Counselor's Guide to Fee Waivers

*PROFILE also considers Parental Net Assets when determining automatic online fee-waiver eligibility since this is a key factor in the student aid process.

About the SAT Fee-Waiver Service

As a not-for-profit membership organization, the College Board is committed to excellence and equity in education. Our

mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. The SAT

Fee-Waiver Service is a mission-based program

that serves hundreds of thousands of low-income students every year, and it provides much more than simply the waiver of

test fees — it gives low-income students access to a comprehensive set of resources that help them prepare for the tests

and take the next steps toward college. Fee waivers are available for low-income, college-aspiring high school students who

meet the eligibility guidelines outlined in this pamphlet.

Last year, the SAT Fee-Waiver Service again reached a record number of low-income students, thanks in large part to the

passionate efforts of counselors and student advocates like you. We hope to build on last year’s success and continue to

support you in distributing fee waivers to qualified students and encouraging each recipient not only to register, but to be

present on test day.

Improving Access to Higher Education

Fee waivers offer a great opportunity for low-income students to show colleges that they are prepared by taking the SAT

or SAT Subject Tests

™

. However, some students encounter barriers that prevent them from showing up for the tests after

registering. Counselors can play an important role in increasing test-day attendance. Here are a few effective strategies used

by your peers:

• Carefully identify low-income students who are college aspiring.

• Connect fee-waiver recipients to the full suite of free SAT and SAT Subject Test practice materials, so they can feel more

confident and prepared as test day approaches.

• Provide encouragement through reminders to plan transportation and other logistics.

• Continue to be a supportive guide and mentor.

We encourage you to use these strategies and to let us know if you have other useful ideas to share in supporting low-

income students by emailing us at counselorfeedback@collegeboard.org.

Last year the College Board introduced the SAT Counselor Registration Report, a free tool to help school counselors track

their students’ progress. This service allows counselors to view and create customized reports showing your students

who are registered for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests. You can also track who used a fee waiver, which students were

absent on test day, and other useful information to put students on the path to college. For more information, visit

satresourcecenter.collegeboard.org/reg-roster.

Streamlined Eligibility Criteria

In an effort to assist counselors in appropriately identifying students who are eligible for a College Board fee waiver, we

have streamlined our eligibility criteria. Now, you can refer to a single fee-waiver eligibility criterion that can be easily used by

counselors across all College Board programs (AP

, PSAT/NMSQT

, SAT, and CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE

*) when advising

students. If a student is either enrolled in or eligible to participate in the federal Free and Reduced Price Lunch program

(FRPL) he or she is eligible to receive a College Board fee waiver. If the student is not enrolled in the FRPL program, or their

enrollment status cannot be easily determined, you can still use a familiar set of additional indicators to determine student

eligibility to receive a College Board fee waiver. See page 2 of this guide for detailed eligibility criteria.

Counselor’s Guide to Fee Waivers

for the SAT

and the SAT Subject Tests

™

2012-13

collegeboard.org/feewaiver

Allocating and Reordering

Fee-Waiver Cards

High schools and qualifying agencies receive allocations of

cards based on the number of fee waivers that their students

actually used for testing in the October 2011 through January

2012 administrations of the SAT and SAT Subject Tests. Your

high school or agency code allows us to match fee-waiver

usage to your school or agency for this allocation process. Be

sure to write the code on the cards you distribute.

If, after distributing the fee-waiver cards to eligible students at

your institution, you need to reorder, please call the Educator

Help Line at 888-SAT-HELP (728-4357) or +1 212-520-8600

internationally.

More than Just a Waiver

The SAT and the SAT Subject Tests are more than just

tests — they are keys that open the door to college

opportunity. In turn, fee waivers offer more than just the

waiver of test fees. An eligible student can take advantage of

all the following services for free or at a reduced rate:

• Up to two registrations for the SAT and up to two

registrations for the SAT Subject Tests — a total of

four fee waivers. One fee-waiver card covers one SAT

registration ($50 value) or up to three SAT Subject Tests

on one test day ($70 maximum value).

