How much is the SAT? | Costs, Fees, and Waiver Availability
If you are wondering how much the SAT is, you are not alone. Many students wonder about this when about to sit for their SAT exams.
The SAT prices vary; the regular SAT costs is $49, while the SAT with essay cost $64. The SAT registration fees are set annually by the College Board. $49 is the price for 2 main sections: Math and Evidence-Based Reading and writing.
It is worth noting that there are additional fees if you change an existing SAT registration, book your test late or sign up by phone. Also, there are regional fees if you are taking the SAT exam outside the USA.
We go over the top study resources in this article about our favorite prep books and classes which can help.
How much does it cost to take the SAT?
As a high school student, you might not be familiar with college entrance tests such as the SAT. This is a test required by many colleges for high school students college admissions process. It’s a multiple-choice exam that includes Math and Reading section.
There is an essay, which is optional. You can choose to take it or not. SAT will cost you $49.50 and $64.50 with an essay. To avoid incurring extra costs, book your exam early.
The late test registration fee is $30 so sign up for your exam early to avoid the extra fees. Register for the exam by mail or online with the College Board.
Are you an international student? There are specific fees for taking the exam outside the US.
SAT Costs, Fees, and Waiver Availability
The SAT exam comes with additional service fees and waivers. Additional fees will bump up your costs while waivers will help you save money. Additional costs include registering by phone is $15, the test late registration fee is $30, the waitlist fee is $53, taking the exam outside the USA is $43-$53.
Here is a table with more SAT fees
Service | Cost | Fee waiver available? |
SAT subject exam registration | $26 | yes |
Each SAT subject exam | $22 | yes |
Language Exam with Listening | $26 | yes |
First 4 SAT score reports | 0 |
|
Additional score reports | $12 | Yes |
Rush service for SAT score reports | $31 | No |
Retrieving old SAT score reports | $31 | No |
Question and answer service | $18 | yes |
Student answer service | $13.50 | yes |
Multiple choice score verification | $55 | partial |
Essay score verification | $55 | partial |
As you can see from this table, costs can add up if you want detailed score reports, register for the exam late, register exam by phone or apply to a lot of schools. Minimize these exam costs by planning ahead. Consider taking PSAT first: Is the SAT Harder Than the PST?
Register for your exams early, take advantage of free score reports, apply for a fee waiver and take the SAT early.
SAT fee waivers will allow you to take 2 free SATs, student answer service reports (SAS), get 2 questions and answer service (QAS) or 6 free SAT subject tests.
International Fees by Region (Added to the Above Costs)
There is an additional registration fee for international students. The fee varies depending on where they live.
- East Asia/Pacific-$53
- Middle East/North Africa-$47
- Africa sub-Saharan-$38
- South and Central Asia-$49
- Americas-$38
- Europe and Euroasia-$40
Total Costs of the SAT
Your total SAT cost will vary depending on:
- How many colleges you want to apply
- If you are a USA citizen or not. International students pay more
- Type of tests that you want. SAT exam with essay costs more
- If you are eligible for a fee waiver or not. You will pay less if you will qualify for a waiver
- If you will have extra charges such as registering your exam by phone, changing your test center, if you ordered more than 4 score reports, register your exam late or are in the waitlist.
- Number of times you will take the exam.
The tests are open for all USA and non-USA students. Register through the College Board website.
Test Fees
Test fees will differ if you are taking a normal SAT or an SAT subject test. Like I mentioned before, the normal test is $46 without the optional essay. With the optional test, the cost is $60.
You can retake the tests as many times as you want. For SAT subject tests, you can only take a maximum of 3 on 1 testing date. It will cost you $26 to register for your SAT subject test plus an additional $22 for each test. Language Test with Listening is $26.
Use PayPal, check, credit card or money order to pay for your test.
Other cards supported include Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, and Visa.
You cannot send cash as it will not be accepted.
SAT Subject Tests
These tests are given alongside the SAT. Some colleges may ask students to submit subject tests and SAT scores. Check the requirements of the college you wish to apply before taking the subject tests.
Keep in mind that SAT subject tests focus mainly on each subject. They are also multiple-choice tests and last for 1 hour. They include the following:
- Biology E/M
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Literature
- Math level 1
- Math Level 2
- French
- World history
- U.S History
- Spanish
- Spanish with listening
- Modern Hebrew
- Chinese with listening
- Korean with listening
- Latin
- Italian
- Japanese with listening
Like I mentioned before, subject tests have a registration fee of $26 plus exam fee for each subject which is $22. Language tests with listening will cost you $26 fee each.
If this is your first time taking the SAT tests, it is paramount to know what to bring on test day, when to arrive, rules to follow, which approved calculator to use and ID requirements.
Additional Fees
The SAT fee is $49.50. SAT with an essay is $64.50. Additional rate to pay include:
- Registering your exam by phone: $15. You need to register online for the first time or use mail. Include a recent photo, know your test date and test deadlines, find where SAT is offered (test center) and rules so you don’t get turned away.
- There are additional payment for international students which range from $43-$53
- Changing the test center will cost you $30
- Registering your exam late will charge you $30
- You will be charged waitlist fee of $53 for being added to a test date waitlist If you miss the late registration deadline.
- Receiving scores by phone price is $15
- Receiving the first 4 score reports will not charge you anything. Extra test scores report costs $12 each
Total Costs of Applying to College
Expect the cost of applying to college to add up if you are planning to take the SAT more than once. Also, you will pay more if you will take both the SAT and ACT. All these plus score reporting payment and travel expenses can make you spend more than $500 for college applications.
College application fees
Almost all colleges have application fees. Fees from colleges vary, from $30 to $80. Very selective colleges charge more compared to other colleges.
SAT/ACT
Expect to pay for the SAT or ACT if you are applying to college. The SAT fee is $49.50. SAT with an essay is $64.50. All these fees are part of the cost of applying to your college.
Cost of Travel
You need to visit the college that you are applying to determine if it’s a good match for you or not. This will cost you money.
How to Get SAT Fees Waived
You can get SAT fees waived if you come from a low income families, are in foster care, are homeless, are in a reduced-price lunch program in your school and your family receives public assistance. The free waiver comes with the following:
- 6 free SAT subject tests
- 2 free SAT
- 2 free questions and answer service (QAS)
Talk to your school counselor and if eligible for a waiver, he or she will give you a code that you can use when registering for your exam.
SAT FAQs:
1. How much is the sat?
SAT fees are set yearly by the College Board. The SAT exam base price, which includes the two main SAT sections of Math and Evidence-Based Reading & Writing, is $47.50f for the exam taken during the 2018-2019 academic year. The testing fee for exams that include the optional essay component is $64.50.
2. Can you take the SAT for free?
In the event you're eligible for a fee waiver, you can use the SAT or SAT Subject Tests for free and get other benefits to put on to college.
3. Is SAT test prep worth it?
There are various situations in which SAT test prep would NOT be definitely worth the money. But if the scores are up in the 75% range or more, there's no reason to consider a test prep class to transform your SAT scores.
4. When should I start preparing for SAT?
It is best to consider your study preferences, SAT goals, and resources before deciding on the study plan. Typically, we recommend starting your SAT prep early. Three months before your test should supply enough of a buffer to consider using a few study approaches and obtain confidence with the exam content.
5. How many hours a day should I study for SAT?
10 hours, Or are you a kind individual who easily gets back three hours a day 5 days in one week to study towards the SAT and ACT? Being a guidepost, you ought to spend at the very least 10 hours on SAT prep. If you can't study for more than 10 hours, it's rarely more than worth it to take the exam.
