SAT Cost and Fees

By Muntasir Jul 18, 2026 6 min read

TL;DR

The SAT costs $68 to register inside the United States and its territories. Testing outside the US adds a $43 international fee, for a total of $111, and select international test centers add another $24 on top of the $111 total. Registration includes four free score reports if you order them within 9 days of your test date. Order later and each extra report costs $15. Changing your test center costs $34, registering late costs $38, and canceling after the deadline costs $44. Students who qualify for a fee waiver get two free tests, unlimited free score reports, and other benefits at no cost.

Your SAT budget goes beyond the base registration fee. College Board charges separate fees for late registration, test center changes, extra score reports, and other services. These extras add up fast if you miss a deadline or need more than four score reports. Knowing each fee up front lets you plan around the deadlines instead of paying to fix a missed one.

This guide breaks down every official fee, explains what your base registration already includes, and shows who qualifies to have most or all of these costs waived. Every figure below comes from College Board fee pages. The amounts reflect the fees College Board publishes now, so check the official fees page for the current numbers before you pay.

Base Registration Fee

Registering for the SAT within the United States and its territories costs $68. This base fee covers your seat at a test center and your first four score reports when you order them within 9 days of the test date. Every other fee below is optional or triggered by a change you make after you register. Plan your date and your score sends carefully, and the base fee is your whole cost.

International Registration Fees

Testing outside the United States costs more. You pay the $68 base fee plus a $43 international fee, for a total of $111. Some international test centers charge an additional $24 on top of this total, so check your specific test center before you register. If you test abroad, our SAT guide for international students covers ID rules and deadlines.

The table below summarizes registration costs by location.

Where you test	Total fee
United States and territories	$68
Outside the United States (standard)	$111
Outside the United States (select test centers)	$111 plus a $24 test center fee

Late Registration and Change Fees

Missing a deadline or changing your plans after you register costs extra. These fees apply on top of your original registration fee. Our SAT test dates page lists the upcoming dates and their deadlines, so use it to register on time and avoid these charges. Late cancellation is the priciest of the group, so decide early whether you will sit for the date you picked.

Here is what each change costs.

Action	Fee
Late registration	$38
Change test center	$34
Cancel registration (by the cancellation deadline)	$34
Late cancel (after the cancellation deadline)	$44
Join the waitlist	$0

Joining a test center waitlist costs nothing, so a full center near you does not have to push you to a later date. The paid changes are the ones worth planning around. Pick your date and center carefully at registration, and your total stays at the base fee. If you are not sure yet whether you are ready, read our SAT registration guide for deadlines and step-by-step instructions before you commit to a date.

Score Report Fees

Your registration fee includes your first four score reports, as long as you order them within 9 days of your test date. Order after this window, or request a fifth report, and each additional report costs $15. Send the four free reports to your top-choice colleges while the window is open. Waiting past day 9 turns a free report into a paid one.

Extra Score Services

College Board offers several optional score services beyond the standard report. Each carries its own fee.

Service	Fee
Additional score report (beyond the free four, or ordered after 9 days)	$15 per report
Rush score reporting	$31, plus the applicable score report fee
Get scores by phone	$15 per call
Archived (older) score report	$35, plus the applicable score report fee
Score verification (hand-scoring)	$55, reduced for students with a fee waiver

Score verification means College Board re-scores your answer sheet by hand. This service makes sense only if you believe your reported score contains an error, not as a routine recheck. For details on how sending scores works and which schools accept which report types, see our SAT score reporting guide.

Fee Waiver Eligibility

College Board offers fee waivers to reduce or eliminate SAT costs for eligible students. You qualify if you are an 11th or 12th grade student testing in the US or its territories, or a US citizen testing abroad, and you meet at least one of the conditions below. One qualifying condition is enough. A waiver reaches the test fee itself and several related costs, so check the list before you pay full price.

You are enrolled in or eligible for the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
Your family income falls within the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Income Eligibility Guidelines
You are enrolled in a federal, state, or local program for students from low-income families, such as TRIO or Upward Bound
Your family receives public assistance
You are unhoused, live in federally subsidized public housing, or live in foster care
You are a ward of the state or an orphan

What the Fee Waiver Covers

A fee waiver covers far more than the base registration fee. Eligible students receive the following benefits at no cost.

Two free SAT tests
Unlimited free score reports sent to colleges
Waived college application fees at participating colleges, for seniors who have taken the SAT
Free CSS Profile fee waivers
No international fees on your free tests
No late-registration or cancellation fees on your free tests
A reduced score-verification fee

How to Get a Fee Waiver

Ask your school counselor for a fee waiver code. You will need proof of eligibility, such as tax records or documentation of enrollment in a qualifying aid program. You are also allowed to apply directly through the College Board fee waiver request process.

If you are homeschooled, use school code AI 970000 when you register. You are also allowed to contact a local high school counselor for help getting a waiver code. Start the request early so your code is ready before the deadline for the date you want.

Once your registration and fees are settled, put your study time to good use. We offer free SAT practice tests and drills with instant scoring and no signup required, so you have time to build your target score before test day arrives. Start with a full-length test to see where your score sits, then run drills on your weakest question types.