How to Send AP Scores to Colleges

Once you take your AP exams, you need to get your scores to the colleges where you want credit or placement. College Board handles all AP score reporting, and the process is straightforward once you understand how it works. Whether you are planning ahead during registration or sending scores after you already have your results, this guide walks you through every step, including how to take advantage of free score sends, what it costs to send additional reports, and how to withhold scores you would rather colleges not see.

How the Free Score Send Works

During AP registration, you can designate one college to receive your scores for free — and this is the best deal in the entire process. Here is how it works:

• One free score send per exam. When you register for each AP exam, College Board lets you select one college to receive that exam's score at no cost. If you are taking five AP exams, you can send five free reports (one per exam), all to the same college or to different colleges.
• The free send is set before you take the exam. You designate the college during the registration process, typically in the fall or early spring before the May exam. You can update your selection up until the exam date.
• The free report includes all your AP scores. Even though the free send is tied to a specific exam, the score report sent to the college will include all of your AP scores from all years, not just the one exam.
• Scores are sent automatically after results are released. You do not need to do anything else — College Board sends the report to your designated college once scores are available in July.

If you already know which college you plan to attend (or are strongly considering), designating it during registration saves you $15. Students who are undecided often pick the college at the top of their list and send additional reports later if needed.

How to Send Scores After Exams

If you did not use your free score send or need to send scores to additional colleges, you can order score reports through your My AP account. Follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your College Board account. Go to myap.collegeboard.org and log in with the same account you used for AP registration.
2. Navigate to "Send Scores." In the AP Scores section of your account, find the option to send score reports to colleges.
3. Search for the college. Use the college search tool to find the institution you want to receive your scores. You will need the college name — not a code.
4. Review which scores will be sent. By default, all of your AP scores from all years are included in the report. If you want to withhold any scores, you must request withholding before placing the order.
5. Pay and submit. The fee is $15 per score report. You can pay by credit or debit card. Each report goes to one college, so sending to three colleges costs $45.

Score reports can be ordered at any time of year, not just during exam season. If you are a college freshman who just decided to transfer and wants credit at your new school, you can still order a report.

Cost of Sending AP Scores

The standard cost to send AP scores is $15 per score report, with each report going to one college. Here is the full cost breakdown:

• Free score send: One per exam during registration (designate before the exam)
• Standard score report: $15 per college
• Rush reporting: $25 additional per report ($40 total) for faster delivery
• Score withholding: $10 per score, per college (to exclude specific exam scores from a report)
• Score cancellation: Free if done by the June deadline

There are no bundle discounts for sending to multiple colleges. Sending to five schools at standard speed costs $75. Students with demonstrated financial need may qualify for College Board fee waivers — ask your school counselor about eligibility.

Rush Reporting

Rush reporting costs an additional $25 per report (total of $40) and delivers scores faster, but it is rarely necessary. Here is what to know:

• Rush reports arrive in approximately 5 to 9 business days after your request is processed.
• Standard reports take 1 to 2 weeks, so the time difference is often only a few days.
• Rush reporting does not speed up score release. If your scores have not been released yet (typically mid-July), rush reporting will not get them to the college any sooner. It only speeds up delivery of scores that are already available.

In most cases, standard delivery is sufficient. Rush reporting is mainly useful if a college has a tight credit-evaluation deadline and you are cutting it close.

How Long It Takes for Scores to Arrive

Timeline depends on when you send the request and whether scores have been released yet.

• Free score sends (designated during registration): Scores are sent automatically after they are released in July. Colleges typically receive them within 1 to 2 weeks of the score release date.
• Standard score reports (ordered after scores are available): 1 to 2 weeks from the date you place the order.
• Rush score reports: 5 to 9 business days from the date you place the order.
• Summer processing delays: During July and August, when millions of score reports are being processed, delivery may take slightly longer than usual.

Plan ahead. If your college needs official scores by a specific date (such as an orientation deadline), send your report at least three weeks in advance to be safe.

Important: Score Reports Include All Your AP Scores

Each score report sends every AP score on your record to the college — you do not pick and choose individual exams. This is one of the most common points of confusion about AP score reporting. If you have taken eight AP exams over three years, all eight scores go in the report.

However, you do have two options for keeping certain scores off the report:

• Withholding: You can withhold specific scores from a report for $10 per score, per college. The withheld scores remain on your College Board record and you can include them in future reports. Withholding is reversible.
• Cancellation: You can permanently cancel a score, which deletes it from your record entirely. Cancellation must be requested by College Board's deadline (typically mid-June for that year's exams). Once cancelled, the score cannot be recovered.

Withholding is almost always the better choice because it is reversible. Only cancel a score if you are certain you will never want it on any report.

When to Send Your AP Scores

In most cases, you only need to send official scores to the one college you will actually attend. Here is a smart approach to timing:

• During registration: Use your free score send for your top-choice college. There is no risk — you can always send additional reports later.
• For applications: Many colleges accept self-reported AP scores on your application. You do not need to send official reports to every school you apply to.
• After you commit: Once you know which college you will attend, send an official score report to that college if you did not already use your free send. This is typically when official scores matter most — for credit and placement decisions.
• After scores are released (July): If you want to see your scores before deciding which ones to send, wait until July. You can then withhold any scores you are unhappy with before sending the report.

Check each college's specific requirements. Some colleges need official scores by orientation or by the start of classes to award credit, while others have more flexible deadlines. Visit our AP credit policies guide to see what scores different colleges require for credit.

Frequently Asked Questions

This guide is based on publicly available College Board policies as of early 2026. AP score reporting fees, delivery timelines, and withholding policies may change. Visit AP Students for the most current information. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by College Board.