How to Send AP Scores to Colleges

---

AP scores are not sent to colleges automatically. Nothing reaches a school unless you actively send it, which means the score-report step - not the exam, not the score itself - is where you control what colleges see. This guide covers who should send, when, how, and what it costs.

The free score send

Each AP exam year includes one free score send: the chance to designate a single college recipient without paying the standard report fee. For the current year's exams, the free-send window typically runs until June 20 - which is before scores are even posted, so you're committing only to send, not to a specific score. Every additional report, and any send after the free window, costs about $15.

How to send your scores

1. Sign in to your College Board account at apscore.collegeboard.org.
2. Open My AP Scores and choose "Send scores to colleges now".
3. Enter each school's 4-digit code (or search by name) and confirm the report.
4. Review the deadline and fee for each recipient before submitting.

Your most recent scores are sent as soon as the report is ordered; older scores are included when you select the option to send your complete history. You already control what a college sees - you choose which reports go out - or you can withhold or cancel a score entirely. That's the same "you only send what you want" principle explained in the what-is-a-good-score guide.

When colleges receive the scores

Colleges get scores through the Higher Education Score Reports Portal shortly after the official release - typically starting July 1 for the May exams, with reports delivered over the following weeks. Schools already have your order confirmation and can usually note "scores pending" once they've seen it, which is why it's worth sending an order early if you're up against a scholarship or housing deadline.

What it costs, in a nutshell

• 1 free send per exam year, if you use it by the June 20 deadline.
• $15 per report after the free send, or for any earlier-year scores.
• $10 per score to withhold a specific score from a report (kept on file, not sent).

The practical rule: use your free send for the school where it matters most, order other reports once you know where you're enrolling, and never pay for a report you don't need - the College Board copy is the only one your school treats as official.

Send, withhold, or cancel?

Typical timing for the current year's scores

Who should send, and when

The pattern to notice: the free send exists for the applying-to-college moment, and everything else costs $15. So the cheapest plan is to use your free send deliberately for the school that matters most, then pay for any additional reports only when a school explicitly needs them. Because scores never expire, there’s no rush to spend money on reports you don’t need yet — and the cancel and withhold guide explains how to keep a score off a report if you’d rather not share it.

How to place an order, step by step

The mechanics are the same whether you're using the free send or paying the fee; only the timing and the recipient change.

1. Log in to your College Board account at apstudents.collegeboard.org and open the AP Scores section.
2. Click "Send Scores" and search for your college by name or its four-digit code. Schools that appear on the search already accept AP scores electronically.
3. Pick the report type — either the full history or a selection of subjects, if the receiving school allows you to pick. Be aware: many schools require the full report and won't accept a partial one.
4. Choose your score group — typically "2025 exams only" or "all exams taken," depending on which scores you want that school to see.
5. Pay the $15 fee (or confirm the free send if you're still inside the June 20 deadline for your first recipient) and confirm the order.
6. Watch your email for the confirmation and give the school up to two weeks for delivery during peak season — order earlier if you're racing a scholarship or enrollment deadline.

If you're a current student, your school's AP coordinator can also place a send on your behalf — that's sometimes the fastest route in late spring, when every student in the building is doing this at once. And if a school asks you for your AP number rather than your Social Security number, that four-digit ID printed on your score report is what they mean — it's all the receiver needs to match the report to your file.

Do colleges see my AP scores automatically?

No. AP scores are only sent where you choose. If you never order a report, colleges don't see anything.

How much does it cost to send AP scores?

One score send per year is free if you use it by the June 20 deadline; after that, or for additional reports, it's about $15 each.

How long do AP scores take to reach colleges?

Colleges begin receiving current-year scores around July 1 through the higher-ed score portal, with additional reports delivered within a few business days of ordering.

Can I withhold one AP score and send the rest?

Yes - you can withhold a specific score from a report for about $10 per score per college, and the score stays on file for later.

When is the free AP score send deadline?

For the current year's exams, the free-send window typically ends June 20. Use your one free send before then or it's lost.

---

Keep reading

Quick calculators: AP Lang · APUSH · AP Calc AB · AP Biology