Registration for the 3 October SAT closed on 18 September, and that test has now taken place. The deadline open now is 23 October, for the 7 November 2026 SAT. If you miss it, late registration stays open until 27 October for $38 on top of the $68 fee. Scores from 7 November come out on 20 November.
When is the next SAT registration deadline?
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Registration deadline | Friday 23 October 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET |
| Late registration, changes and cancellation close | Tuesday 27 October 2026 |
| Borrowing a device from College Board | Closed on 8 October: you had to register at least 30 days before test day |
| Test day | Saturday 7 November 2026 |
| Free score sends end | Monday 16 November, four days before you see the score |
| Scores released | Friday 20 November 2026 |
All deadlines expire at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, United States, regardless of where you are testing. That catches out students in Asian and European time zones every cycle, where the deadline falls in the early hours of the following morning locally.
Is 7 November too late for an early application?
| Test date | Register by | Late registration until | Scores released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 November 2026 | 23 October | 27 October | 20 November |
| 5 December 2026 | 20 November | 24 November | 18 December |
Scores from 7 November arrive on 20 November, after a 1 November early deadline. Whether a college will still use them for an early application is up to that college. Check its testing page before you count on it.
For regular decision the pressure is off. Scores from both November and December arrive before a 1 January deadline. Every 2026-27 score release date is in one place if you need the rest.
Three ways past the deadline, and what each costs
Missing 23 October is recoverable. The routes are not equally good.
| Route | Cost | Works when |
|---|---|---|
| Waitlist | $0 | United States only. Assigns you automatically if a seat opens within your chosen radius. |
| Late registration | $38 on top of the $68 | Until 27 October, if seats are left |
| Change your centre | $34 | You are already registered but need a different location |
Take the waitlist seriously. It is free, and the seat situation is not what it appears to be: centres now hold back roughly 40% of capacity for their own students and release it dynamically through the registration window, so a search returning nothing on 23 October is frequently not a final answer.
Join the free waitlist first and re-check availability for a few days. Paying the late fee to book a distant centre, when a nearer seat releases a week later, is the most common avoidable expense in the whole registration process.
Do the device check now, not on 6 November
Device rules tightened for the autumn 2026 administrations, and a machine that fails them wastes the registration entirely. Chromebooks must run in a managed Verified Mode and personal Chromebooks are no longer permitted, smart glasses are prohibited, and there are operating-system floors below which Bluebook will not run.
None of that is difficult to satisfy, but all of it takes longer than the night before. The full list is in SAT device requirements for Bluebook, and it is worth ten minutes this week.
If you were hoping to borrow a device from College Board, you had to register and ask for it at least 30 days before test day. For 7 November that was 8 October. For 5 December it is 5 November.
I sat on 3 October. Can I see my score before deciding?
Yes, this time. Scores from 3 October come out on Friday 16 October. That is a week before the 23 October deadline for 7 November.
So wait for the score, then decide. If it is where you need it, do not register again. If it is not, you have a week to sign up for November, or until 27 October with the late fee.
That is unusual. For August and September, the next deadline came before the score, and students had to register blind. We laid that out date by date in your August score lands Friday.
Frequently asked questions
When is the SAT registration deadline in October 2026?
23 October 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, for the 7 November SAT. Late registration, changes and cancellation close on 27 October. Scores from 7 November are released on 20 November.
When was the registration deadline for the 3 October SAT?
18 September 2026. That test has now taken place, and its scores come out on 16 October. The next SAT you can still register for is 7 November.
Can I use the 7 November SAT for an early application?
Scores come out on 20 November, after a 1 November deadline. Whether a college will still use them for an early application is up to that college, so check its testing page before you count on it.
What happens if I miss the 23 October deadline?
Late registration stays open until 27 October and costs $38 on top of the $68 fee, if seats are left. In the United States the waitlist is free and gives you a seat automatically if one opens within your chosen radius. Changing an existing registration to a different centre costs $34.
Should I pay for late registration or wait for the waitlist?
Join the free waitlist first and re-check for a few days. Test centres reserve roughly 40% of seats for their own students and release capacity dynamically, so availability changes after the deadline. Paying $38 to book a distant centre before a nearer seat releases is a common and avoidable cost.
Can I see my October score before deciding about November?
Yes. Scores from the 3 October SAT come out on 16 October, a week before the 23 October deadline for 7 November.
Do the deadlines use my local time zone?
No. All College Board registration deadlines expire at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time in the United States, whatever your location. For students in Asia and Europe this falls in the early hours of the following morning locally, which catches people out every cycle.