Remote Sensing APC and Open Access: MDPI Pricing, Discounts, and How It Stacks Up

Unlike hybrid journals from Elsevier, Springer Nature, or Wiley, Remote Sensing is purely gold open access. There's no option to publish for free behind a paywall. Every accepted paper requires the APC.

This is a fundamental difference that changes the cost calculus. At a hybrid journal like Remote Sensing of Environment (Elsevier), you can publish for $0 via the subscription track and still get the same peer review, DOI, and indexing. At Remote Sensing (MDPI), you're always paying.

For researchers with grant funding earmarked for publication costs, this isn't a problem. For those without, it's a real barrier, and it's why MDPI's discount programs matter more than Elsevier's or Springer's.

MDPI has a more varied discount system than traditional publishers:

Institutional memberships. MDPI offers institutional membership programs that provide a 10% APC discount for all corresponding authors affiliated with the member institution. Your library may have signed up. Check MDPI's institutional membership list or ask your librarian.

Editorial board discounts. Members of Remote Sensing's editorial board receive APC discounts or vouchers. This is standard across MDPI journals.

Reviewer vouchers. MDPI provides discount vouchers to peer reviewers. If you review for Remote Sensing or other MDPI journals, you accumulate credits that reduce your APC. The typical voucher is worth CHF 300-500.

Low-income country waivers. MDPI offers automatic full waivers for authors from low-income countries and partial waivers for lower-middle-income countries, following World Bank classifications.

Guest editor waivers. If you're a guest editor for a Remote Sensing special issue, MDPI typically provides fee waivers for your own submissions to that issue.

Hardship waivers. Available on request. MDPI states these are evaluated case by case and don't affect editorial decisions.

Here's where MDPI journals diverge sharply from Elsevier or Springer titles. MDPI is generally not included in the major national Read & Publish agreements (DEAL, Jisc, UKB, Bibsam). Those deals cover Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley, not MDPI.

Some institutions have MDPI-specific agreements, but coverage is far less consistent:

This is the single biggest practical difference between publishing in Remote Sensing versus a hybrid Elsevier or IEEE journal. If your institution has a strong Elsevier or IEEE agreement, you can publish OA for free in Remote Sensing of Environment or IEEE TGRS. At Remote Sensing (MDPI), you're likely paying out of pocket or from your grant.

Fast review cycles. MDPI journals are known for rapid turnaround. Remote Sensing typically delivers a first decision in 15-25 days. Total time from submission to publication often runs 6-10 weeks. Compare that to 3-6 months at Remote Sensing of Environment or IEEE TGRS.

Higher acceptance rate. Remote Sensing accepts roughly 40-50% of submissions. That's substantially higher than RSE (~15-20%) or IEEE TGRS (~25-30%). For researchers who need a publication quickly, whether for graduation requirements, grant reporting, or career milestones, this matters.

Massive output. With 5,000+ articles per year, Remote Sensing is one of the largest journals in Earth observation. This volume means there's space for solid, well-executed work that might not meet the novelty bar at more selective journals.

Special issues dominate. A large fraction of Remote Sensing's content comes through special issues. Guest editors organize themed collections, and invited papers go through the same peer review as regular submissions. Special issues can provide a more targeted audience for your work.

Because Remote Sensing is fully gold OA with CC BY licensing, it automatically satisfies virtually every funder mandate. There's no embargo, no license complications, no green OA workarounds. Every article is immediately and permanently free.

This is one genuine advantage of gold OA journals. You don't have to think about compliance. The default publication mode satisfies Plan S, NIH, UKRI, and every other major funder policy.

• Swiss franc billing. MDPI invoices in CHF. If your institution processes payments in USD or EUR, the bank's exchange rate determines your final cost. Some institutions add foreign transaction fees.
• No page limits per se, but MDPI's formatting is space-efficient. Long supplementary files are fine.
• MDPI templates are required. The LaTeX and Word templates are free but specific to MDPI formatting.
• VAT considerations. European institutions may face VAT on the APC, adding 7.7% (Swiss VAT rate) or potentially your local rate depending on your institution's tax status.
• English editing. MDPI offers an optional paid English editing service. It's not required, but the journal may suggest it during review. This is a separate cost from the APC.

It's worth addressing directly: MDPI journals, including Remote Sensing, carry reputational baggage in some academic circles. Some researchers view MDPI as a borderline predatory publisher. Others consider it a legitimate, if aggressive, open access operation.

The reality is somewhere in the middle. Remote Sensing is indexed in Web of Science, has a real IF (~5), conducts peer review, and publishes genuine research. But the high volume, fast turnaround, and extensive special issue program raise questions about consistency. The quality of individual papers varies more than at selective journals like RSE or IEEE TGRS.

For hiring and promotion decisions, Remote Sensing papers generally count, but they may carry less weight than publications in RSE or IEEE TGRS at institutions that evaluate journal prestige closely. Know your evaluation context.

1. Need speed and have grant funds? Remote Sensing's fast turnaround and high acceptance rate make it a practical choice. Budget CHF 2,700 from your grant.
2. Institution has Elsevier or IEEE agreements? Consider Remote Sensing of Environment (Elsevier) or IEEE TGRS instead. OA may be free through institutional deals, and both carry higher prestige.
3. No OA mandate, tight budget? A hybrid journal's subscription track costs $0. IEEE TGRS or ISPRS JPRS let you publish for free.
4. Funder compliance is the priority? Remote Sensing's gold OA model satisfies every major funder mandate automatically. No embargo hassles.

Before submitting to any remote sensing journal, make sure your methodology, validation data, and accuracy assessments are clearly documented. Reviewers at Remote Sensing still expect solid experimental design. Run a free readiness scan to check your manuscript against common rejection triggers.

For a broader look at journal impact factors and what they mean for your submission choices, see our guide.