SAT Fee Waiver: How to Get One
Updated: 4th November, 2026
TL;DR
An SAT fee waiver gives low-income 11th and 12th graders 2 free SAT tests, unlimited score reports, and free applications at over 2,000 participating colleges. You can get one from your school counselor or through College Board's request form. The SAT costs $68 per test, so 2 free tests save you $136. You only get these benefits once, so plan your test dates first. If cost also stands between you and research, look at the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation. It's a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.
What does an SAT fee waiver cover?
An SAT fee waiver covers 2 free tests, unlimited score reports, and college application fee waivers. Here is what you'd pay without a waiver and what changes with one. Fees are from College Board's test fees page, which lists registration fees through June 2027, and the benefits come from its fee waiver benefits page, both as of November 2026.
Item | Regular fee (through June 2027) | With a fee waiver |
SAT registration | $68 per test | 2 tests free |
Score reports | First 4 free if ordered within 9 days after the test, then $15 each | Unlimited and free |
Late registration | $38 | Free for your free tests |
Cancellation | $34, or $44 late | Free, and unused benefits come back to you |
Changing test center | $34 | Not covered |
College application fees | Set by each college | Waived at over 2,000 participating colleges |
CSS Profile | Not listed on the SAT fee pages | Free at participating schools |
Who qualifies for an SAT fee waiver?
You qualify if you're a low-income 11th or 12th grader in the U.S. or a U.S. territory, or a U.S. citizen living abroad, and at least one of College Board's six criteria fits you. Fee waivers are for 11th and 12th graders, so 9th and 10th graders don't qualify yet.
College Board's eligibility page lists these criteria as of November 2026. You need only one of them.
You're enrolled in or eligible for the National School Lunch Program.
Your family's yearly income falls within the USDA Income Eligibility Guidelines.
You're in a federal, state or local program that helps students from low-income families, such as a TRIO program like Upward Bound.
Your family receives public assistance.
You're unhoused, you live in federally subsidized public housing, or you live in a foster home.
You're a ward of the state or an orphan.
If you get free or reduced-price lunch through the National School Lunch Program, you meet the first rule. That's the fastest check. If you're not sure, your counselor can look at your situation with you in a few minutes.
How do you get an SAT fee waiver, step by step?
The usual route is a code from your counselor, entered when you register. Here is the full process, including the backup route.
Confirm you qualify. Check the list above today. Look for one rule that clearly fits, like school lunch eligibility.
Ask your school counselor for a code. Counselors find eligible students and hand out codes, per College Board's guide for schools as of November 2026. Schools that used waivers before get codes automatically, at least 30 of them. Codes for 2026-27 start with FW26. If you're not sure what else to ask while you're there, these common questions students bring to college counselors are a good warm-up.
Use the request form if the counselor route doesn't work. Sign in to your College Board account and submit the SAT Fee Waiver Request Form from the SAT fee waivers page. You should get an email with a decision within 1 to 2 weeks, according to its help center as of November 2026, so send it well before the registration deadline.
Enter the code when you register. Type it exactly. After registration, your benefits show up in a "You have benefits" banner on My SAT, and you won't need the code again.
Pick your 2 test dates on purpose. Think about when you want a first try and when a retake would help most. To choose a goal score, see our guide to what counts as a good SAT score.
Send scores to every college on your list. Score reports are unlimited with a waiver, so you don't have to ration them.
The waiver only works once, so treat the code like cash. College Board's student FAQ says it can't issue more fee waivers after you use your benefits.
Can homeschooled students or students abroad get an SAT fee waiver?
Yes. Homeschooled students can use either route, and U.S. citizens studying abroad can ask their school for a code. The rules differ a little for each group.
If you're homeschooled, College Board's help center says you can ask a counselor at a local high school for a code. Bring proof, such as tax records or proof that you're in an aid program. You can also use the request form yourself. If you do, list your school on My SAT as AI 970000 (Home School).
If you go to school outside the country, you must be a U.S. citizen to qualify, according to College Board's eligibility page for schools as of November 2026. Start by asking your school counselor for a code. Free tests also come with no international fee, though some test centers abroad still charge their own fee.
How do college application fee waivers work after the SAT?
If you take the SAT with a fee waiver, you get college application fee waivers too. You can use as many as you need at over 2,000 participating colleges, per College Board's college application fee waiver FAQ as of November 2026.
Timing depends on your grade. Seniors get them when their SAT score comes out. Juniors get them in the fall of senior year.
How you use them depends on the application.
Common App: answer yes to the question about whether your finances qualify you for a waiver. Your counselor then confirms it, and you can submit while that's pending, per Common App's guide to fees and waivers dated September 2026.
Coalition: eligibility is checked when you set up your profile, and you skip the payment screen.
Universal College Application: check the fee waiver box.
Other participating colleges: send the waiver forms from your College Board account straight to the school.
Not every college accepts these waivers, so check each school's policy before you hit submit. For more on the application itself, read our tips for a strong Common App.
How much money does an SAT fee waiver save you?
For a student who tests twice and sends scores to 8 colleges, the waiver saves $196 in SAT fees alone. Here is the math with College Board's listed fees as of November 2026.
Two registrations at $68 each come to $136. Score reports are free for the first 4 if you order them within 9 days of the test. The other 4 cost $15 each, which adds $60. That's $196 before one late fee or one college application fee.
Then add the application fees you won't pay at participating colleges. Each college sets its own fee, so the real total depends on your list.
What mistakes can cost you your SAT fee waiver?
These are the slip-ups to avoid. The list of what isn't covered comes from College Board's student FAQ as of November 2026.
Using an old code. Codes expire every August. Unused codes handed out before mid-August 2026 have expired, and new 2026-27 codes start with FW26.
Typing it wrong. Codes are 12 digits, so type yours exactly and check for extra spaces. If it keeps failing, contact your counselor or College Board instead of guessing.
Waiting until the deadline week. The request form can take up to 2 weeks for a decision. Start at least a month before the registration deadline so a delay doesn't cost you a test date.
Expecting it to cover everything. Changing your test center, rush scores and scores by phone still cost money.
Figures, fees and rules here are as of November 2026. College Board updates its fee waiver pages each school year, so check the official page before you register.
Is an SAT fee waiver worth it?
Yes, if you qualify, because it takes at least $136 in test fees off your costs. The limits are real, though, so weigh both sides before you plan your test dates. College Board lists every benefit on its fee waiver benefits page.
Pros -
Two SAT tests cost $0 instead of $136 at the regular $68 registration fee.
Score reports are unlimited and free, while regular test takers pay $15 per report after the first 4.
College application fees are waived at over 2,000 participating colleges.
Late registration and cancellation fees are waived for your free tests.
Cons -
Only 11th and 12th graders can qualify.
You get these benefits once during high school, and College Board can't issue new ones after you use them.
Changing your test center, rush scores and scores by phone still cost money.
Not every college accepts the waiver, and the request form can take 1 to 2 weeks for a decision.
Frequently asked questions: SAT fee waiver for high school students
How long does it take to hear back about an SAT fee waiver request?
You should get an email with a status update within 1 to 2 weeks. That email comes after you submit the request form from your College Board account. If you need a faster answer, ask your counselor for a code instead. Send your request well before the registration deadline so you don't miss a test date.
Can I get another SAT fee waiver after I use mine?
No. College Board gives fee waiver benefits only once during high school. If you cancel a free test, though, the unused benefit comes back to you. So cancel on time instead of skipping a test date.
If I qualify for a fee waiver, are there any fees I still have to pay?
Yes, a few optional ones. Changing your test center, rush scores, scores by phone and the fee at some test centers outside the U.S. aren't covered. Registration, late registration and cancellation for your free tests are.
Do all colleges accept application fee waivers?
No. Over 2,000 colleges take College Board's waivers, but not every school does. Check the admissions details for each college on your list, and look for the college's own waiver too.
What's the difference between a college application fee waiver and an SAT fee waiver?
An SAT fee waiver covers your SAT costs. A college application fee waiver lets you apply to participating colleges without paying their application fee, and you get it after testing with an SAT waiver. You can find more low-cost options in our list of free and online pre-college programs.
Are there free ways to prepare for the SAT?
Yes. A fee waiver covers test and application fees, not prep, but free prep options exist. Our list of free SAT prep courses is a good place to start. Pair it with a goal score so you know how much practice you need.
Wondering how to strengthen your application beyond test scores, when a fee waiver only covers testing and application fees? Look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It matches you 1-on-1 with a researcher from a top university to produce an independent research project. Apply here. If cost is the main barrier, also look at the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program that costs accepted scholars nothing.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.