In some other countries there's a national system with a single modest fee. In the UK this is 'UCAS'[1], a nonprofit org. You apply once, and indicate your top N (say, 5) favorite school+program. The applications are sent to the schools, and they can make you an offer.

If not accepted for any of them, there's a follow-up matchmaking service (called 'clearing' in the UK) to help find an unallocated spot.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCAS