You get four score reports free with every SAT registration, and you have nine days after the test to use them. Scores are released about thirteen days after the test. Those two rules cannot both be satisfied, which is the single most expensive thing most students do not know about score sending. After the free window, each report costs $15.
This page covers the sending decision. If you want the release dates themselves, when SAT scores come out has the full 2026–27 calendar.
The nine-day rule, and what it costs you
College Board's weekend score sending page states the free allowance plainly: up to four organisations, free, if designated within nine days of the test. What it does not state is that your score will not exist yet.
| Test date | Free sends expire | Scores released |
|---|---|---|
| 22 August 2026 | 31 August | 4 September |
| 12 September 2026 | 21 September | 25 September |
| 3 October 2026 | 12 October | 16 October |
| 7 November 2026 | 16 November | 20 November |
| 5 December 2026 | 14 December | 18 December |
Four days short, every time. So the real choice is between sending blind to save $60, or waiting and paying for the sends you actually want.
The full fee ladder
Verified against College Board's published fee schedule on 2 September 2026.
| Service | Fee | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| First four reports, within 9 days of the test | Free | Standard delivery |
| Each additional report | $15 | Standard delivery |
| Rush reporting | $31 | 1 to 4 business days |
| Scores by phone | $15 per call | Immediate |
| Archived scores (older administrations) | $35 | Standard |
| Score verification (hand check) | $55 | Several weeks |
Rush reporting only works on scores that have already been released. It shortens delivery to the college, not the wait for your own result, and it will not rescue you from a missed release date.
An SAT fee waiver includes unlimited free score reports, with no nine-day cliff, plus free late registration and free cancellation. If you qualify, the entire decision on this page disappears. Eligibility runs through your school counsellor, or directly for homeschooled students.
Does the college see every score I have?
Only the ones you send. Score Choice lets you choose which administrations go to which colleges, and it is on by default.
The complication is that some colleges ask for all scores anyway as a matter of policy, and a few require it. College Board will not enforce that for them, so it becomes a question of what you agreed to on the application. Read each college's own testing page rather than assuming, because the practice varies more than most guidance admits.
Superscoring is a separate mechanism again. Where a college superscores, sending two sittings can only help, since it takes your best section from each. We covered which situations that actually changes in SAT superscoring.
Mapping sends onto application deadlines
Most Early Decision and Early Action deadlines fall on 1 November. Working backwards from that date:
| If you test on | Scores released | Reaches a 1 November deadline? |
|---|---|---|
| 22 August 2026 | 4 September | Yes, comfortably |
| 12 September 2026 | 25 September | Yes |
| 3 October 2026 | 16 October | Yes, with about two weeks to spare |
| 7 November 2026 | 20 November | No |
| 5 December 2026 | 18 December | Regular decision only |
The 3 October administration is the last one that works for Early Decision. Its registration deadline is 18 September. If early applications are part of your plan, that date matters more than anything else on this page.
The order to actually do this in
- Before test day, decide whether you are confident enough to spend the four free sends blind. If you are applying to eight or more colleges and expect your usual range, this is normally worth $60.
- Within nine days, designate them if you decided yes. You can change the list up to the deadline.
- On release day, check the number before adding anything paid.
- Only then buy the sends you want at $15, and use rush at $31 only if a deadline is genuinely inside four days.
One thing worth saying plainly: sending scores is not the same as submitting them. Whether a test-optional college should see the number at all is a separate decision, and we work through it in should you submit your SAT score.
Frequently asked questions
How many free SAT score reports do I get?
Four with each registration, provided you designate them within nine days of the test date. After that window each report costs $15. Students using an SAT fee waiver get unlimited free score reports with no nine-day restriction.
Why do the free score reports expire before scores are released?
The free window is nine days after the test and scores are released about thirteen days after it. Across every autumn 2026 administration the gap is exactly four days. College Board publishes both rules but does not flag the conflict between them on its score-sending page.
How much does it cost to send SAT scores late?
$15 per report after the nine-day free window. Rush reporting, which delivers in one to four business days, costs $31 and is only available for scores that have already been released. Sending scores from much older administrations costs $35.
Do colleges see all my SAT attempts?
Only the administrations you choose to send, under Score Choice, which is on by default. Some colleges ask applicants to submit all scores as a matter of their own policy, and College Board does not enforce that on their behalf, so check each college's testing page rather than assuming.
What is the last SAT date that reaches a 1 November deadline?
The 3 October 2026 administration, which releases scores on 16 October. Its registration deadline is 18 September. The 7 November administration releases scores on 20 November and will not reach a 1 November Early Decision or Early Action deadline.
Is rush reporting worth $31?
Only when a college deadline falls within a few days and your scores have already been released. Rush shortens delivery to the institution, not the wait for your own result, so it cannot help if the score itself has not come out yet.