Get Your Free Guide to Sending SAT Scores

Understanding SAT Score Reporting and How Scores Are Sent

When you take the SAT, the College Board—the organization that administers the test—collects your scores and stores them in your account. Your SAT score includes your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (ranging from 200–800) and your Math score (also 200–800), for a combined score between 400–1600. Understanding how score reporting works is the foundation for successfully sending your scores to colleges.

Get Your Free Guide to Lock and Key Basics →

The College Board maintains a system where each test-taker has an online account. Once your test is scored and released—typically within two to three weeks after test day—your scores appear in your account on the College Board website. At that point, you have several options for how to share those scores with colleges and universities. You are not required to send your scores anywhere; sending scores is entirely your choice.

Score reports sent to colleges include not just your most recent test scores, but also scores from any previous SAT administrations you completed (if you choose to include them). Many students take the SAT multiple times. When you send scores, you can choose to send all scores from all test dates, or you can use a feature called "Score Choice" (available at some schools) to send only specific test dates. However, some colleges require you to submit all scores, so it is important to check each school's specific policy.

The College Board also tracks whether you've taken the SAT with accommodations if you have a documented disability. These accommodations might include extended time, large print, braille, or a reader. Your score report notes that accommodations were provided, but your actual scores are never marked as invalid or lesser because you used them.

Practical Takeaway: Before sending any scores, log into your College Board account and verify that your scores are there, that they display correctly, and that your personal information is accurate. Having verified information in your account prevents delays or misdirected score reports.

Free Score Sends and How They Work

One of the most valuable pieces of information for SAT test-takers is that the College Board includes free score sends with test registration. When you register for the SAT, you receive four free score sends to colleges or universities of your choice. This is a built-in benefit of your test registration, not an optional add-on, and represents significant savings because paid score sends cost money.

Learn About Hand and Stone Massage Services →

The free sends are available to use in several ways. You can use them all on test day itself—many testing centers allow you to select your recipient colleges while sitting at the testing center after you finish the exam, before you leave. Alternatively, you can use your free sends at any point after your scores are released, up until the score sending deadline (which varies by school but typically runs into the fall and winter for colleges accepting fall applicants). You do not need to use all four free sends if you only need to send to fewer schools.

If you register for the SAT but then decide not to take the test, you lose those four free score sends. However, if you register and take the test but later want to send scores to more than four colleges, you can purchase additional score sends. As of recent years, each additional score send costs approximately $13 to $15, though this price may vary.

The four free score sends per test registration is distinct from the SAT School Day version. The SAT School Day is administered at some high schools during the school day, and test-takers using School Day may receive different numbers of free sends. Additionally, test-takers who use fee waivers—financial assistance programs for students who cannot afford the test registration fee—also receive free score sends as part of their registration.

Score sends typically process within about two business days, though some colleges receive scores faster. Colleges and universities are notified electronically when you send scores, and they download the official reports directly from the College Board system.

Practical Takeaway: Plan ahead and identify which colleges you want to attend or investigate before test day, so you can use your four free sends strategically. If you're unsure about which schools to apply to, you can send scores after your results come back and you've had time to think about your college list.

Locating College Codes and Sending Scores Through Your College Board Account

To send your SAT scores to a college or university, you need that school's College Board code. This is a four-digit number that uniquely identifies each institution in the College Board system. Finding the correct code is straightforward but important—using the wrong code could send your scores to the wrong school.

Free Guide to Discount Tire Services and What to Expect →

The easiest way to find a college's code is to use the College Board's search tool on their website. You simply type in the name of the college, and the system returns its four-digit code. You can also find these codes in the College Board's official list, which is published online. Many colleges also list their College Board code on their admissions websites, so if you're already visiting a school's website for other information, you might see it there too.

Once you have identified the codes for your target colleges, you log into your College Board account and navigate to the score sending section. The interface asks you to select which test date's scores you want to send (if you've taken the SAT multiple times), and then to enter the college codes for each school that should receive them. Some schools allow you to choose whether to include previous SAT attempts or only your most recent score; others require all scores be sent.

After you enter the college codes, the College Board shows you a summary of which schools will receive your scores and asks you to confirm. You can send to multiple schools in one transaction. Once you confirm, the process is initiated. You receive a confirmation message in your account, and the colleges receive the official score reports electronically.

If you cannot access your account online, the College Board also offers phone-based score sending. You can call their customer service line, provide your information, and request scores be sent. This method takes longer and requires speaking with a representative, but it is available if you need it.

Practical Takeaway: Write down or bookmark the College Board codes for all colleges on your list as you research them. Having these codes collected in one place—a spreadsheet, note document, or list—saves time when you're ready to send scores and reduces the chance of making mistakes.

Timeline Considerations and When to Send Scores

The timing of when you send your SAT scores matters, and understanding college application deadlines and score sending deadlines helps you avoid problems. Colleges typically accept applications through deadlines that fall in November (early action or early decision), December (rolling admission), January (regular decision), and sometimes later into spring. Each college sets its own deadline for when SAT scores must be received by their admissions office to be considered for that application cycle.

Free Guide to Growing Apples From Seeds →

Most colleges require that official SAT scores reach their offices by their application deadline date. Some schools have a score deadline that is a week or two after the application deadline, giving you a small window. However, some schools require scores to arrive before the application deadline itself. Because score sends can take one to two weeks to process and be received by the college, it's important to send scores well before any deadline—typically at least two to three weeks early to provide a safety margin.

If you are taking the SAT in the fall and applying to colleges with November or December deadlines, you must be strategic. Test dates in August, September, or early October allow enough time for scores to reach colleges before these early deadlines. However, if a college has rolling admission (meaning they review applications and make decisions as applications come in throughout the cycle), waiting to send scores until after test day in October or November is often acceptable, since you still have time before the general application deadline.

Some students take the SAT multiple times. If you're planning to retake the test, consider whether a later test date fits your timeline. For example, if you take the SAT in October, get your scores in November, decide to retake it, and register for the November test, your second score won't be ready until December. By then, many college deadlines have passed. Planning your test attempts around college application deadlines is important.

You can also send scores before you officially submit your college application, or at the same time. Some students send scores early in the cycle to multiple colleges, then complete their applications later. Others wait until they've finished filling out their applications to send scores. The College Board's system is separate from colleges' application systems, so the timing of sending scores doesn't have to match the timing of submitting your application.

Practical Takeaway: