Should I List Colleges on the SAT/ACT?

Do you have to list colleges on the SAT/ACT test forms, or can you submit the test scores later?  If you submit them later, does it hurt the chances of scholarships?

~Lisa

Hi Lisa!  

Thanks for coming to my seminar in Vancouver!  To answer your question, you are not required to list colleges on the SAT or ACT, or PSAT for that matter,  although you do have the option. Nothing bad will happen if you don’t list colleges, and some parents choose not to do that when they feel uncertain about how their student will perform on the test.  You can submit your scores later, but it may have an additional charge associated with releasing the scores.  SAT has recently updated their reporting policy to allow for “score choice.”    Their policy seems to change frequently, it seems to me.  

I submitted out SAT scores only to our first choice college when we took it the first time.  I knew we would probably repeat the SAT, so I wasn’t too concerned about them scoring poorly.  The second time they took the SAT, we had a much better idea about where they would apply, so they released their scores to all of the colleges.  If you feel like your child will score average or better, than you could feel comfortable using that strategy.  

If you submit their scores later, it may not affect their chances of a scholarship.  I have heard of some colleges that will provide scholarships IF you score highly on the SAT and IF you list their college as your first choice college.  That seems like a lot of “ifs” when you are just beginning to look at things.  If you child is likely to score very highly, then you may want to list at least their first choice university.

For more information about marketing your child so they can compete for scholarships, you may want to look at my video “Getting the BIG Scholarships.”  I will occassionally have a video presentation on my Gold Care Club website called “College Scholarships for High School Credit” that describes how to apply for the smaller private scholarships. 

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