You can send ACT scores to colleges either for free during registration or later through your MyACT account for $20 per report. Many colleges also let you self-report scores on your application, with an official report required only after you enroll. Here’s how each option works and what to expect.
Send Four Free Reports at Registration
When you register for the ACT, you can choose up to four colleges to receive your scores at no extra cost. This is built into your registration fee. You’ll need each school’s four-digit ACT college code, which you can look up on ACT’s website or in most high school guidance offices. Enter those codes during registration, and ACT will automatically send your scores once they’re available.
The key limitation: your scores haven’t been produced yet when you register, so you’re committing to send results before you see them. If you’re confident you’ll perform well, or if a school is test-optional and you plan to submit regardless, this is a straightforward way to save money. If you’d rather see your scores first, skip this step and send reports later.
Order Additional Reports Through MyACT
After your scores are released, you can send reports to any college through your MyACT account. Each additional report costs $20. Log in, navigate to the score-sending section, search for the college by name or code, and submit your request. Reports are usually sent the same day once your scores are fully available.
Your scores won’t be sent to any recipient until all sections from your test date are complete. If you took the ACT with Writing, the multiple-choice Composite score may appear in your account first, but ACT holds the full report until Writing scores are finalized. This can add time if you’re watching your account and wondering why the report hasn’t gone out yet.
When Scores Become Available
Most ACT scores are released within two to four weeks of your test date. Online tests tend to post scores a few days earlier than paper tests. For the 2025-2026 testing year, initial score releases typically fall about one to two weeks after the test date. For example, scores from an April 2026 test date begin releasing about five days later for online testers and about ten days later for paper testers.
The release date is when scores start becoming available, not when every student’s scores are posted. Your results could appear on the initial release date or a few days after, depending on processing and whether any irregularities flagged your test session. Writing scores can take longer due to additional verification steps.
Self-Reporting Scores on Applications
A large and growing number of colleges accept self-reported ACT scores during the application process. Self-reporting means you enter your scores directly on the Common App, a school’s own application portal, or sometimes by uploading a screenshot of your score report. You don’t pay ACT anything for this step.
Schools that accept self-reported scores include many highly selective institutions like Stanford, Brown, Caltech, MIT, Boston College, and Swarthmore, along with hundreds of other private and public universities. Some schools, however, still require an official ACT report sent directly from ACT as part of the application itself. Public universities with large applicant pools are more likely to fall into this category.
If you self-report, here’s what matters: every college that accepts self-reported scores during the application phase will require an official report once you commit to enroll. So self-reporting saves you money during the application season (you avoid paying $20 per school for a dozen applications), but you’ll still need to send at least one official report to the school you ultimately attend.
If you’re applying through the Common App, you can enter your ACT scores in the testing section. The Common App lets you omit the science score if you prefer, which can be useful since some colleges focus on the Composite and don’t weigh the science subscore separately.
Choosing Which Scores to Send
If you took the ACT more than once, you control which test dates to send. ACT lets you send scores from individual sittings rather than forcing you to release everything. When ordering a report through MyACT, you select the specific test date you want sent.
Some colleges superscore the ACT, meaning they take your highest section scores across multiple test dates and combine them into a new Composite. If a college superscores, you’ll want to send every test date where you achieved your highest score in at least one section. Check each college’s admissions page to confirm whether they superscore, because the policy varies widely.
Timing Your Score Sends
For regular decision deadlines, which typically fall in early January, send your scores well before the deadline. Even though ACT usually processes requests the same day, colleges need time to match your report to your application. Sending at least two to three weeks before the deadline gives a comfortable buffer.
For early decision or early action deadlines (usually in November), the timeline is tighter. If you’re taking the ACT in September or October and applying early, factor in the two-to-four-week scoring window plus delivery time. Taking the test as early as possible in the cycle reduces stress.
If a college accepts self-reported scores, timing is less of a concern for the application itself. You simply type in your numbers. But keep in mind that if you’re admitted and choose to enroll, you’ll need to order an official report promptly to confirm your scores and finalize your admission.