To get an ACT fee waiver, you need to visit your high school counselor. Counselors are the gatekeepers of the program: they verify your eligibility, and they provide the waiver code you’ll use when registering for the test. You cannot request a fee waiver directly from ACT on your own. The entire process starts and ends at your school’s guidance office.
Who Qualifies for an ACT Fee Waiver
You must meet two basic requirements. First, you need to be currently enrolled in 11th or 12th grade. Second, you must be testing in the United States, U.S. territories, or Puerto Rico. Beyond that, you need to meet at least one indicator of economic need.
The qualifying indicators are:
- Free or reduced-price lunch: You’re enrolled in the federal free or reduced-price lunch program at your school, or your family’s total annual income falls at or below the USDA income thresholds for that program.
- Public assistance or subsidized housing: Your family receives low-income public assistance or lives in federally subsidized public housing.
- Federal programs for economically disadvantaged students: You’re enrolled in a program like GEAR UP or Upward Bound. One important detail here: if you participate in one of these programs but aren’t personally economically disadvantaged, you don’t qualify. Enrollment alone isn’t enough.
- Foster care, ward of the state, or homelessness: You reside in a foster home, are a ward of the state, or are experiencing homelessness.
The income thresholds follow the USDA’s free and reduced-price lunch guidelines, which are updated each year based on household size. Your school counselor will have the current numbers, or you can find them on the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website. As a rough guide, a family of four typically qualifies if total household income is under about $55,000 to $60,000, though the exact figure changes annually.
How to Get the Waiver From Your Counselor
The process is straightforward but requires an in-person (or at least direct) conversation with your school counselor. Here’s what to expect:
Set up a meeting with your counselor and let them know you’d like to apply for an ACT fee waiver. They’ll ask about your family’s financial situation to confirm you meet one of the eligibility indicators. In some cases, your counselor may already know you qualify because you’re flagged in the school’s system as receiving free or reduced-price lunch or participating in a qualifying federal program.
Once your counselor confirms eligibility, they’ll provide you with a fee waiver code. You enter that code during the ACT’s online registration process, and it eliminates the registration fee. The counselor handles the verification side, so you typically won’t need to bring pay stubs or tax returns, though having a general sense of your family’s income is helpful in case the counselor asks.
Eligible students can use fee waivers for up to two ACT test registrations. That gives you two shots at the exam without paying the standard registration fee.
If You’re Homeschooled
Homeschooled students can still get an ACT fee waiver, but the path is slightly different since you don’t have a school counselor down the hall. ACT recommends reaching out to your local public high school to apply for the waiver. A counselor there can verify your eligibility and issue the code just as they would for their own students. If that doesn’t work or you run into resistance, contact ACT’s customer support directly for help finding an alternative route.
What the Fee Waiver Covers
The fee waiver covers the cost of ACT registration, which saves you the standard test fee (currently in the $60 to $90 range depending on whether you add the writing section). It also waives late registration fees and standby fees if those apply to your situation.
Beyond the test itself, using a fee waiver unlocks additional benefits that can save you hundreds of dollars during the college application process. Students who test with a fee waiver receive free score reports to send to colleges. Normally, sending scores beyond the initial free reports costs extra per school, so this benefit adds up quickly if you’re applying to multiple colleges.
College Application Fee Waivers
One of the most valuable perks of using an ACT fee waiver is that it can help you waive college application fees as well. Many colleges accept ACT fee waiver status as proof of financial need when you request an application fee waiver. College application fees typically run $50 to $90 each, so applying to several schools can cost several hundred dollars on its own.
When you register for the ACT with a fee waiver, your status is noted in the system. You can reference this on college applications or through the Common App’s fee waiver section. Some schools accept the ACT waiver automatically, while others may ask your counselor to confirm your eligibility. Either way, having the ACT fee waiver on file makes the conversation much easier.
When to Start the Process
Don’t wait until the week before a registration deadline. Counselors at busy schools may have limited appointment availability, and you want to leave time to sort out any questions about your eligibility. The best time to ask is early in your junior year, well before you plan to take the ACT for the first time. This gives you the flexibility to register for your preferred test date and still have your second waiver available for a retake in senior year if needed.
If you’re already in 12th grade and haven’t used a fee waiver yet, you still have time. Just get to your counselor as soon as possible, since ACT test dates fill up and registration windows close several weeks before each exam.