SAT Fee Waiver 2026-27: Who Qualifies, How to Get One and What It Covers

An SAT fee waiver lets eligible low-income students take the SAT for free. It covers two SAT registrations, unlimited score reports, college application fee waivers at participating colleges and free CSS Profile applications. You qualify if you are in 11th or 12th grade in the U.S. or a U.S. territory, or a U.S. citizen abroad, and meet one of six need-based rules. Ask your school counselor for a code or apply on College Board's SAT fee waiver page.

Short answer: the SAT normally costs $68. With a fee waiver you pay $0 for up to two SATs, and you can send scores to as many colleges as you want for free. You get this benefit once in your life, so plan both test dates. Codes for the 2026-27 school year start with "FW26." Every rule on this page comes from official College Board, ACT and USDA pages, checked on September 28, 2026.

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What is an SAT fee waiver?

An SAT fee waiver is a College Board benefit for low-income students. College Board's main page says: "If you're eligible for a fee waiver, you can take the SAT for free and get other benefits." You get it in one of two ways: a code from your school counselor, or an approved online request.

Question	Answer for 2026-27
Who can get one?	Low-income 11th and 12th graders in the U.S. or U.S. territories, and U.S. citizens living abroad
How many free SATs?	Two SAT Weekend registrations
Free score reports?	Unlimited
How often can you get it?	Once per lifetime
Where do you get it?	Your school counselor (a code) or College Board's SAT Fee Waiver Request Form
What do 2026-27 codes look like?	They start with "FW26"
How early should you ask?	At least 1 to 2 weeks before the registration deadline

The regular fee is $68, per College Board's SAT test fees page. For every other SAT fee, see our guide to how much the SAT costs.

Who qualifies for an SAT fee waiver?

You qualify if you pass the grade and location rules and meet at least one of six need-based rules. College Board's fee waiver eligibility page says waivers are "available to low-income 11th- and 12th-grade students in the United States or territories and United States citizens living abroad."

Use this checklist. You need a yes in both of the first two rows, and a yes in at least one row after that.

Check	College Board's rule	Yes or no?
1. Grade	You are in 11th or 12th grade	Required
2. Location	You live in the U.S. or a U.S. territory, or you are a U.S. citizen living abroad	Required
3. School lunch	You're enrolled in or eligible for the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP)	Any one of rows 3 to 8
4. Family income	Your family's yearly income falls within the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Income Eligibility Guidelines	Any one of rows 3 to 8
5. Aid program	You're in a federal, state or local program that aids students from low-income families, such as TRIO programs like Upward Bound	Any one of rows 3 to 8
6. Public assistance	Your family receives public assistance	Any one of rows 3 to 8
7. Housing	You're unhoused or live in federally subsidized public housing or a foster home	Any one of rows 3 to 8
8. Ward or orphan	You're a ward of the state or an orphan	Any one of rows 3 to 8

The income rule points to the same limits schools use for free and reduced-price meals. The USDA's current guidelines run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 and are published in the Federal Register notice on income eligibility. Your counselor can check your family's numbers against it.

Two details trip people up:

• 9th and 10th graders can't use one. College Board's student brochure says: "You need to be in 11th or 12th grade to use a fee waiver for the SAT."
• A free-lunch-for-everyone school is not proof by itself. Some schools give every student free meals under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). College Board's educator FAQ says schools "can't use a student's enrollment in CEP to determine eligibility for fee waiver benefits." Your counselor has to check your own situation.

Be honest on the form. College Board warns that false information "may result in a ban on your College Board student account," and that it may cancel your registration or scores.

What does an SAT fee waiver cover?

It covers two SAT registrations and several college benefits. This list is from College Board's fee waiver benefits page:

Benefit	What it means for you	Normal cost without a waiver
Two free SAT tests	Two SAT Weekend registrations at no cost	$68 each
Unlimited score reports	Send scores to as many colleges as you want, any time	4 free within 9 days, then $15 per report
College application fee waivers	Apply free to participating colleges (you must be a senior and have taken the SAT)	Set by each college
Free CSS Profile	Apply for aid from colleges that use CSS Profile	Not on the SAT fee pages
No international fee	For free tests, if you're a U.S. student testing abroad	$43
No late registration fee	For free tests	$38
No cancellation fee	Your unused benefit comes back to your account	$34 or $44
Score verification	"Fee reductions for score verification reports"	$55

Normal costs come from College Board's fee table, which runs "through December 2026," and its international fees page.

What does a fee waiver not cover?

College Board's student fee waiver FAQ says fee waivers don't cover these optional costs:

• Change fees (for example, changing your test center, which costs $34).
• Rush scores.
• The test center fee at select non-U.S. centers.
• Getting your scores by phone.

One College Board educator page lists "No change or cancellation fees" as a benefit, but the same page says students still pay for "Changing their test center." Plan as if a center change costs $34. Waivers also don't pay for prep; more on free prep at the end of this page.

How to get an SAT fee waiver, step by step

There are two routes: a code from your counselor, or College Board's online request form. A counselor code works right away. The form takes about 1 to 2 weeks. Here is the full process from College Board's getting fee waiver benefits page, its student brochure and its self-identification guide:

1. Check that you qualify. Use the checklist above. You need to be in 11th or 12th grade and meet at least one need-based rule.
2. Pick your route. Ask your school counselor for a fee waiver code, or use the online SAT Fee Waiver Request Form. You can use either one.
3. If you use your counselor: ask for a code that starts with "FW26." Older codes expired on August 13, 2026.
4. If you use the form: sign in to your College Board account and fix your address in Account Settings first. College Board says an incomplete or wrongly formatted address will delay your request. Then open the request form from the fee waiver page and answer its questions.
5. Name an adult who can confirm you qualify. Tell that adult to watch for an email and answer it fast. College Board does not always contact the adult.
6. Submit early. College Board asks you to apply "at least 1–2 weeks before the registration deadline." Its PDF guides say at least 2 weeks. Expect an email with a decision within 1 to 2 weeks.
7. Load your benefits. Enter your 12-digit code under "Got a code!" on My SAT or during registration. If the form was approved, your benefits appear on their own. Look for the "You have benefits" banner at the top of My SAT.
8. Register by the deadline and upload a photo. The brochure says your registration "will be rejected if submitted without a photo." You can also use a fee waiver during late registration.
9. Send your scores. Order free score reports to every college on your list. Your college application fee waivers show up in your College Board account later.

	Counselor code	Online request form
Who can use it	Students in the U.S., U.S. citizens abroad, homeschoolers (with proof)	U.S. residents only
Speed	Right away, once you enter the code	About 1 to 2 weeks for a decision
What you need	A counselor who confirms you qualify	A College Board account, a correct address and an adult who can verify
Best when	The registration deadline is close	Your counselor is unavailable or out of codes

College Board's educator guide gives counselors the same advice on speed: "It takes about 1–2 weeks for a request submitted via the form to be approved, while students with a fee waiver code can access their benefits immediately."

Why is my SAT fee waiver code not working?

The most common reason is an old code. College Board says all codes from the 2025-26 school year "expired on August 13, 2026." New codes "begin with 'FW26.'" If your code starts with anything else, ask your counselor for a new one.

Students run into this. One r/Sat student wrote: "I also reached out to my school counselor and received two waiver codes, but unfortunately both were expired."

If the code is current but still fails, College Board's student FAQ lists the usual typing errors:

• Extra spaces before, inside or after the code.
• A wrong character or number, or a character that isn't allowed.

If you entered a code before August 13, your benefits are safe. College Board says benefits already loaded into your account "can be used and will not expire." If a code is used up or expired, you can also switch to the online request form.

What if your counselor won't give you a fee waiver?

You don't need your counselor if you live in the U.S. You can request benefits directly from College Board with the online form. College Board says to "talk to your school counselor about getting a fee waiver code or request a fee waiver directly from College Board."

Some counselors run out of codes. Schools get at least 30 codes, based on past use, and can ask College Board for more. Some students on Reddit say their counselor wasn't sure how waivers work. Either way, the form is your backup.

