ETS Acquires ACT: What Changes for Test-Takers and What Does Not

On June 30, 2026, ETS announced it is acquiring ACT. ETS runs the GRE and TOEFL. ACT runs the ACT test, PreACT and WorkKeys. The ETS release says ACT customers and partners will see no disruption to their products or services in the near term.

This article sets out what both organizations said, where ACT fees, dates and registration stand, where GRE and TOEFL fees stand, and which official pages to check for future updates. Every fee and date below links to its source. The status of each item is current as of October 5, 2026.

What ETS Announced on June 30, 2026

ETS published the announcement on its newsroom with a Princeton, N.J. dateline. The release describes both ETS and ACT as mission-driven measurement organizations. Here are the core facts from the release.

The release says ETS is acquiring ACT and gives no closing date. Higher Ed Dive reported the deal was expected to close July 1, 2026. As of October 5, 2026, we found no completion notice on the ETS newsroom or on ACT Industry Insights.

What the two CEOs said

The release quotes the chief executives of both organizations. Neither quote mentions fees, test dates or test formats. Both quotes appear below as published.

• Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS: "Every student deserves a strong education, a fair shot at college, and a path to a good job."
• Steve Tapp, CEO of ACT: "Becoming part of ETS will allow us to take what we've built and scale it within a broader vision for readiness."

ACT's statement appears as the Tapp quote inside the ETS release. As of October 5, 2026, we found no separate ACT-authored release on act.org. Our search covered act.org and the ACT Industry Insights blog.

What the release covers and what it leaves out

The release names ACT's workforce readiness portfolio anchored by WorkKeys, which it says millions of job seekers and employers use nationwide. It does not discuss changes to the GRE, TOEFL or PreACT. These points are absent from the release.

• Deal value
• Closing date
• Price or fee changes for any test
• Any change to PreACT
• Any change to the GRE or TOEFL

Background: Who Runs What

ETS owns the GRE, TOEFL, Praxis and TOEIC programs, per its trademark listing. ACT's products include the ACT test, PreACT and ACT WorkKeys. The table below groups the programs by organization.

ACT ownership since 2024

On April 10, 2024, ACT announced a partnership with Nexus Capital Management LP, a private equity firm. Under the announced plan, ACT and Encoura would unify and operate as a public benefit corporation, with ACT's name and brand. Then-ACT CEO Janet Godwin said the partnership would "complement and amplify ACT's proven platform of education and work readiness solutions."

The transaction completed on May 1, 2024. ACT and its former subsidiary Encoura combined into a new Delaware public benefit corporation, and ACT closed on its partnership with Nexus Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm. The April 2024 announcement said ACT's nonprofit organization would retain an investment in the new public benefit corporation and have direct representation on ACT's board. The May 2024 post says the nonprofit is partially funded by proceeds from the transaction and would provide details on its charitable mission over the following year. ACT's pages do not state the exact ownership percentages.

The timeline below puts the three ownership events in order. The first two events come from ACT's own announcements. The third comes from the ETS newsroom.

What ETS Said About Continuity

The release contains one continuity statement: "In the near term, ACT customers and partners will see no disruption to the products or services they rely on today." The statement applies to ACT customers and partners. It gives no end date for the near term.

The release announces no product changes. On existing registrations, scheduled scores and fee waivers, we found no statement on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights as of October 5, 2026. The no-disruption line is the only official guidance we found on these points.

ACT Fees, Dates and Registration as of October 5, 2026

act.org lists seven 2026-27 national test dates as of October 5, 2026, and ACT's registration page says registration runs through a MyACT account. Current national fees are listed on act.org as of October 5, 2026. We found no statement on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights announcing a change to ACT fees, test structure or score reporting tied to the acquisition as of October 5, 2026. The table below sums up each item with its official page.

ACT fees

The ACT fee page is headed Current ACT Fees and Services and gives no testing year. It lists these current national fees as of October 5, 2026. We found no statement on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights announcing a fee change tied to the acquisition as of October 5, 2026. The base fee covers the English, Math and Reading sections. For the full fee breakdown, see our ACT cost and fees guide.

Test format

The fee structure shows the current test layout. English, Math and Reading form the base test. Science and Writing are separate add-ons, each with its own fee. The ETS release announces no change to this structure. Our ACT exam guide covers each section in detail.

2026-27 national test dates

The ACT test date page lists these seven national dates for 2026-27 as of October 5, 2026. Registration and late deadlines for each date are in our ACT test dates guide.

Registration

ACT's registration page tells test-takers to create a MyACT account and register for the ACT through it. The same page says to log in to MyACT and select Make Changes to Your Registration for test date changes. As of October 5, 2026, we found no statement on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights announcing a change to the registration site.

