SAT Fee Waivers

SAT fee waivers allow eligible students to take the SAT for free and get other benefits to apply to college.

Fee Waiver Benefits

  • Two free SAT tests
  • Free college application 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

Additional fee waiver benefits include:

  • No international fees for free tests (if a U.S. student is testing abroad)
  • No late registration fees for free tests
  • No change or cancellation fees (upon cancellation, unused fee waiver benefits will be returned to the student)
  • Fee reductions for score verification reports

What Fee Waivers Don't Cover

Even if students have a fee waiver, it doesn't cover some of the costs for registration changes. Students would still have to pay fees associated with:

  • Changing their test center
  • Requesting rush scores
  • Requesting to receive scores by phone
  • Testing at specific international test centers (if a U.S. student is testing abroad)

Eligibility

SAT fee waivers are available to low-income 11th- and 12th-grade students in the U.S. or U.S. territories. Students attending school outside the country must also be U.S. citizens to be eligible for fee waivers.

Students are eligible to receive a fee waiver if they meet one or more of the following qualifications:

  • Are enrolled in or eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
  • Have annual family income that falls within the Income Eligibility Guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service
  • Are enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families (e.g., TRIO programs like Upward Bound)
  • Are part of a family that receives public assistance
  • Unhoused or reside in federally subsidized public housing or a foster home
  • Are a ward of the state or an orphan

Keep in Mind

Upcoming Changes to SAT Fee Waivers

All fee waiver codes frrom the 2024-25 school year and earlier will expire on August 14, 2025. These existing codes can still be used for future SAT registrations until they expire. For example, a student can use a code to register for the December 2025 administration until the mid-August expiration point. Benefits that are already loaded into students' accounts will not expire. Counselors should continue to share existing codes with eligible students up until that point.

Schools will receive new fee waiver codes in their K–12 score reporting portal for students through their Downloads Center. Full details will be shared with schools in summer 2025.

More Information