If your form request is denied, College Board's self-identification guide says to do three things:

1. Check with your adult verifier. Did they answer College Board's email?
2. Contact College Board to be reconsidered. SAT Customer Service is 866-630-9305 (U.S.) or +1 212-713-8000 (outside the U.S.).
3. Ask a counselor for a code instead.

If the denial happened because your adult didn't verify, the educator FAQ says the adult has "30 days from the second reminder email" to approve you. A missed email is a real problem. One r/Sat student said their "parent never received an email containing the request form." Ask your adult to check spam, and pick someone who reads email.

How many SAT fee waivers can you get?

You get one set of benefits per lifetime, and it covers two SATs. College Board's fee waiver page says: "You may redeem one fee waiver code or receive benefits directly through College Board once per lifetime." Its student FAQ adds that "additional fee waivers cannot be issued after they are used."

Three rules help you get the most out of it:

• SAT School Day doesn't use one up. The educator FAQ says the two free registrations "are used in addition to SAT School Day."
• Canceling gives the benefit back. If you cancel a free registration, "your unused fee waiver benefits will be returned to you."
• Plan both dates now. For example, you could test once in spring of junior year and once in fall of senior year. See every date on our SAT test dates page.

Here are the next SAT Weekend dates from College Board's dates and deadlines page. The last column is our own math: 14 days before the deadline, so a request form has time to clear.

SAT date	Registration deadline	Late registration and change deadline	Send a request form by (our estimate)
Nov. 7, 2026	Oct. 23, 2026	Oct. 27, 2026	Oct. 9, 2026
Dec. 5, 2026	Nov. 20, 2026	Nov. 24, 2026	Nov. 6, 2026
March 6, 2027	Feb. 19, 2027	Feb. 23, 2027	Feb. 5, 2027
May 1, 2027	Apr. 16, 2027	April 20, 2027	Apr. 2, 2027
June 5, 2027	May 21, 2027	May 25, 2027	May 7, 2027

College Board says deadlines "expire at 11:59 p.m. ET." A counselor code does not need the 2-week buffer.

Can you use a fee waiver to send SAT scores?

Yes. A fee waiver gives you unlimited free score reports, and you can order them any time, even after you see your scores. College Board's score sending page says: "If you have a fee waiver, you can send as many scores as you want," for free.

It also works after the fact: "Even if you didn't register for the test using a fee waiver, if you are eligible for a fee waiver and get one afterward, you can use it to send scores for free." So if you paid for your SAT and later qualify, get a waiver before you pay $15 per report.

One catch for SAT School Day. The educator guide says students who took the SAT in school "need to enter a fee waiver code on the screen to apply the unlimited score report credits." Ask your counselor for a code if that's you. To see when scores arrive, read when SAT scores come out.

Does an SAT fee waiver cover college application fees?

Yes, at participating colleges. College Board gives college application fee waivers to seniors who took the SAT with a fee waiver, or who were found eligible through a district or state SAT program. Its college application fee waiver page says they appear in your My SAT account when all three of these are true:

• You are a senior in high school (or up to one year out of high school).
• You have taken at least one SAT.
• You have a score or are waiting for one.

The same page says students "can search through over 2,000 participating colleges and apply for free." The BigFuture application fee waiver FAQ adds the details:

• When they arrive: seniors get them with their SAT score. Juniors get them "in the fall of your senior year."
• How many: "You may use as many college application fee waivers as you need."
• Common App: say yes to the fee waiver question and note that you got an SAT fee waiver. Your counselor will be asked to confirm.
• Coalition App: answer the fee waiver questions when you build your profile.
• Universal College Application: check the "fee waiver" box.
• Other colleges in the program: send the waiver form from your College Board account straight to the college.

Not every college accepts them. BigFuture says: "No, not all colleges accept application fee waivers." Check each college's profile.

Is the CSS Profile free with an SAT fee waiver?

Yes. CSS Profile is a College Board financial aid application that, per its brochure, hundreds of colleges use. The CSS Profile fee waiver page says U.S. undergraduates can submit it free if "the student qualified for an SAT fee waiver." It is also free for families with adjusted gross income up to 100,000 dollars.

Can homeschoolers get an SAT fee waiver?

