SAT Scoring
How to send SAT scores: free reports, fees, and Score Choice
Send SAT scores through College Board, check free-send deadlines, choose test dates, and distinguish official reports from self-reporting.
Check each college’s reporting instructions first. If it needs an official report, order it through College Board, select the required test dates and recipient, and verify receipt in the college’s portal.
Check whether an official report is needed now
A college may let you self-report scores in the application and require an official report only after you enroll. Another may require an official report with the application. Follow that college's current instructions, including any separate scholarship requirement.
Self-reporting means entering your scores and dates accurately in the application or applicant portal. An official report comes from College Board. Uploading a screenshot or score-report PDF doesn't automatically replace the official delivery if the college specifically asks for it.
Make a short list for each recipient: reporting method, required dates, score deadline, and whether the scholarship office has a separate rule. That list is more useful than sending everything everywhere before checking the policies.
Order a report through College Board
Sign in to your College Board account and open Send SAT Scores. Select the college or scholarship program using its official name or recipient code, then choose the available test dates according to the recipient's policy.
On the review screen, confirm the recipient, selected dates, delivery option, and charge. If a program has a name similar to another campus or school, verify its code against the institution's own instructions. Save the order confirmation.
After ordering, track the College Board send status and the college's applicant portal. An order confirmation proves you placed an order; it doesn't prove the school has matched the report to your application. Use the college's stated processing window before treating a pending portal entry as a missing report.
Free sends have different deadlines for weekend and school-day tests
College Board allows up to four free recipients for an SAT Weekend registration, selected through nine days after the test. For SAT taken during the week at school, the selection window is exam setup or within three days after testing, following the school's instructions. College Board's fee FAQ distinguishes the two.
For school-day changes during that window, College Board directs students to use the test's sign-in ticket to open Bluebook, then find the test under Your Tests Past and select SAT Score Sends. Ask your counselor if you need the ticket or can't locate the option.
Free sends can save money when you already know the recipient and want that test sent. Waiting lets you review your result before choosing an order. Make that choice from the college's rules and your own plan; neither option is automatically right for everyone.
Budget for the reports you actually need
College Board currently lists an additional score report at 15 dollars per recipient and rush reporting at an additional 31 dollars. Eligible fee-waiver students receive unlimited free score reports. Check the official fees page before paying.
If four schools accept self-reporting until enrollment and one requires an official report now, you may only need one paid order at application time. Conversely, a scholarship may require an official score even where admissions accepts self-reporting. Treat each requirement separately.
Multiple available test dates can be included in a report to the same recipient for one recipient fee. Review the dates selected in that order instead of assuming the highest total is the only useful sitting.
Score Choice selects dates; superscoring combines sections
Score Choice lets you choose SAT scores by test date. It does not let you send just Math from one sitting while hiding the Reading and Writing score from that same sitting. Some recipients require all dates; follow their policies.
College Board also says Score Choice isn't available for the free sends selected during weekend registration or in-school testing. See its current Score Choice explanation.
If a college superscores and requires official reports, send the dates that contain your best sections unless its instructions require more. A 730 R&W/690 Math date and a 700 R&W/760 Math date can supply a 1490 superscore. The college performs that combination; you still report the actual scores and dates. The superscore guide covers the calculation.
Leave time for sending and processing
Rush reporting is available for already released scores, and College Board says it sends those reports within 1–4 business days. It cannot make an unreleased test score available early. The college still needs to receive and process the report. Rush reporting details explain the conditions.
Read whether a deadline means test taken by, order placed by, or score received by. If instructions are unclear or the deadline is close, ask the admissions office what it accepts before buying a rush option.
If a report stays missing beyond the published processing time, use your order date and confirmation number when contacting College Board or the school. Check the recipient and test dates first so the next step addresses the actual problem.
Sources
Luke Finigan is a student developer and the creator of 1600.now, a free Digital SAT practice platform. About Luke.