• Four additional flexible score reports, which can be

ordered at registration or after the student has received

his or her scores ($44 maximum value).

• The Question-and-Answer Service or the Student Answer

Service. Students must order the service when registering

to receive it at no charge ($18 maximum value).

• A $40 discount off the regular price of The Official SAT Online

Course

™

with any online registration using a fee waiver.

• Coverage of the international fee and security surcharge

($55 maximum value).

• Up to four Request for Waiver of College Application Fee

forms. The SAT Fee Waiver Directory of Colleges lists

colleges and universities that have agreed to consider

waiving their application fees. For a copy of the directory

and more information on the fee-waiver services and

benefits, go to collegeboard.org/feewaiver.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible students must be in the 11th or the 12th grade to use

fee waivers for the SAT. Students may be in any grade of high

school, 9–12, to use fee waivers for SAT Subject Tests. Fee

waivers are available to high school students residing in the

United States or U.S. territories, and to U.S. citizens residing

outside the U.S. who meet at least one of the eligibility

criteria below.

Primary College Board Fee-Waiver Eligibility Criteria

A student must be either enrolled in or eligible to participate in

the federal Free and Reduced Price Lunch program (FRPL) in

order to receive a fee waiver.

Additional Fee-Waiver Eligibility Indicators

If the student is not enrolled in the FRPL program, or his or her

enrollment status cannot be easily determined, you can use

the following list of additional indicators to determine student

eligibility to receive a College Board fee waiver:

1. The student’s annual family income falls within the Income

Eligibility Guidelines set by the United States Department

of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service.

2. The student is enrolled in a federal, state, or local program

that aids students from low-income families (e.g., TRIO

programs such as Upward Bound).

3. The student’s family receives public assistance.

4. The student lives in federally subsidized public housing,

a foster home or is homeless.

5. The student is a ward of the state or an orphan.

2012–2013 Income Eligibility Guidelines

NUMBER OF MEMBERS

IN HOUSEHOLD

(including head of household)

TOTAL

ANNUAL INCOME

(in preceding calendar year)

1 $20,665

2 $27,991

3 $35,317

4 $42,643

5 $49,969

6 $57,295

1. The household size should be the number of household members

plus the filer on the family’s current tax statement. A student who is

in foster care is considered a household size of one person.

2. Income levels are based on the USDA Food and Nutrition Service

Income Eligibility Guidelines used by schools, institutions and

facilities participating in the FRPL.

To view the full table, go to www.fns.usda.gov/cnd and select “Income

Eligibility.”

More than six members in the household?

To determine income levels for families with more than six household

members, take the annual allowance for six members ($57,295) and

add $7,326 for each additional member.

Note: Fee-waiver eligibility may be subject to audit. Make sure

to complete the counselor section on the front of every fee-

waiver card you distribute.

International Students

• Eligible U.S. citizens who will be testing outside the United

States may receive fee waivers, which cover the cost of

regular registration, the international fee, and the additional

surcharge for testing in India or Pakistan. The student is

responsible for all other fees.

• Eligible students who are foreign nationals who live and

test in the United States or U.S. territories may also

receive fee waivers.

Home-Schooled Students

Home-schooled students may contact you to obtain a fee

waiver. These students must provide proof of eligibility (tax

records, public assistance records or record of enrollment in

an aid program). We know these students are not part of the

population you normally serve, and we thank you for helping

us give them access to the SAT and SAT Subject Tests.

When you provide a card to a home-schooled student, print

“970000” instead of your regular College Board high school

or agency code on the card.

Completing and Distributing

Fee-Waiver Cards

Fee-waiver cards are to be judiciously distributed to eligible

low-income, college-aspiring students on a case-by-case basis.

You can issue up to four fee-waiver cards (two for the SAT and

two for SAT Subject Tests) to an eligible student as follows:

1. Fill out the first section of the fee-waiver card completely.

Cards that are incomplete will be returned

unprocessed to the student.

• Fill in the College Board high school code or agency

code. This number, combined with the preprinted

number on the card, creates a unique 12-digit

fee-waiver code. (Required)

• Print and sign your name to confirm student’s eligibility.

