SAT Exam Fee Waiver: Essential Information for Eligible Students

The SAT is a standardized test conducted by the College Board. It is conducted 7 times in a year (March, May, June, August, October, and December) and it helps students to get admission into undergraduate programs in top colleges abroad, especially in countries like USA UK, Canada. The College Board is an organization dedicated to equal opportunity, believing that all students should be able to afford an efficacious college education. The SAT score is widely accepted by universities worldwide and it provides admission into undergraduate programs in countries like USA UK, Canada. Many colleges in India too now accept the SAT score for admissions into undergraduate programs. The College Board provides a fee waiver program to low-income students because SAT testing expenses might be a deterrent.

The fee for the SAT Exam in India is currently Rs.10,102 (INR). As part of the SAT Exam fee waiver program, fees for the SAT exam and some other services are waived off. This waiver program allows students from low economic background to prove their interest in higher education by taking the SAT. The motto behind the SAT Exam Fee Waiver is to allow more students to take the SAT and attain a higher score that will automatically increase their chances of getting admission into top universities.

Eligibility Criteria

SAT Fee Waivers are only available to students of 11th and 12th grade and those who require financial assistance. International students residing in the United States or its territories, as well as those who are the US citizens living abroad, are eligible for a SAT Fee Waiver.

To be considered, a student must meet at least one of the following requirements:

1. You’re a participant in or qualified for the federal National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
2. Your annual family income is within the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Income Eligibility Guidelines
3. You are registered in a federal, state, or local program that supports students from low-income families.
4. Your family is on government help.
5. You reside in government-supported public housing, are in foster care, or are experiencing homelessness.
6. You are under state guardianship or an orphan.

SAT Exam Fee Waiver for Indian Students

The service is pertinent to all the SAT exam takers with a family income of less than Rs. 8 Lakhs (INR) a year. SAT subject test waivers are available for students in grades 9 through 12.

1. The candidate must be a citizen of India.
2. The student must be in 11th or 12th grade.
3. Students must come from a family with an annual income of less than eight lakh rupees.

How to Apply the SAT Exam Fee Waiver

1. To obtain a fee waiver code, contact your school counsellor or a representative from the agency. If you are a student undergoing homeschooling, you need to provide proof of eligibility with accepted documents like tax documents, public assistance records, or proof of enrollment in an aid program) to a local high school counselor.
2. You will be given a fee waiver number that will allow you to register and access your other benefits if your counsellor or an agency official confirms that you are qualified.

Ways to access your fee waiver benefits are:

1. If you submitted the SAT Exam Fee Waiver Request Form and it was approved, the benefits will be available in your My SAT account.
2. If you have a 12-digit fee waiver code, enter it in SAT account and the benefits will be applied automatically.
3. You can also enter your fee waiver code during your registration for the SAT. After your registration is complete, you will see your full set of fee waiver benefits online and will automatically have access to all the benefits. There is no need to enter the code again.
4. If you’ve been marked as eligible by your school, you can accept fee waiver benefits on your My SAT homepage by completing the instructions below:
5. Sign into your College Board account. If you don’t have a College Board account, you need to create one to access the Waiver Fee Benefit.
6. From your profile, click on “My SAT”. If you’ve used your College Board account only for the SAT, you might go straight to the My SAT page.
7. On the My SAT page, accept your fee waiver. If you’ve been marked as eligible by your school, review the terms of the eligibility promptly, then click “Continue”. Next, you will enter the 12 digits of the SAT Exam fee waiver code and then click on “Submit”.

Benefits of the SAT Fee Waiver

The whole cost of registration is covered by the SAT Fee Waiver. The Question-and-Answer Services (QAS) or Student Answer Services (SAS) of College Board are inclusive of the SAT Exam Fee Waiver. The answer service provides understanding into recommendations for improving the performance in the exam.

1. Two free SAT tests available.
2. Two chances to access answer services.
3. No limit over sending score cards to colleges.
4. Applicants can request college application fee waivers at institutions that offer this option (It’s worth noting that the colleges on the list aren’t bound to waive application fees).
5. Participating colleges forgo application fees.
6. Reduced fees for score verification reports.
7. There are no non-US regional fees for free tests.
8. There are no late registration costs for free exams (if you are a resident of the United States or its territories)
9. There are no exam cancellation fees. (The unused fee waiver benefits will be refunded to you upon cancellation.)

What Fee Waivers do not Include?

1. Fees for other College Board programs, such as Advanced Placement Exams, are not waived.
2. The Fee waiver is applicable only once per registration. The waiver will be canceled if you fail the test on that occasion. You can apply for your second fee waiver, but you can only appear for the test once.
3. You need to pay $30 if you wish to alter your test date.
4. For changing test location, you need to pay the requested fee.
5. For requesting rush scores, you need to pay the agreed fee.

Making Use of Fee Waivers

If you are entitled for a fee waiver benefit, you have to apply for it during the process of initial registration after which all the fee waiver benefits will automatically get credited to your College Board account.

Please keep in mind that if you plan to take the SAT for the first time in 2024, you must obtain a fee waiver code before the conclusion of the school year.

Acceptance of SAT Fee Waivers

The qualified SAT fee waiver codes will be available on your SAT homepage. To access it you must sign in to the College Board website with your College Board id. After signing in, click on ‘My SAT’ on the website. If you have been marked as eligible, read the SAT eligibility question and then click continue.

Alternatively, if you have a 12-digit fee waiver code for the SAT, enter it and click Submit.

Important Tips for Registration

1. At registration, you will be required to provide a photo.
2. Registration without a photograph will be rejected. For additional information, visit sat.org/photo.
3. If you are testing in the United States or its territories, you can use a fee waiver during the late registration period. Check out the most recent testing schedule at sat.org/register.
4. A fee waiver is not applicable for waitlist requests (requests to test made after the last deadline).
5. Although fee waiver codes do not come with an expiry date, they cannot be reclaimed.