What We Do

ACT provided more than $36 million in fee waivers last year to ensure that students from lower income families could take the ACT college readiness test, which was taken by 59 percent of U.S. high school 2015 graduates.

Current ACT initiatives to close the equity gap include:

• Fee waivers for the ACT® test

  ACT provides economically disadvantaged high school juniors and seniors with fee waivers for the ACT test. Waivers cover the basic fee for either the ACT (no writing) or the ACT with writing. Waivers also include one report to the high school and up to four sent to colleges of the student’s choice. For the 2014–2015 academic year, ACT provided fee waivers valued at more than $34 million to more than 700,000 low-income students.

• Free access to ACT Online Prep™

  Students who register for the ACT® test with a fee waiver will automatically receive free access to ACT Online Prep for a year. ACT Online Prep is designed to build students’ understanding of the ACT and provide them with the opportunity to evaluate their academic strengths and areas for development—on any device.

• Free access to live online instruction

  In spring 2016, ACT and Kaplan Test Prep partnered to create ACT® Kaplan Online Prep Live—the only online ACT preparation program that offers live, content-based instruction from expert teachers. The program is available at no cost to students who qualify for an ACT test fee waiver.

• Free online college and career planning tool

  ACT Profile is a free online college and career planning platform that students can access on any device. The free mobile platform is intended to reach millions of students, parents, and counselors, delivering personalized insights based on more than 30 years of ACT research. Students, parents, and counselors can use the tools to help them learn more about themselves, explore college and career possibilities, learn about scholarship opportunities, and take advantage of financial aid resources and plan for what’s next.

  The Center for Equity in Learning will build upon these efforts, and establish new initiatives and partnerships, to provide underserved and working learners with access to the information and resources they need to succeed in education and the workplace.