(Required)

• Fill in one or more of the ovals to indicate the eligibility

criteria that the student meets. (Required)

2. Instruct the student to complete the student information

section, and provide a copy of the Guidelines for Families,

(also available in Spanish at collegeboard.org/feewaiver).

Please stress how important it is for him or her to show

up on test day.

Sample of a Fee-Waiver Card with Section 1 Completed

by Counselor

Registration Using a Fee Waiver

To register online, the student uses or creates a free account at

sat.collegeboard.org. During the registration process, the

student will be prompted to enter the unique 12-digit fee-waiver

code as well as the counselor name and eligibility criteria

marked on the front of the fee-waiver card.

To register by mail, the student must indicate his or her

gender, date of birth, high school code, and grade level, then

enclose the completed card in the envelope provided with The

Paper Registration Guide. The student also needs to attach a

photo of himself or herself to the registration form. Starting

with the March 2013 test date, any registration submitted

without a photo will be returned unprocessed. See The Paper

Registration Guide for more information.

Important Registration Notes

Please make sure your students understand the following

points about registering with fee waivers:

• Fee waivers may not be used for waitlist status, and they do

not cover fees for changing a registration.

• Students registering by mail must enclose both the

registration form (with all required sections filled in)

and the fee-waiver card in the envelope provided.

• Fee waivers can only be used for one registration. If the

student misses the test date, she or he can transfer the

registration to a new test date (achange fee will apply).

• Test fees are not refundable, even if a student who has

paid test fees would have been eligible to use a fee

waiver.

• Late registration with a Fee Waiver is allowed

for the October administration only. Students using

a fee waiver to register for testing in the United States

or U.S. territories will have until the late-registration

deadline of Sept. 21, 2012, to register (with no additional

charge). Late registration is not available for international

registrations.

• The fee-waiver card may not be reproduced or changed in

any manner. The College Board can only accept an original

card that is completely filled out as payment for the test

date. Reproduced, faxed, altered or incomplete cards will

not be processed.

Helping Students Prepare

for the Test

The College Board offers a wide range of free and affordable

practice resources, available both in print and online. Besides

providing the Guidelines for Families, please also distribute

the Getting Ready booklets to fee-waiver students who have

limited access to the Internet. Encourage students to use

computer equipment at school or in the library to explore all the

resources available at sat.collegeboard.org/practice, which

have been updated for 2012-13.

DUPLICATE

DO NOT

DUPLICATE

2011-12 Fee Waiver

For the SAT

and SAT Subject Tests

™

Enter your College Board high school code/agency code.

This must be included to create a valid 12-digit code.

Important: This 12-digit fee-waiver code is good for only one registration, and it can be

used to register for the SAT or up to three SAT Subject Tests on a single test day.

_____________________________________________________________________

Counselor’s Name (REQUIRED — please print.)

_____________________________________________________________________

Counselor’s Signature (REQUIRED)

By signing, I conﬁrm that the student listed below meets one or more of

the following eligibility requirements to receive an SAT fee waiver. I also

acknowledge that fee-waiver eligibility may be audited.

Fill in the ovals that apply (REQUIRED):

The student is enrolled in or eligible for the Free and Reduced Price

Lunch program.

The student is enrolled in a federal, state or local program that aids

students from low-income families (e.g., TRIO programs such as

Upward Bound).

The student’s annual family income falls within the Income Eligibility

Guidelines set by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (provided at

collegeboard.org/satfeewaivers).

The student’s family receives public assistance.

The student lives in federally subsidized public housing or a foster

home or is homeless.

The student is a ward of the state or an orphan.

1. TO BE COMPLETED BY COUNSELOR (REQUIRED)

All required ﬁelds, including name and signature of both counselor and stu-

dent, as well as the eligibility criteria the student meets, must be completed

for this card to be accepted as valid payment for test fees. Incomplete cards will

be returned unprocessed. See the Counselor’s Guide to Fee Waivers for instructions.

