Free Guide: What to Know About College Board Account Deletion

Understanding College Board Accounts and Why Deletion Matters

The College Board manages accounts for millions of students, educators, and parents across the United States. These accounts store personal information, test scores, and educational records. Whether you took the SAT, used College Search, registered for AP exams, or accessed other College Board services, you likely have an account with them. Understanding what information they hold and how to manage it is an important part of taking control of your digital footprint.

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Your College Board account contains more than just test scores. It typically includes your full name, date of birth, email address, phone number, mailing address, and demographic information you provided during registration. If you took the SAT, your account stores your test scores, essay responses, and answer sheets. AP exam takers will see their exam scores and subject information. The College Search tool may have recorded your college preferences and interests. All of this data remains stored on College Board servers unless you take steps to remove it.

Many students create College Board accounts in 9th or 10th grade when they first think about standardized testing. Years later, after graduating high school or college, some people no longer need their accounts. Others want to remove their information due to privacy concerns or simply because they no longer use College Board services. Understanding the account deletion process helps you make informed decisions about your personal data.

College Board's privacy policy outlines how long they keep information and under what circumstances they delete it. Generally, College Board retains account information for several years after your last activity. However, you don't have to wait for their standard retention periods. You can request deletion on your own timeline. This is different from deactivating an account—deletion removes your information from their systems rather than simply making your account inactive.

Practical Takeaway: Before deleting your account, collect any information you might need later, such as your SAT scores, AP scores, or college recommendation letters. Once deleted, recovering this information becomes difficult or impossible. Write down important scores and save any documents you may need for college applications, job applications, or personal records.

What Information Gets Deleted When You Delete Your Account

When you request College Board account deletion, multiple types of information may be removed from their systems. However, understanding exactly what gets deleted and what remains is important. Different categories of data are treated differently under various regulations and College Board policies.

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Your personal identifying information—name, email address, phone number, and mailing address—will be deleted from your active account records. Your account login credentials and profile settings will be removed. If you used College Board's digital tools, your activity history within those tools may be cleared. Your password and security questions will no longer exist. This means you won't be able to log back in to retrieve anything.

Test scores present a more complex situation. Your SAT scores stored in your College Board account will be deleted from your personal account records. However, if you previously sent your scores to colleges, those institutions retain their own copies. Colleges keep score reports in their admissions files indefinitely. Deleting your College Board account does not remove your scores from college records, law school records, or other institutions where you sent them. Similarly, if you registered for AP exams and received scores, those scores may exist in your school's records independent of your College Board account.

College Search information—your saved colleges and preferences—will be deleted. The colleges you marked as interested in your College Search profile will no longer be associated with your account. However, colleges may have received communications about your interest through other channels, and they may retain records of your inquiries. Educational institutions often keep prospect lists that are separate from your College Board account.

There are important limits to what deletion covers. If you received a fee waiver or scholarship through College Board, some financial records may need to be retained for accounting purposes. If you filed disputes or complaints, documentation of those interactions may be kept. Law enforcement requests create exceptions—if authorities requested your information for investigations, those records follow different rules. Tax and financial records follow retention requirements that supersede account deletion requests.

Practical Takeaway: Create a personal record of important information before deletion. Download or screenshot your SAT scores, AP scores, test dates, and any other data you might need in the future. Request official score reports be sent to you or to institutions you're planning to attend. Once your account is deleted, College Board typically won't retrieve this information for you.

Step-by-Step Process for Deleting Your College Board Account

The College Board account deletion process involves several steps, and the exact procedure depends on whether you're a student, parent, or educator. Understanding the steps helps you complete the process correctly and know what to expect at each stage.

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The first step is logging into your College Board account at collegeboard.org. Use your email address and password to access your account. If you've forgotten your password, use the "Forgot Password" link to reset it before attempting deletion. This is important because you'll need to verify your identity during the deletion process. If you can't access your account due to forgotten credentials, you may need to contact College Board support to verify your identity through alternative methods.

Once logged in, navigate to your account settings. This is typically found by clicking on your profile name or account icon, usually located in the upper right corner of the website. Look for options labeled "Account Settings," "Privacy Settings," or "My Account." Different College Board tools and platforms may have slightly different layouts. If you're using the College Board mobile app, the settings menu may be accessed through a hamburger menu or gear icon.

Within account settings, search for options related to data or privacy management. College Board typically provides a section for managing personal information and data. Some versions of the website may have a specific "Data & Privacy" section or an option labeled "Delete Account" or "Close Account." The exact location varies depending on when your account was created and which College Board services you used. You may need to scroll through several menus to find the deletion option.

Once you locate the deletion option, the system will ask you to confirm your request. This confirmation step is standard security practice. College Board wants to ensure that the account holder—not someone with unauthorized access—is requesting deletion. You may be asked to verify your email address or answer security questions. Some requests require confirming your identity through a verification code sent to your registered email. This process typically takes 24 hours.

If you cannot locate the deletion option through the website or app, you can contact College Board's customer service directly. Call 844-622-7328 or visit the College Board support website to submit a request. You may need to provide identification and personal information to verify that you are the account holder. Written requests by mail are also an option, though these take longer to process. Make sure any contact includes clear identification information and explicitly states you want your account and data deleted.

Practical Takeaway: Keep records of your deletion request. Note the date you submitted it, which method you used (website, phone, or mail), and any confirmation numbers provided. If you contact College Board by phone, ask for the representative's name and note the date and time. This creates a paper trail if you need to follow up on your request.

Legal Considerations and Data Protection Rights

Your rights regarding personal data deletion are protected by several federal and state laws. Understanding these legal frameworks helps explain why College Board has specific policies about what can and cannot be deleted, and what timeline they follow.

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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs how educational institutions and organizations handle student records. FERPA gives students and parents the right to request records about the student. However, FERPA is primarily concerned with access and correction rights rather than deletion. FERPA does not require deletion of educational records, but it does establish that student data cannot be shared without consent in most circumstances. If College Board obtained your information through an educational relationship, FERPA principles may apply to how that information is managed.

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and similar state privacy laws grant residents of those states specific rights over their personal information. Under the CCPA, California residents have the right to request deletion of personal information collected from them, with some exceptions. The law applies to for-profit businesses that collect personal data. If you're a California resident, you may have stronger deletion rights than residents of other states. The CCPA became effective January 1, 2020, and has been expanded with the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Other states including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah have passed similar privacy laws with comparable deletion rights.

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) applies if you were under 13 when your account was created. COPPA requires