October ACT Registration Closes Thursday

September is the month seniors realize their test calendar is shorter than they thought. Here are the two deadlines you need to act on now, and what they actually mean for your application timeline.

The Deadlines Happening Right Now

October 17 ACT — regular registration closes September 11

Four days from now. If you want to take the ACT on October 17, the standard registration deadline is this Thursday at act.org.¹ Late registration stays open through September 29 with a higher fee, so you have a small backup window — but test centers can fill, and the price goes up.

October 3 SAT — regular registration closes September 18

The next SAT date is October 3. Regular registration closes September 18; late registration runs through September 22.² Register at satsuite.collegeboard.org.

The September 12 SAT is this Friday — registration for it closed weeks ago.

This is what most students don't account for. The October 17 ACT posts initial scores around October 27. From there, scores typically take one to two weeks to reach colleges — putting them in mid-November, after November 1 Early Decision and Early Action deadlines. The October 3 SAT is borderline: scores post roughly October 17–24, leaving very little time for school processing before November 1. If you're applying ED to test-required schools with a November 1 deadline, an October test date carries real timing risk.

Who Should Still Register for October

Despite the timing constraint, there are clear cases where registering makes sense.

You're applying Regular Decision. If your target schools have January or February RD deadlines, October scores give you time to spare. This applies to the majority of applicants.

Your ED school has a November 15 deadline. Not every Early Decision deadline falls on November 1. Schools with November 15 or later deadlines give October SAT scores a real shot at arriving in time. Confirm your specific schools' cutoffs.

You're targeting Early Decision II. ED II deadlines are typically January 1 or 15. October scores fit this timeline without any pressure.

You want to self-report for now. Many colleges let you enter scores manually in the Common App at time of submission, then have official scores sent after the deadline. If October scores arrive after November 1 but before your application is reviewed, some schools will accept them. This is school-specific — check each admissions page or call the office directly.

Most schools that allow self-reported scores ask for official scores at some point before enrollment — not necessarily before the application deadline. If you take an October test, self-report your scores in the Common App, and request official score sends the same day results post, many schools will receive them in time for committee review even if they land after November 1. Always verify: look for language like "official scores may be submitted after the application deadline" on each school's admissions page. When it's unclear, a two-minute phone call to admissions is worth it.

Why This Test Window Matters More Than Usual

This isn't a normal test cycle. Six of the eight Ivy League schools now require SAT or ACT scores for 2026-27 applicants — Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Cornell, and Penn all require scores.¹ Columbia and Princeton are joining the required list for the 2027-28 cycle. Stanford, MIT, and Johns Hopkins also require scores.

If you're a senior applying to any of these schools, submitting a score is not optional. If you haven't tested yet — or your score is below the 25th percentile for your target school — a fall test date is your last realistic window. See what counts as a good ACT score and a good SAT score by school type, and review our SAT vs. ACT guide if you're still deciding which to take.

Fall 2026 Test Dates at a Glance

Test	Date	Regular Deadline	Late Deadline
SAT	September 12	(closed)	—
ACT	September 19	(closed)	(closed)
SAT	October 3	September 18	September 22
ACT	October 17	September 11	September 29
SAT	November 7	October 9	October 13
ACT	November 15	October 9	October 27

If you need scores in time for November 1 ED deadlines, you're looking at the September 12 SAT (registration closed) or the September 19 ACT (registration closed). The October dates work for RD, ED II, and schools with November 15+ deadlines. The November dates are your last option before January RD deadlines.

What to Do Today

1. Check your score against your target schools' ranges. Look up the middle 50% test score ranges for each school on your list.
2. Register at act.org or satsuite.collegeboard.org if you need another attempt. The ACT deadline is September 11.
3. Review each school's score submission policy. Some allow official scores to arrive after the application deadline as long as they're self-reported at the time of submission.
4. If you need prep time rather than just a test date, the November 7 SAT and November 15 ACT give you more runway — scores from those dates arrive before January RD deadlines.

Full registration windows and prep resources are at our ACT test dates guide and SAT test dates guide. For how to approach score submission now that test-required policies are back, see submitting scores to colleges.

Seniors finalizing their application calendar should also read our Early Decision vs. Early Action guide and the fall senior application timeline.

Footnotes

1. ACT. (2026). ACT National Test Dates Schedule 2026-2027. ACT. https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration/test-dates.html ↩ ↩²

2. College Board. (2026). SAT Suite Dates and Deadlines. College Board. https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/dates-deadlines ↩