Yes. Homeschooled students who qualify have two options, per College Board's fee waiver page:

• Request it from College Board. Use the online form. On your My SAT profile, enter your school as "AI 970000 (School Name: Home School)."
• Ask a local high school counselor for a code. Bring proof, such as tax records, public assistance records or proof that you're in an aid program.

Homeschoolers who live outside the U.S. can't use the online form, since it is for U.S. residents only. They need a counselor code, which is harder. A U.S. citizen homeschooled in India wrote on r/Sat: "I don't have a high school counselor to request or generate a code for me." In that case, contact SAT Customer Service (+1 212-713-8000 from outside the U.S.), which College Board's brochure lists for fee waiver questions.

Can international students get an SAT fee waiver?

Only in two cases. College Board's educator FAQ says fee waivers may go to non-U.S. nationals "only if they reside and test in the United States or United States territories." Outside the U.S., they go only to "eligible U.S. citizens residing outside the United States."

• U.S. citizen abroad: you can qualify. Get a code from your school counselor, because the online form is for U.S. residents. The waiver covers the registration fee and the $43 international fee. The educator guide says "the student is responsible for all other fees," including any test center fee.
• Non-U.S. citizen living and testing abroad: the College Board fee waiver pages we checked list no waiver for you.

Is there an SAT fee waiver in India (Buddy4Study)?

Not a full waiver, but a discount. College Board's India Scholars Program page says income-eligible students who live in India and are in Class XI or XII can get vouchers for "up to 90% on SAT registration fees":

• 90% off if yearly family income is less than ₹8 lakh.
• 50% off if it is between ₹8 lakh and ₹15 lakh.

The page says "Every eligible student who applies for an SAT discount voucher will get one." The page's apply link goes to Buddy4Study's College Board program page. Students on Reddit have reported delays. In June 2026, one r/Sat student said the Buddy4Study portal showed "Scholarship Not Available." Apply well before your registration deadline.

SAT fee waiver vs. ACT fee waiver: what's the difference?

Both give eligible 11th and 12th graders two free tests. The big differences are how you get one and what happens if you skip a test. The ACT side comes from ACT's fee waiver page and ACT's 2026-27 fee waiver rules PDF.

	SAT fee waiver	ACT fee waiver
Grades	11th and 12th	11th and 12th
Where	U.S. and territories, plus U.S. citizens abroad	Testing in the U.S., U.S. territories or Puerto Rico
Free tests	Two	Up to two, including the science and writing add-ons
How to get it	Counselor code or College Board's online form	Through your school counselor or a qualifying program
Free score reports	Unlimited	High school plus up to six colleges, then more free after scores are out
If you skip the test	Cancel and your benefit comes back	ACT says a waiver "is considered used once the student registers"; you pay a change fee to move it
College application fees	Fee waivers at 2,000+ participating colleges	A waiver or deferral request you send to each college
Normal price	$68	$70

ACT also warns that "fee waiver quantities are limited." If you're still choosing a test, read our ACT vs. SAT comparison.

Does the fee waiver cover the PSAT or SAT School Day?

Not directly. The two free tests are SAT Weekend registrations. SAT School Day is registered by your school or district, and it doesn't count against your two free tests. For the PSAT/NMSQT, College Board's help center says: "Talk to your child's school counselor about PSAT/NMSQT fees." Some schools cover all or part of it.

The waiver makes the SAT free. How do you prep for free?

Start with the free official tools. College Board's brochure points fee waiver students to free practice in Bluebook and My Practice, and to free Official SAT Prep on Khan Academy. Then add these free tools from The Test Advantage:

• A free adaptive SAT section. Create a free account and take one full-length adaptive SAT section free, with a real Module 1 to Module 2 route and a scaled score. No card is needed.
• A free question bank. The June 2026 Reading and Writing Question Bank has 230 questions. Try sample questions with no login, or work the full bank with a free account.
• Free lesson notes. Lesson notes teach one skill at a time. Try Words in Context or Quadratic Equations. A free account is needed to open them. For more questions, browse all Digital SAT question banks.
• A free study plan. The SAT study plan generator builds a week-by-week plan from your test date and weekly hours.
• A free score goal. Look up what your target score means on the SAT percentiles tool.

