SAT Price
Now that you or your child is ready to take the SAT, it’s essential to know how the SAT price. We analyzed data from the College Board and compared it with economic factors like median income and the cost of living in each state. Our analysis shows that there is a significant difference between SAT prices across states and even within cities.
Private schools charge more than public schools for their students because they assume they can get away with higher costs by charging wealthier students more!
Now that we’ve explored the different ways to look at SAT prices let’s see how these prices compare. SAT price varies depending on where your state ranks in terms of cost of living (and other factors). States with lower average salaries tend to have cheaper testing fees, while states with higher salaries tend to have more expensive testing fees.
SAT Fee Waiver
As you might expect, SAT price and income are closely related. The lower your family income, the more likely you are to be able to qualify for an SAT fee waiver, which means you can take the SAT as many times as you want for free. If you think you might qualify for the fee waiver, talk to your school counselor. They’ll give you a code to use when you sign up for the SAT.According to the College Board website here, you’re eligible for an SAT fee waiver if one or more of these descriptions apply to you:
- 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.
The registration price for SAT is included in the SAT fee waiver. Two SAT registrations can be covered by one waiver code. If you are in the U.S. Territories: This includes late fees for registration after the regular deadline. Your score report can be sent to unlimited colleges by the SAT fee waiver. For participating colleges, the waiver can also cover college application fees and College Scholarship Service Profile applications for financial aid.
If you’re homeschooled, you can get fee waivers by contacting a local high school counselor. You’ll have to provide proof of eligibility, such as tax records or proof of enrollment in an aid program.
Two Question and Answer Service reports are also covered by the SAT fee waiver. These reports allow you to view your test answers as well as correct answers. You don’t have to pay regional fees if you are a U.S. citizen student studying abroad. You can even get a fee reduction for verification reports by using the SAT fee waiver.
There are however a few items that the SAT fee waiver doesn’t cover:
- If you choose to take a new test or change the date of your test after registering, there will be a charge for changing.
- Register-by-phone charges
- Rushed score reports
- Scores of numbers by phone
SAT School Day | SAT Price
18 states offer something called the SAT School Day which is where high schools offer students (usually juniors) the opportunity to take the SAT for free once at their high school. Most high schools only offer this free SAT once. This means that if a student wants to retake the SAT after their SAT School day test, then that student has to pay the SAT price to take the SAT at another testing location.
These 18 states have the SAT free to all juniors:
- Michigan
- Connecticut
- New York
- Delaware
- Idaho
- New Hampshire
- Illinois
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- In the states of Arizona, Minnesota, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and Maryland, a few schools or districts can administer the SAT exam to their students. This may be optional or a mandatory requirement.
What does the SAT test cost | SAT price
Your final cost for your SAT registration depends on whether you choose to add additional services or if you register after the deadline. Students from international countries should expect to pay regional fees depending on their location. Each SAT registration includes four score reports. However, these reports must be used within nine days of the test or the same fee applies as for additional score reports. Many of these costs will be covered if you are eligible for a waiver of the SAT fee. Below are the additional fees associated with the SAT that you have to pay if you decide to do one of the following:
| Service | Fee | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Change test center | $25 | For changing your test center only. (To change the test date, you must cancel and register for a new test.) Free with fee waiver |
| Cancel registration | $25 | For canceling your registration by the change deadline. Free with fee waiver (upon cancellation, your unused fee waiver benefits will be returned to you). |
| Cancel registration late | $35 | For canceling your registration after the change deadline, through test day. Free with fee waiver (upon cancellation, your unused fee waiver benefits will be returned to you). |
| Late registration* | $30 | For registering after the regular deadline but before the late registration deadline. Free with fee waiver. |
*United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands only. Note: Waitlist registration is not available for the 2022–2023 school year. Check back for information on potential waitlist availability in the future. | ||
Now that you know the additional fees that can be associated with SAT registration, here are the below other miscellaneous fees associated with the SAT if you choose to purchase them.
| Service | Fee | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Additional score reports | $12 per report Unlimited free score reports with fee waiver | Your first four score reports are free if you order them by nine days after the test date. Additional reports or reports ordered after that time incur this fee. |
| Rush reports | $31 | Additional score report fees apply. |
| Get scores by phone | $15 per call | Available at the same time as online scores. You must pay by credit card at the time of the call. |
| Archived scores | $31 | Additional score report fees apply. |
| SAT Question-and-Answer Service | $16 Fee waiver available | |
| SAT Student Answer Service | $16 Free with fee waiver | |
| Hand score verification | $55 Fee reduction available |
Conclusion
The price of the SAT is one of the biggest factors affecting whether students take it or not, and it’s also one of the most controversial, as evidenced by a recent New York Times story about how some states subsidize test fees for low-income students.
The good news is that there are several ways to reduce costs: studying independently. Get other people to help you with practice tests and prep materials, and take advantage of free online resources like Khan Academy or College Board’s Official Guide.
Other resources
You can read my post on Ivy League SAT scores.
You can read my post about high SAT scores.
You can read my post about Mark Zuckerberg’s SAT score.
You can read my post about an SAT study plan.
My post on SAT reading tips.
My post on SAT math tips.
My post on how to get a perfect score on the SAT.
My post on what year do you take SATs.
