The ACT fee waiver covers the full registration cost of the ACT for eligible 11th and 12th graders who demonstrate financial need, and each student can receive up to two waivers during high school. The program also unlocks free official test prep, unlimited score reports to colleges, and a separate form for waiving college application fees. Because a waiver counts as used the moment you register and cannot be applied to a test you already paid for, it pays to understand the rules before you click through checkout.
Who Qualifies
You must be in 11th or 12th grade and testing at a site in the United States, a U.S. territory, or Puerto Rico.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program You also need to meet at least one indicator of financial need.
The most common qualifier is enrollment in a federal free or reduced-price lunch program based on USDA income thresholds. If your family’s annual income falls at or below those same USDA levels even without lunch program enrollment, you still qualify. Participation in a federally funded program for economically disadvantaged students also works, and ACT names GEAR UP and Upward Bound as examples.2ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Procedures Being in one of those programs is not enough on its own if you were admitted on criteria other than financial need; you must actually be economically disadvantaged.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program
Several other circumstances qualify you automatically:
- You are in foster care or a ward of the state.
- You are experiencing homelessness (no income documentation required).
- You live in federally subsidized public housing.
- Your family receives benefits through a state-administered public assistance program.
Your school counselor verifies all of this, and ACT may request written evidence through compliance audits.2ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Procedures Homeschooled students who meet the same financial criteria are eligible, but they still need a counselor to verify and issue the waiver. If you don’t have one through a co-op or umbrella program, contact a local high school and ask whether their counselor can help.
What the Waiver Pays For
The waiver covers the full registration cost of whichever version of the ACT you choose. The standard ACT (English, math, and reading) currently costs $70, and the version with writing costs $95.3ACT. ACT Registration Fees Either option drops to zero with a waiver. Add-on fees for optional sections like science and writing are included.2ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Procedures
Waiver recipients can also add ACT My Answer Key (formerly Test Information Release) at no cost on the test dates that offer it.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program This service lets you see your actual test questions and answers afterward, which is useful for figuring out where you lost points. Without a waiver it runs $36 before test day or $44 after.4ACT. Get ACT My Answer Key
What the Waiver Does Not Cover
Two fees trip students up most often:
- Late registration: $42 if you register after the regular deadline.3ACT. ACT Registration Fees
- Test date, center, or form changes: $49 per change after you register.3ACT. ACT Registration Fees
Any fee not covered by the waiver must be paid by credit card before you can finish registering.2ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Procedures Register on time and commit to your date.
Extras That Come With the Waiver
Unlimited Score Reports
At registration, your waiver covers one report to your high school and up to six reports sent to colleges of your choice. After registration, you can request unlimited additional score reports for free.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program Without a waiver, each extra report costs $20.5ACT. Sending Your Scores and Additional Score Reports If you are applying to ten or more schools, free reports alone can save you over $100.
Free Official Prep
When you register with a waiver, The Official ACT Self-Paced Course, Powered by Kaplan, is automatically added to your order at no cost. The course includes 30 on-demand video lessons and more than 2,000 practice questions.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program Students who go in cold and plan to “just retake it” are burning one of two waivers for no reason.
College Application Fee Waivers
ACT provides a Request for Waiver or Deferral of College Admission Application Fee form that you submit directly to schools.6ACT. Request for Waiver or Deferral of College Admission Application Fee College application fees typically run $40 to $90 per school.
If you use the Common Application, ACT fee waiver eligibility also qualifies you for the Common App fee waiver. You select it in the fee waiver section of your Common App profile, and application fees are removed when you submit.7Common App. What is a Common App fee waiver? One caution: if your school gives ACT fee waivers to all students as a blanket policy, you should not claim the Common App fee waiver unless your individual family finances meet the eligibility criteria.
How Many You Get and When They Expire
You can receive a maximum of two fee waivers total. ACT will deny any attempt to use a third.2ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Procedures A waiver counts as used the moment you register, even if you never sit for the exam. If you skip test day without canceling, you can apply that used waiver toward a future test date, but you will owe the $49 change fee on top of it.
Each waiver code expires on August 31 of the school year after the one in which it was distributed. A waiver issued during your junior year remains valid through August 31 following your senior year, which covers summer and early fall test dates.8ACT. Use of Fee Waivers to Register for the ACT You also cannot use a waiver retroactively to get a refund for a registration you already paid for.2ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Procedures Get the waiver first, then register.
How to Request and Use Your Waiver
Start with your high school counselor. Counselors are the authorized distributors and must confirm that you meet at least one eligibility criterion. Bring documentation that supports your case: tax returns, pay stubs, a letter confirming foster care status, or proof of enrollment in a qualifying program like GEAR UP or Upward Bound. The counselor verifies your eligibility and orders the waiver through ACT, which is normally delivered within five business days to the school’s account on record.2ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Procedures
Each form carries a unique serial number. Make sure the name on the waiver matches your ACT account exactly, because a mismatch can cause the code to be rejected at checkout.
When you register, log into your account on act.org and start the registration process. At the payment step, enter the serial number from your form in the voucher or waiver field instead of a credit card. The total should drop to zero immediately. Check for a confirmation email and verify on your dashboard that the balance shows as paid. If the code does not apply correctly, contact your counselor before the registration deadline, because registering late means paying the $42 late fee out of pocket.