Score reporting

As of October 5, 2026, we found no statement on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights announcing a change to ACT score reporting. The no-disruption statement is the only official guidance we found. Check your score status in your MyACT account.

GRE and TOEFL: Where Fees and Formats Stand

The ETS release announces no change to the GRE or TOEFL. The GRE fee page lists a $249 General Test fee ($237.86 in China) effective August 1, 2026, a date after the announcement. We found no statement on the ETS newsroom linking this fee to the ACT deal as of October 5, 2026.

GRE General Test fee

The GRE fee page lists the General Test fee effective August 1, 2026. The amount depends on where you test. The page shows only the current fees, with no earlier amounts for comparison.

The fee page gives the effective date and no reason tied to the ACT acquisition. We found no statement on the ETS newsroom on whether the two are connected as of October 5, 2026. Our GRE cost and fees guide lists the other GRE charges.

TOEFL iBT fees

The TOEFL iBT fee page lists these add-on fees as of October 5, 2026. The base registration fee depends on your test location, and ETS shows it only after you select a location. The ETS release does not mention TOEFL fees. For the base fee in your country and other TOEFL costs, see our TOEFL cost and fees guide.

Formats and registration

The ETS release announces no change to the GRE or TOEFL format. GRE and TOEFL fee and registration pages remain on ets.org. Our GRE exam guide and TOEFL exam guide cover each test's current sections and timing.

What to Watch and Where

Official changes to fees, dates or registration are posted on these pages. The ACT Industry Insights and ETS newsroom pages list each organization's latest announcements. Bookmark them and check them before you pay or book.

Use this routine before each booking. The routine covers fees, dates, registration status and formal notices. Each step uses an official page from the table above.

1. Open the official fee page on the day you pay and confirm the amount.
2. Confirm your test date on the official calendar.
3. Check your registration and score status in your MyACT account if you take the ACT.
4. Read the ETS newsroom and ACT Industry Insights for any formal change notice.

FAQ

Does my existing ACT registration still apply?

The ETS release says ACT customers will see no disruption in the near term. As of October 5, 2026, we found no statement on existing registrations on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights. ACT's registration page says registrations are managed in your MyACT account, so check your test date and center there.

Will my ACT scores be reported as before?

We found no statement on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights announcing a change to ACT score reporting as of October 5, 2026. The no-disruption line is the only official statement on scores we found. Check your scores in your MyACT account.

Do ACT fee waivers still apply?

We found no statement on fee waivers on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights as of October 5, 2026. The no-disruption line is the only official guidance we found. Check act.org for current waiver details before you register.

Did the deal change ACT fees?

We found no statement on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights announcing a fee change tied to the acquisition as of October 5, 2026. The current national fees listed on the ACT fee page as of October 5, 2026 are a $70 base fee, a $5 Science add-on and a $25 Writing add-on. Check the fee page on the day you pay.

Did the GRE or TOEFL change because of the deal?

The ETS release announces no GRE or TOEFL changes. The GRE fee page lists a $249 General Test fee ($237.86 in China) effective August 1, 2026. The page does not tie this fee to the ACT acquisition, and we found no statement on the ETS newsroom doing so as of October 5, 2026. We also found no statement on the ETS newsroom announcing a TOEFL change linked to the deal.

Who owns ACT now?

ETS announced on June 30, 2026 it is acquiring ACT, and the release gives no closing date. Higher Ed Dive reported the deal was expected to close July 1, 2026. As of October 5, 2026, we found no completion notice on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights. Since May 1, 2024, ACT has operated as a Delaware public benefit corporation in partnership with Nexus Capital Management, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm.

Keep Your Prep on Track

As of October 5, 2026, act.org lists seven national test dates for 2026-27, registration runs through MyACT, and we found no fee change tied to the deal on the ETS newsroom or ACT Industry Insights. Prepare for the test as it runs today. Take our free ACT practice tests, with no signup required. For the GRE or TOEFL, use our free GRE practice and free TOEFL practice, also with no signup.

Sources

• ETS: ETS Acquires ACT (June 30, 2026)
• ETS: Newsroom
• ACT: Industry Insights
• ACT: ACT Announces New Partnership With Nexus Capital Management LP
• ACT: ACT Completes Formation of Public Benefit Corporation and Partnership with Nexus Capital Management
• ACT: ACT Fees
• ACT: Register for the ACT
• ACT: ACT Test Dates
• ACT: Products and Services
• ETS: Trademarks
• ETS: GRE General Test Fees
• ETS: TOEFL iBT Test Fees
• Higher Ed Dive: Testing specialist ETS acquires ACT (news report)