How to Get and Complete the ACT Fee Waiver Form

To use the ACT fee waiver form, talk to your school counselor: they confirm you meet one of the eligibility categories, request a digital waiver code through ACT’s system, and hand that code to you to enter at the payment step when you register online. You don’t download the form yourself, and no credit card or bank account is needed at any point in the process.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program

Who Qualifies

Two baseline conditions apply to every applicant: you must be enrolled in 11th or 12th grade, and you must be testing in the United States, U.S. territories, or Puerto Rico.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program

Beyond that, you need to meet at least one indicator of economic need:

  • You’re enrolled in your school’s federal free or reduced-price lunch program, or your family income falls at or below the USDA thresholds used for that program.
  • You participate in a federal program for economically disadvantaged students such as GEAR UP or Upward Bound, and you actually qualify as economically disadvantaged (participation alone isn’t enough).
  • You live in a foster home, are a ward of the state, or are experiencing homelessness under the broad federal definition, which covers staying in shelters, motels, cars, or doubling up with other families because of financial hardship.2ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Procedures

One boundary that surprises families: students at overseas military bases do not qualify. The testing-location rule limits waivers to the 50 states, U.S. territories, and Puerto Rico, with no exception for Department of Defense schools abroad.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program

How to Get the Form Through Your Counselor

Start by making an appointment with your school counselor. They order digital waiver codes through ACT’s online system and deliver one to you after verifying your eligibility. Counselor sign-off is mandatory. ACT won’t process a waiver without that professional verification of your financial circumstances.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program

Bring the following to that meeting:

  • Your full legal name exactly as it appears on the photo ID you’ll use on test day
  • Your current home address
  • The specific eligibility category that applies to you, plus any documentation your counselor asks for to verify it

Your counselor already has your high school code. Both of you sign the form, and the counselor then gives you your unique fee waiver code.

Using the Code to Register

Go to the ACT website and begin a standard registration. At the payment step, enter your waiver code in the designated field instead of credit card information. A valid code zeroes out the balance for every service the waiver covers.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program

Registering by mail with the code is also allowed, but online registration is faster and lets you pick a test center while seats are still available. After you submit, you’ll get a confirmation email with your test date and center assignment. Store your waiver code somewhere you can find it later; you may need it if you change dates or need to verify your registration.

What the Waiver Pays For

The waiver does more than cover the registration fee. It gives you:

  • Up to two ACT registrations, including add-on fees for the optional writing or science sections. The standard ACT costs $70, and adding writing brings it to $95.3ACT. Current ACT Fees and Services
  • Score reports to up to six colleges during registration, plus unlimited additional score reports afterward at no charge. Paying students only get four reports included.4ACT’s Center for Impact and Learning. ACT Fee Waiver Program
  • The Official ACT Self-Paced Course, Powered by Kaplan, with on-demand lessons and practice tests. It’s added to your order automatically when you register with a waiver code.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program
  • ACT My Answer Key (formerly Test Information Release), a digital copy of your test questions, your answers, the official answer key, and the score conversion table. Paying students are charged $36 to $44 for this.4ACT’s Center for Impact and Learning. ACT Fee Waiver Program
  • A separate form you can submit to colleges requesting that they waive or defer their application fees.

Fees You Still Pay

Several service fees fall outside the waiver and are nonrefundable:

  • $49 to change your test date, test center, or test form after registering. If you change your date, ACT reapplies the waiver to the test fee or late fee on your new date, but you still owe the $49.5ACT. Register for the ACT – Upcoming Dates, Fees and How to Sign Up
  • $42 to register after the regular deadline.
  • $75 for standby testing if you show up on test day without a confirmed registration.
  • $67 for multiple-choice score verification, $67 for writing, or $134 for both.3ACT. Current ACT Fees and Services

The Two-Waiver Limit

Each eligible student can receive up to two fee waivers total across their high school career. That covers two free attempts at the test, which is enough for most students, since many colleges accept your highest score. If you’ve used both and want a third attempt, you pay the standard registration fee. Plan the timing so you don’t use your first waiver before you’ve had a real chance to prepare.1ACT. ACT Fee Waiver Program

The College Application Fee Waiver

If you test with an ACT fee waiver, you can also ask colleges to waive or defer their application fees. ACT provides a separate form called the Waiver or Deferral of College Admission Application Fee.4ACT’s Center for Impact and Learning. ACT Fee Waiver Program

The process is different from the test waiver. You send the completed form directly to each college along with your application, not to ACT. Your counselor signs it to confirm your economic need, and you certify that you meet the same income guidelines used for the test waiver.6ACT. College Admission Application Fee – Waiver or Deferral Request

Colleges are not required to honor the request. Each school decides on its own, though many selective institutions routinely accept these requests from students who demonstrate financial need. There’s no cost to ask.

If You’re Homeschooled

Homeschooled students qualify for ACT fee waivers, but the process has an extra step because you don’t have a school counselor of your own. Contact a local school district’s counseling office to verify your eligibility and request a waiver code through the same system traditional schools use.

When you register, use the universal homeschool high school code 969-999, which routes your results to you rather than to a school.7ACT. ACT for Homeschool Students

Reach out early. Counselors are busiest during fall testing season, and a request from a student they don’t already know can take longer to process.