargedAASMENo country waiverNo country waiver; APC waived or discounted only through institutional agreementsCase by case · No country waiver schemeBBentham ScienceUp to 50% discount50% discount for corresponding authors in countries on Bentham's low-income listCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submission
BioMed Central (BMC)100% waiver for 25 countriesBMC follows Springer Nature's waiver list: 100% for low-income and 50% for lower-middle income countriesCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionBBioscientificaNo country waiverWaiver or discount for countries on the Research4Life lists, on request at first submissionCase by case · Must be requested, usually at submissionBBMJ100% waiver for 91 countriesFull waiver only when every author is in a country on BMJ's list and the research is unfunded; partial discounts case by caseEvery author · Must be requested, usually at submissionCCambridge University Press100% waiver for 82 countriesAutomatic 100% waiver for Research4Life Group A and 50% for Group B through the Cambridge Open Equity InitiativeCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationCCell Press100% waiver for 82 countriesCell Press follows Elsevier's Research4Life rule: every author must be in an eligible countryEvery author · Applied automatically from the affiliationCCopernicus Publications100% waiver for 124 countriesAutomatic 100% waiver for Research4Life Group A and B, and 50% for emerging economiesCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationDDe Gruyter BrillUp to 80% discountAutomatic 80% discount for World Bank low-income and 30% for lower-middle income countriesCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationDDove Medical Press100% waiver for 24 countries100% for low-income and 50% for lower-middle income countries, only when every author is eligibleEvery author · Applied automatically from the affiliationEEdward Elgar Publishing100% waiver for 1 countryEIFL agreement for 16 hybrid journals: full waiver for Ukraine and a fixed GBP 500 APC for other EIFL countriesCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissioneeLifeNo country waiverFee waived for anyone who cannot afford it, decided case by case; no country listCase by case · Case by case, on application
Elsevier100% waiver for 82 countriesAutomatic 100% waiver for Research4Life Group A and 50% for Group B in fully open access journals, but only when every author is in an eligible count…Every author · Applied automatically from the affiliationEEMBO Press100% waiver for 36 countriesCountry-tiered APC: the corresponding author's country decides whether the paper pays 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of the list priceCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationEEmerald Publishing100% waiver for 26 countriesAutomatic 100% waiver for low-income and 50% for lower-middle income countries (World Bank FY2023 list)Corresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationFFrontiersNo country waiverNo country list; fee support is granted case by case on demonstrated needCase by case · Case by case, on applicationHHindawi100% waiver for 84 countriesHindawi journals now follow Wiley's waiver policyHalf of all authors · Applied automatically from the affiliation
IEEE100% waiver for 26 countries100%, 50% or 25% discount by World Bank income group, only when every author is in an eligible countryEvery author · Applied automatically from the affiliationIIET100% waiver for 84 countriesIET journals are published with Wiley and follow Wiley's waiver policyHalf of all authors · Applied automatically from the affiliationIIGI GlobalNo country waiverWaiver and discount policy not readable on the official pageCase by case · Not documentedIInderscienceNo country waiverNo country waiver; reduced standard APC and institutional payment modelsCase by case · No country waiver schemeIIntechOpenNo country waiverLimited case-by-case waivers, priority to low-income countriesCase by case · Case by case, on applicationIIOP Publishing100% waiver for 27 countries100%, 70% or 30% discount by World Bank income group (2026 pilot), automatic when all authors are eligibleCorresponding author + majority · Applied automatically from the affiliationJJMIR PublicationsNo country waiverDiscounts for low and lower-middle income authors only when every author is eligible; full waivers rareEvery author · Must be requested, usually at submissionKKargerNo country waiverWaiver or discount for low and lower-middle income countries; percentages are not publishedCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionKKeAi100% waiver for 82 countriesResearch4Life waiver (100% Group A, 50% Group B) set per journal, and many society-sponsored journals with no APCCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationMMDPINo country waiverNo country waiver scheme; discounts and waivers are discretionary or through institutional membershipCase by case · Case by case, on applicationMMedknowNo country waiverMost journals charge no APC (platinum open access)Case by case · No APC is chargedMMicrobiology Society100% waiver for 99 countriesAutomatic 100% waiver for Research4Life Group A and EIFL countries, 50% for Group BCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationMMIT Press100% waiver for 124 countriesJournal-specific waivers; Quantitative Science Studies waives the full APC for Research4Life countriesCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionNNova Science PublishersNo country waiverNo waiver policyCase by case · No country waiver schemeOOptica Publishing Group100% waiver for 90 countriesFull waiver for low-income countries in its main open access journals; 30% off in Optics Continuum for some middle-income countriesCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliation
Oxford University Press100% waiver for 25 countriesAutomatic waiver or discount in fully open access journals by an EIFL and Research4Life based country listCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationPPeerJ100% waiver for 25 countriesWaiver on request for World Bank low-income countries onlyCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionPPensoftNo country waiverDiscounts and waivers set by each journal, including for low and middle income countriesCase by case · Case by case, on application
PLOS100% waiver for 82 countriesFree publication for Research4Life Group A authors without external funding, reduced fees for Group B, and need-based fee assistanceCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionPPortland Press100% waiver for 82 countriesFull waiver for Research4Life (HINARI) Group A and a discount for Group BCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationRRockefeller University Press100% waiver for 131 countriesAutomatic waiver for primary corresponding authors in eligible lower and middle income countriesCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliation
Royal Society of Chemistry100% waiver for 124 countriesFull waiver for Research4Life Group A and B, and a reduced APC for India, Indonesia and the PhilippinesCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliation
SAGE100% waiver for 82 countriesAutomatic full waiver for Research4Life Group A and a discount for Group B, by the corresponding author's affiliationCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationSScience Advances (AAAS)100% waiver for 124 countriesAutomatic full waiver in Science Advances for Research4Life Group A and B, and hardship discountsCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationSScience Publishing GroupNo country waiverNo country waiver; membership-based support onlyCase by case · No country waiver schemeSSCIRPNo country waiverReductions for low and middle income countries, shown on the invoice; percentages not publishedFirst and corresponding author · Applied automatically from the affiliationSSPIENo country waiverReduced APC under a special economic consideration list; the list could not be readCase by case · Not documented
Springer Nature100% waiver for 25 countries100% waiver for low-income countries and 50% for lower-middle income countries (World Bank list with a GDP limit), on request at submissionCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionTTaylor & Francis100% waiver for 24 countries100% waiver for low-income and 50% for lower-middle income countries (World Bank list with a GDP limit), on requestCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionTTech Science PressNo country waiverDiscretionary waivers only, no country listCase by case · Case by case, on applicationTThe Company of Biologists100% waiver for 32 countriesFree open access publishing for corresponding authors in EIFL agreement countriesCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationTThe Electrochemical SocietyNo country waiverNo country waiver; member discounts and institutional creditsCase by case · No country waiver schemeTThe Royal Society100% waiver for 107 countriesAutomatic waiver for corresponding authors in countries on its Open Access Equity listCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationTThieme100% waiver for 82 countriesAutomatic 100% waiver for Research4Life Group A and 50% for Group B in gold open access journalsCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliationTTsinghua University PressNo country waiverDiscretionary waiver for authors in developing countries without fundingCase by case · Case by case, on applicationUUbiquity PressNo country waiverDiscretionary waivers set by each journalCase by case · Case by case, on applicationUUniversity of California PressUp to 75% discount75% discount for Research4Life Group A and B corresponding authors, plus a fee waiver fundCorresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliation
Wiley100% waiver for 84 countriesFull waiver or 50% discount by Wiley's country list (close to Research4Life), applied automatically when enough of the authors are eligibleHalf of all authors · Applied automatically from the affiliation
Wolters Kluwer (Lippincott)No country waiverNo general country waiver for Lippincott journals; most Medknow journals charge no APCCase by case · Not documentedWWorld Scientific100% waiver for 26 countriesWaivers and discounts through the EIFL agreement, on request after acceptanceCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionJournals with their own APC rule or page
PPLOS ONE100% waiver for 82 countriesPLOS's own Research4Life fee assistance: free for Group A and USD 940 for Group B (instead of USD 2,477), both only for research without external fun…Not stated by the journal · Must be requested, usually at submissionFF1000Research100% waiver for 23 countries100% waiver for low-income and 50% for lower-middle income countries, by the submitting authorSubmitting author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionSScientific Reports100% waiver for 25 countriesSpringer Nature's waiver list applies: 100% for low-income and 50% for lower-middle income countriesCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionCCureusNo country waiverNo universal APC; a paid editing service is required only for some papersCase by case · No APC is chargedLLancet open access journals100% waiver for 124 countriesExempt from payment when the main funder, or for unfunded work the majority of authors' institutions, is in a Research4Life countryMajority of institutions · Applied automatically from the affiliationHHeliyon100% waiver for 82 countriesHeliyon's own discount on request: 100% for authors from Research4Life Group A countries and 50% for Group B, only for research without funding for t…Not stated by the journal · Must be requested, usually at submissionSSpringer Nature Discover journals100% waiver for 25 countriesDiscover journals follow Springer Nature's waiver list: 100% for low-income and 50% for lower-middle income countriesCorresponding author only · Must be requested, usually at submissionIIEEE Access100% waiver for 26 countriesIEEE's discount by World Bank income group (100%, 50% or 25%), only when every author is in an eligible countryEvery author · Applied automatically from the affiliationBBMC journals with country-tiered pricing100% waiver for 36 countriesSixty BMC journals in Springer Nature's pilot set the APC by the corresponding author's country: the paper pays 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of the list…Corresponding author only · Applied automatically from the affiliation
By waiver scheme
Research4LifeEIFL agreementsWorld Bank income groupsPublisher country listsCountry-tiered APC pricingNational agreements (ONOS India)No APC (diamond and Subscribe to Open)Discretionary hardship waiversInstitutional and read & publish deals
Frequently asked questions
Which publishers give a full APC waiver?
Among the publishers we checked, 38 give a 100% waiver to authors in eligible countries, for example Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Hindawi, Taylor & Francis, SAGE, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press. Each uses its own country list and co-author rule; open the publisher for the details.
Is the APC discount the same at every journal of a publisher?
Usually the publisher's rule applies to all its fully open access journals, but some journals run their own scheme. Those are listed separately on this page.
How do I check the waiver for my own author team?
Use the free APC Waiver Checker: enter the journal and the countries of all authors, and it applies the publisher's rule.
Before you submit
Source, method and date. Each publisher's rule was read from its official waiver page (linked on every row) and the country lists from Research4Life, EIFL, the World Bank income classification and the publishers' own lists. Last verified: 27 October 2026. Policies change, Research4Life updates its lists every January and the World Bank every July, and some waivers are temporary or decided case by case. The checker reads the published rules; it cannot promise a waiver. Confirm on the publisher's page before you submit. ScholarsColab is not affiliated with any publisher listed here; logos are trademarks of their owners, shown only to name the publishers whose rules we read.