If you are planning to take a SAT or ACT test, you will want to plan your budget. The SAT and ACT normally cost roughly $60, but if you qualify for a fee waiver, you could take them for free!
As a brief overview:
The SAT costs $60
Late registration is an additional $30
The ACT (no writing) costs $68
Late registration is an additional $36.
Both tests offer fee waivers: if you are eligible, you might be able to take the test for free, and get some other things for free too!
The SAT costs a little bit less than the ACT, but they are still close in price. You should choose which test to take based on your performance on practice tests (you can take those with us) - and definitely do not choose the SAT just because it is cheaper. But, if the SAT is the better match, then congratulations, you can perform better and save some money! Let’s take a closer look at the SAT’s fees and waivers.
SAT Test Options and Prices
| Fee | Details |
The SAT | $60 |
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Changing your testing center | $25 | For changing your test center only.
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Cancellation fee | $25 | For canceling your registration by the change deadline.
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Late cancellation fee | $35 | For canceling your registration after the change deadline, by Thursday 11:59 p.m. ET before test day.
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Late registration | $30 | For registering after the regular deadline but before the late registration deadline.
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Score Service Fees
| Fee | Details |
Additional score reports | $14 per report | Your first four score reports are free if you order them by nine days after the test date.
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Rush reports | $31 | If you need your SAT scores sent faster than regular delivery, you can order rush reporting for an additional fee. Key Details
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Receive your scores by phone | $15 per call | Available at the same time as online scores.
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Archived scores | $31 | Once you've left high school and haven't tested for a year, College Board archives your SAT test scores and responses to the SAT Questionnaire. However, you can request that older scores be sent to you or to the colleges, universities, and scholarship programs of your choice.
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Question-and-Answer Service | $16 | You can order your test information, such as the test booklet and your test answers. However, in sad news, this is only available for the Fall 2023 paper test.
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Student Answer Service | $16 | This often confuses parents and students. The SAT Student Answer Service does NOT include test questions and answers. This is basically a copy of the bubble sheet with a list of how difficult the questions are (with no details about what actual questions are right and wrong). There is usually no reason to order this.
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Hand score verification | $55 | If your score is very different from what you expected, you might have made an obvious mistake in marking your answers. In this case, you can purchase an attempt to rescore your test by using hand score verification. The hand score verification process is performed only once per test.
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SAT Fee Waiver
If you're eligible for a fee waiver, you can take the SAT for free and receive other benefits.
SAT fee waivers are available to low-income 11th- and 12th-grade students in the U.S. or U.S. territories. (U.S. citizens living outside the country might also be eligible for fee waivers). You must also match one of more of the following descriptions:
You’re enrolled in or eligible to participate in the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
Your family's annual income falls within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service.
You're enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families, for example, TRIO programs like Upward Bound.
Your family receives public assistance.
You’re homeless or live in federally subsidized public housing or a foster home.
You’re a ward of the state or an orphan.
If you qualify for a fee waiver, you'll get free tests and several other benefits to help you apply for college:
Free Tests and Feedback
2 free SAT tests
2 chances to access answer services (paper tests before Spring 2024)
Free College Benefits
Unlimited score reports to send to colleges
Waived application fees at participating colleges
Free CSS Profile™ applications to apply for financial aid from participating schools
Other Benefits
Fee reductions for score verification reports
No non-U.S. regional fees for free tests (if you're a U.S. student testing abroad)
No late registration fees for free tests (if you're in the U.S. or U.S. territories)
No cancellation fees (upon cancellation, your unused fee waiver benefits will be returned to you)
One final note: fee waivers do not apply to everything. Fee waivers do not cover optional change fees, rush scores, and receiving scores by phone.
How do you apply for an SAT fee waiver?
There are two methods:
Requesting a fee waiver through a school.
Requesting a fee waiver online (starting in late Fall 2023).
NOTE: If you plan to take the SAT for the first time in August 2024, be sure to get a fee waiver code before the end of the 2023-24 school year.
If you are requesting a fee waiver through your school:
If you think you're eligible, talk to a school counselor or a representative of an authorized community-based organization. They can assist you.
If you are requesting a fee waiver online:
Starting in late Fall 2023, you can also apply directly for fee waiver benefits using the SAT Fee Waiver Request Form which you’ll find at SAT.org/fee-waivers.
Once you answer a few questions, you may receive approval for fee waiver benefits within a few days. SAT may also need to confirm your eligibility with an adult.
Once approved, the fee waiver benefits will be applied to your College Board account and you will be able to register for SAT Weekend using a fee waiver code (See Registration).
PLEASE NOTE:
If you’re a homeschooled student requesting online, you’ll also need to meet with a local high school counselor. You will need to provide proof of eligibility, such as tax records, public assistance records, or record of enrollment in an aid program.
If you are a homeschooled student requesting a fee waiver before the online system is up, you will simply need to meet with a local school counselor and ask them for a fee waiver. You will then provide proof of eligibility etc.
If you are eligible for a fee waiver, then your school counselor will begin the registration process and give you a fee waiver code that you will use to accept the fee waiver. (If you or your student is in a low-income support program like Upward Bound or Gear Up, then the program director can register you for a fee waiver).
If you have more questions, you can see the SAT Fee Waiver Service student brochure for 2023-2024 here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/sat-fee-waiver-student-brochure.pdf
Accepting Fee Waivers
If you’ve been marked as eligible or have a fee waiver code, you can accept fee waiver benefits on your My SAT homepage.
Instructions
Sign into your College Board account.
If you don’t have an account, you can create one.
From your profile, click My SAT.
If you've used your College Board account only for the SAT, you might go straight to the My SAT page.
On the My SAT page, accept your fee waiver.
If you’ve been marked as eligible, review the terms of the eligibility prompt, then click Continue.
If you have a 12-digit fee waiver code, enter it and then click Submit.
Can I request a copy of the SAT test questions and answers?
You can order your test information, such as the test booklet and your test answers for paper tests in 2023. However, when the SAT goes digital in Spring of 2024, this service will no longer be available. This means that students taking the Digital SAT will not be given the opportunity to review the actual answers they answered on exam day.
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