Sending ACT score to colleges

I've heard from my seniors about having to send official ACT scores to colleges. Can anyone here explain the process? How and where do I send them? Also, I'm really interested to know if there is a deadline for this.

To send your ACT scores to colleges, you'll need to go through the ACT website.

1. Log into your ACT account on the ACT website. If you don't have an account, you'll need to create one.

2. Once you're logged in, head to the section designated for sending scores. There, you'll be able to select colleges from a dropdown list. You can search for a specific school by their name or by entering the school's code. If you don't see your school on this list, you can manually enter their code.

3. Upon selecting the schools to receive your scores, verify your selections, then move on to make the payment. Each score report costs money (for most colleges) unless you already selected these schools on your original registration form. The fee assigned will reflect in your cart.

4. After making the payment, you will have officially sent your ACT score. You'll receive a confirmation email for your payment.

Every college has a different deadline for receiving test scores, so you'll want to check each school's individual admissions website for this information. If you're applying early decision or early action, these deadlines will be earlier. As a general timeline, for regular decision, aim to take the ACT no later than the fall of your senior year, so colleges will receive your scores on time.

Remember that some colleges are test-optional due to the pandemic, so it's vital to confirm each institution's test policy before sending your score. If they are test-optional, you get to decide whether or not to send them based on how strong your scores are.