Taking AP courses is a great way to demonstrate your academic rigor and subject mastery to colleges and universities of your interest. Furthermore, your AP scores could also play a role in applying to scholarships. Here’s how to navigate the process of sending your AP scores to colleges, universities and scholarship organizations!

Step 1: Understand Ways to Send AP Scores to Colleges

College Board’s Free AP Score Send Option

College Board allows students to use one free score send to a school of their choice every year they take an AP exam. This includes any AP course exam from previous years as well.

If you’re not sure which college or university you will be attending yet, you can always come back and reselect your school before the June 20 deadline. If you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior in high school, using the free score report feature is still recommended. It will not only save you money but also show the college or university that you’re interested in their school.

Here’s how to use your free score send:

1. Sign into the College Board’s Scores Site with your College Board account.
2. Decide on the college, university or scholarship organization you want to receive your scores.
3. Find it by typing the name of the school or organization. Then, select it and click save.

Send AP Score Reports Online

If you have additional AP scores you want to send to institutions or organizations, you can easily do so online. Keep in mind there’s a fee for this option.

1. Sign into the Online Score Reporting System with your College Board account.
2. Click “Send AP scores,” and follow the directions you see on the page.

Step 2: Decide Which Scores to Send

Check College-specific Requirements

Before you rush to send your score reports, take a moment to review them and check out if colleges and universities of your interest have specific score requirements for credit or placement. This will help you decide whether you might want to withhold any scores.

Image Courtesy of PSU

Withhold Scores from Colleges or Scholarship Programs

After your AP exams, if you’re not sure if you performed well on a specific subject or you feel more comfortable viewing your score before you send it to your college or scholarship program, you can request to withhold specific AP scores temporarily.

You can do this by submitting a Score Withholding Request Form by the deadline of June 15 of the year you took the exam. There’s a fee of $10 per score, but keep in mind that expedited options require a higher fee.

Step 3: Check Your Deadlines

There are three deadlines you need to keep in mind for withholding and sending in your scores.

• Free Score Report: June 20
• Withholding Request Form: June 15 (of the year you take your exam)
• Colleges or Scholarship Programs: this varies, so make sure you do your research!

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You’re now ready to send your AP scores. If you’re reading this and you’re a senior, good luck with college apps and college. 🫶🏼 If you’re not a senior, good luck with the rest of your AP journey— Fiveable’s got your back. 🙌🏼