MAXIMUM VALUE OF FEES WAIVED (per card):

SAT

: $49 Score Reports: $42

SAT Subject Tests

™

: $66 Online Course Discount: $40

QAS/SAS $18

This card does not cover late, standby or change fees.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE ON REVERSE SIDE

Valid from Aug. 13, 2011, through Aug. 10, 2012.

2. TO BE COMPLETED BY ELIGIBLE STUDENT (REQUIRED)

By signing and submitting this card, I conﬁrm that I am eligible to use an

SAT fee waiver, as outlined in the 2011-12 Fee Waivers for SAT and SAT

Subject Tests pamphlet and online at collegeboard.org/feewaivers.

I understand that if any portion of this card is not completed, my

registration will be returned unprocessed.

_____________________________________________________________________

Student’s Name (REQUIRED — please print.)

_____________________________________________________________________

Student’s Signature (REQUIRED)

1 2 3 4 5 6 WXYZAB

Ms. College Counselor

registered trademarks of the College Board. BigFuture, SAT Subject Tests, The Official SAT Online Course and YouCanGo are trademarks owned by

the College Board. PSAT/NMSQT is a registered trademark of the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation. All other products and

services may be trademarks of their respective owners. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.

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About the College Board

The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College

Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s leading educational

institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare

for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT

and the Advanced

Placement Program

. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools.

Free Additional Score Reports

Students who are eligible for fee waivers can use their

additional score report credits at registration or after

they receive their scores. They receive a total of four

credits in their testing lifetime no matter how many times

they register. Additional score report credits are applied

automatically; students send them just as they would send

other score reports (online is the easiest way). They can also

track their use of additional score report credits online at

sat.collegeboard.org/feewaiver.

If an eligible student has not used a fee waiver to register,

she or he will need to enter a fee-waiver code on the screen

or paper score report order form to apply the additional score

report credits. In such cases, you will need to issue a fee-

waiver card.

For more information on how students can send score reports,

go to collegeboard.org/satscorereports.

Helping Students Take the

Next Steps

YouCanGo!

™

shows students that the goal of going to college

is within their reach. YouCanGo! features video and transcript

testimonials of students who, while facing many obstacles,

managed to apply and go to college. It challenges students to

“take the pledge”— to make a commitment to go to college

and share their desire with others. Encourage your students to

boost their confidence and reinforce their commitment to their

own college path by visiting ycg.org.

Once a student has decided to apply to college, he or she

will need a plan to make that goal a reality. The College Board

recently launched bigfuture.org, a comprehensive college

planning site filled with examples of how real students made

their college choices. The site helps students find out more

about the application process, access financial aid tools,

explore majors and more — all to help them narrow down their

choices and find the right college. Encourage your students to

go to bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started to learn more

about all the resources available, and to start creating their own

customized plans to make the dream of college a reality.

Request for Waiver

of College Application Fees

A student who uses a fee waiver for the SAT or SAT Subject

Tests and plans to enter college in the 2013-14 academic

year can be given up to four Request for Waiver of College

Application Fee forms. A student can receive the waiver form

if he or she (1) meets one or more eligibility criteria for using

an SAT fee waiver, (2) is applying for admission to college,

and (3) has used a fee waiver or has taken an SAT that was

paid for by a state or district initiative. (Note: This form is

NOT a fee-waiver card. Students should NOT SEND the

forms to the College Board. They must enclose the forms

with their college applications.)

Students should only send the forms to institutions included

in the SAT Fee Waiver Directory of Colleges, which is

available online at collegeboard.org/feewaiver. The

institutions listed in the directory are not obligated to waive

their application fees.

Paying for College

Students using fee waivers for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests

can learn more about scholarship opportunities and financial aid

processes, including CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, the financial

aid application service of the College Board, at

collegeboard.org/scholarships.

Have Questions?

If you have other questions about the SAT Fee-Waiver Service,

go to collegeboard.org/feewaiver, email us at feewaiver@

collegeboard.org or call the SAT Educator Help Line at

888-SAT-HELP (728-4357). If you’re calling from outside of the

United States, call +1 212-520-8600. Make sure to have your

College Board high school or agency code available when you

email or call.