To send SAT scores to colleges, a student orders official score reports through their College Board account, either free when registering or within nine days after the test, or for a fee at any time afterwards. Each weekend SAT registration includes four free score reports. After that, every additional report costs $15 under College Board’s fees through June 2027, and Score Choice lets a student pick which test dates a paid report includes. Knowing these rules in advance saves money and avoids sending a score a student would rather keep private.
This guide from Qingdao No. 1 International School of Shandong Province (QISS) explains how to send SAT scores to colleges step by step, how Score Choice and superscoring work, and what students applying from China should plan for.
How SAT Score Reports Work
An official SAT score report is sent by College Board directly to a college, university or scholarship program. Colleges use it to confirm the scores a student lists on an application. A report is different from the score report a student sees in their own account: only an official report, sent by College Board, counts as verification.
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Every weekend SAT registration includes up to four free score sends. A student can choose the recipients when registering, at any point before the test, or until nine days after the test date, as described on College Board’s page about fees for sending scores. After the nine days pass, the free sends are gone and any report costs the standard fee.
Additional and Rush Reports
College Board’s SAT test fees page lists additional score reports at $15 each and rush reporting at $31, with the report fee charged on top. Rush reporting speeds up College Board’s processing, but the college still needs time to load the scores into its own system, so rush reports are a last resort rather than a plan.
Score Choice: Choosing Which Test Dates to Send
Score Choice lets a student decide which SAT test dates a college receives. A student who sat the SAT in March and again in May can send only the May scores, only the March scores, or both. The College Board Score Choice page notes two important limits:
- Score Choice does not apply to the free score sends. Free reports chosen before or during the nine-day window go out automatically with that test date’s results.
- Some colleges require all scores. A number of colleges and scholarship programs ask applicants to send every SAT score they have, and their rules override the student’s preference.
This is the main trade-off with the free reports. Using them is cheaper, but the student commits to sending scores before seeing them. Paying the $15 additional report fee later gives full control over which results each college sees.
When to Use the Free Sends
Free sends make the most sense for a student who is already confident in their scores, for example on a second sitting after a strong practice record, or for colleges that require all scores anyway. They make less sense on a first attempt, when a student may prefer to wait, see the results, and then decide.
Superscoring and How Colleges Read Multiple Scores
Superscoring means a college combines a student’s highest Reading and Writing score and highest Math score from different test dates into a new total. It is a college policy, not a College Board feature, so it only helps when a college says it superscores.
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Talk to admissions →For a student with two sittings, superscoring changes the sending decision. If a college superscores, sending both test dates can produce a higher combined score than either sitting alone. If a college considers only the single best sitting, sending the stronger date is enough. Each college explains its approach on its admissions or testing policy page.
Our guide to SAT vs ACT covers how superscoring works on the ACT as well.
How to Send SAT Scores to Colleges, Step by Step
- Log in to your College Board account and open the section for sending scores.
- Search for each college by name and check that the location is correct, because some universities have several campuses with similar names.
- Select the test dates to include, if Score Choice applies, and confirm whether the college requires all scores.
- Review the order and pay any fee for reports beyond the free four.
- Confirm on the college’s applicant portal a few weeks later that the scores have been received and matched to the application.
Many colleges also let applicants self-report scores on the Common App or their own application and only ask for official reports after admission. Each college’s testing policy explains which applies. Our guide to the Common App for students in China shows where scores are entered.
Timing for Students Applying From China
Students in China should plan their testing calendar around application deadlines rather than the other way round. For early action and early decision deadlines on 1 November or 15 November, the last realistic SAT sitting is usually in October, and scores need to be released and sent in time for colleges to process them. Our college application timeline sets out those deadlines month by month.
A few habits help:
- Decide on test-optional colleges early. If a college is test-optional, a student can choose whether sending a score helps. Our test-optional admissions guide explains how to decide.
- Keep a simple list of each college, its testing policy, whether it superscores, and whether scores have been sent and received.
- Plan testing by grade. Our testing timeline by grade sets out when most students sit each test.
Testing and Score Planning at QISS
QISS is an authorized SAT and AP testing site, and our SAT and AP test center offers the SAT on campus three to four times a year. Students can sit the test in a familiar setting without travelling to another city, which makes it easier to fit in a second sitting before application deadlines. Across our graduating classes, students average 1300 on the SAT.
Deciding which scores to send is part of a wider application strategy. The QISS college counseling team helps students build balanced college lists, check each college’s testing policy, and plan sittings around deadlines. For practical study advice, our guide to SAT preparation in China is a good next step.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many free SAT score reports do you get?
Each weekend SAT registration includes four free score reports, which can be chosen until nine days after the test date. After that, each report costs a fee.
Can I choose which SAT scores to send?
Yes, for paid reports. Score Choice lets students pick test dates for reports ordered after the free window, but some colleges and scholarship programs require every score.
How much does it cost to send SAT scores?
College Board lists additional score reports at $15 each and rush reporting at $31 plus the report fee, under its fees through June 2027.
Should I send my SAT scores before applying?
Send official scores in time for each college’s deadline, unless the college accepts self-reported scores and asks for official reports only after admission. Each college’s testing policy page explains which it accepts.
Can I cancel a score send?
College Board allows free score recipients to be changed until nine days after a weekend test. For paid reports, check each order carefully before submitting it, and contact College Board quickly if something is wrong.
