In shortCase-by-case waivers for authors who cannot pay, decided by the publisher or editor. Not guaranteed, and usually requested at submission.
Check your author team
Publishers and journals using this scheme
| Publisher or journal | What it gives | Whose affiliation counts | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elsevier | Automatic 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 country | Every author | elsevier.com ↗ |
| Springer Nature | 100% waiver for low-income countries and 50% for lower-middle income countries (World Bank list with a GDP limit), on request at submission | Corresponding author only | springernature.com ↗ |
| SAGE | Automatic full waiver for Research4Life Group A and a discount for Group B, by the corresponding author's affiliation | Corresponding author only | sagepub.com ↗ |
| Oxford University Press | Automatic waiver or discount in fully open access journals by an EIFL and Research4Life based country list | Corresponding author only | academic.oup.com ↗ |
| Cambridge University Press | Automatic 100% waiver for Research4Life Group A and 50% for Group B through the Cambridge Open Equity Initiative | Corresponding author only | cambridge.org ↗ |
| MDPI | No country waiver scheme; discounts and waivers are discretionary or through institutional membership | Case by case | mdpi.com ↗ |
| Frontiers | No country list; fee support is granted case by case on demonstrated need | Case by case | frontiersin.org ↗ |
| PLOS | Free publication for Research4Life Group A authors without external funding, reduced fees for Group B, and need-based fee assistance | Corresponding author only | plos.org ↗ |
| BioMed Central (BMC) | BMC follows Springer Nature's waiver list: 100% for low-income and 50% for lower-middle income countries | Corresponding author only | springernature.com ↗ |
| IGI Global | Waiver and discount policy not readable on the official page | Case by case | igi-global.com ↗ |
| Pensoft | Discounts and waivers set by each journal, including for low and middle income countries | Case by case | pensoft.net ↗ |
| Copernicus Publications | Automatic 100% waiver for Research4Life Group A and B, and 50% for emerging economies | Corresponding author only | biogeosciences.net ↗ |
| MIT Press | Journal-specific waivers; Quantitative Science Studies waives the full APC for Research4Life countries | Corresponding author only | direct.mit.edu ↗ |
| Tech Science Press | Discretionary waivers only, no country list | Case by case | techscience.com ↗ |
| IntechOpen | Limited case-by-case waivers, priority to low-income countries | Case by case | intechopen.com ↗ |
| Thieme | Automatic 100% waiver for Research4Life Group A and 50% for Group B in gold open access journals | Corresponding author only | thieme.com ↗ |
| Science Advances (AAAS) | Automatic full waiver in Science Advances for Research4Life Group A and B, and hardship discounts | Corresponding author only | science.org ↗ |
| The Royal Society | Automatic waiver for corresponding authors in countries on its Open Access Equity list | Corresponding author only | royalsociety.org ↗ |
| PLOS ONE journal | PLOS'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 funding; otherwise need-based fee assistance | Not stated by the journal | plos.org ↗ |
| eLife | Fee waived for anyone who cannot afford it, decided case by case; no country list | Case by case | elifesciences.org ↗ |
| BMJ | Full waiver only when every author is in a country on BMJ's list and the research is unfunded; partial discounts case by case | Every author | authors.bmj.com ↗ |
| Dove Medical Press | 100% for low-income and 50% for lower-middle income countries, only when every author is eligible | Every author | dovepress.com ↗ |
| American Society for Microbiology | Automatic full waiver for Research4Life Group A and a partial waiver for Group B | Corresponding author only | journals.asm.org ↗ |
| Heliyon journal | Heliyon's own discount on request: 100% for authors from Research4Life Group A countries and 50% for Group B, only for research without funding for the APC | Not stated by the journal | cell.com ↗ |
| Ubiquity Press | Discretionary waivers set by each journal | Case by case | ubiquitypress.com ↗ |
| KeAi | Research4Life waiver (100% Group A, 50% Group B) set per journal, and many society-sponsored journals with no APC | Corresponding author only | keaipublishing.com ↗ |
| Tsinghua University Press | Discretionary waiver for authors in developing countries without funding | Case by case | sciopen.com ↗ |
| University of California Press | 75% discount for Research4Life Group A and B corresponding authors, plus a fee waiver fund | Corresponding author only | online.ucpress.edu ↗ |
Other schemes: Research4Life, EIFL agreements, World Bank income groups, Publisher country lists, Country-tiered APC pricing, National agreements (ONOS India), No APC (diamond and Subscribe to Open), Institutional and read & publish deals. APC waiver checker →
Frequently asked questions
What is Discretionary hardship waivers?
Case-by-case waivers for authors who cannot pay, decided by the publisher or editor. Not guaranteed, and usually requested at submission.
Which publishers use Discretionary hardship waivers for APC waivers?
Among the publishers we checked: Elsevier, Springer Nature, SAGE, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, MDPI, Frontiers, PLOS, BioMed Central (BMC), IGI Global, Pensoft, Copernicus Publications, MIT Press, Tech Science Press, IntechOpen, Thieme, Science Advances (AAAS), The Royal Society, PLOS ONE, eLife. Each one decides its own percentages and co-author rule.
Does being on the list guarantee a waiver?
No. The list decides which countries can qualify; each publisher then applies its own rule on whose affiliation counts, on funding and on journal type. Check the publisher page and confirm with the journal before submitting.
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.