You get two free tests, so make each one count. You can browse more banks in the SAT question bank hub and the full practice test catalog, and try five sample questions from any test without an account. When you build your college list, the affordable colleges finder shows U.S. schools with lower yearly costs.

How we built this page: every fee waiver rule comes from College Board's SAT fee waiver pages (main page, eligibility, benefits, getting benefits, student FAQ, educator pages and FAQ), its 2026-27 student brochure, self-identification guide and educator guide PDFs, BigFuture's application fee waiver FAQ, CSS Profile's fee waiver page and College Board's India Scholars Program page, all fetched on September 28, 2026. ACT rules come from act.org's fee waiver page and ACT's 2026-27 fee waiver PDF, fetched the same day. The "send a request form by" dates are our own arithmetic. Student quotes come from public Reddit posts, linked where quoted. College Board updates these rules each school year, so check its fee waiver page before you register.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who qualifies for an SAT fee waiver?

Low-income 11th and 12th graders who live in the U.S. or a U.S. territory, and U.S. citizens living abroad. You must also meet one of six College Board rules: you are in or eligible for the National School Lunch Program, your family income is within USDA guidelines, you are in a program such as Upward Bound, your family receives public assistance, you are unhoused or live in subsidized housing or a foster home, or you are a ward of the state or an orphan.

What does an SAT fee waiver cover?

Two free SAT Weekend registrations, unlimited score reports, college application fee waivers at participating colleges, free CSS Profile applications, no late registration or cancellation fees on the free tests, no international fee for U.S. students testing abroad, and reduced score verification fees. It does not cover change fees, rush scores, the test center fee at some non-U.S. centers, or scores by phone.

Why is my SAT fee waiver code not working?

Most often the code is old. College Board says codes from the 2025-26 school year expired on August 13, 2026, and new 2026-27 codes start with FW26. Also check for extra spaces or a mistyped character. If the code is used up or expired, ask your counselor for a new one or use College Board's online request form.

How many SAT fee waivers can you get?

One set of benefits per lifetime, and it covers two SAT Weekend tests. College Board says additional fee waivers cannot be issued after they are used. SAT School Day does not count against your two free tests, and canceling a free registration returns the unused benefit to your account.

Can you use a fee waiver to send SAT scores?

Yes. With a fee waiver you can send as many score reports as you want for free, any time, even after you see your scores. College Board says you can get a waiver after the test and still use it to send scores free. Students who took SAT School Day need to enter a fee waiver code to unlock the free reports.

Does an SAT fee waiver cover college application fees?

Yes, at participating colleges. Seniors (or students up to one year out of high school) who have taken at least one SAT and have a score get college application fee waivers in their College Board account. College Board says over 2,000 colleges participate and you can use as many waivers as you need, but not every college accepts them.

Can homeschoolers get an SAT fee waiver?

Yes. Eligible homeschooled students can use College Board's online request form and list their school on My SAT as AI 970000 (Home School). They can also ask a local high school counselor for a code, bringing proof such as tax records, public assistance records or enrollment in an aid program.

Can international students get an SAT fee waiver?

Only U.S. citizens living abroad, or non-U.S. nationals who live and test in the U.S. or its territories. U.S. citizens abroad get a code from their counselor, since the online form is for U.S. residents. In India, College Board's India Scholars Program offers discount vouchers of up to 90 percent through Buddy4Study.

Related Concepts

sat fee waiver SAT Digital SAT College Board SAT Fee Waiver Request Form fee waiver code FW26 National School Lunch Program USDA Income Eligibility Guidelines Upward Bound score reports college application fee waiver CSS Profile BigFuture Common App SAT School Day PSAT/NMSQT India Scholars Program Buddy4Study ACT fee waiver The Test Advantage

Related Guides

Sources and Citation Targets

• BigFuture: College Application Fee Waiver FAQ
• CSS Profile: Fee Waivers
• College Board: India Scholars Program
• College Board: College Application Fee Waivers
• College Board: Fee Waiver FAQ for Educators
• College Board: 2026-27 SAT Fee Waiver Service Educator Guide
• College Board: SAT Suite Test Dates and Deadlines
• College Board: SAT Fee Waivers