College Board: The Non-Profit Company Making Millions a Year

College Board, the company widely known for hosting the SAT and AP exams, is one of the largest corporations in the standardized testing industry, if not the largest. It defines itself as “a non-profit organization that clears a path for all students to own their future through the AP Program, SAT Suite, BigFuture, and more.” Despite the positivity that College Board’s mission statement exudes, many associate it negatively because of the monopoly that it holds over high school students.

To start, the pricing of College Board tests is unreasonable: taking the SAT costs $68 while each AP test costs $98, excluding taxes. The cost increases even further if a person signs up for a test past the initial deadline, causing an additional $40 per AP exam and $34 per SAT exam. These aren’t the only additional fees: there are also cancellation fees, a fee for sending scores, and a fee for changing test centers. After adding everything up, a person may spend well over $500 per year if they take the SAT and a few AP exams.

The high cost of these exams stem from the monopoly that College Board has over the standardized testing system. Because of its monopoly, College Board can price its tests as high as it wants since its exams are widely known to showcase academic achievement, causing millions of high school students each year to pay the hefty price. Also, many notable universities require a standardized test score, which increases demand to take the SAT.

College Board argues that the high fees cover operational costs, yet the company generates hundreds of millions in annual revenue. In fact, in 2023, College Board obtained a total profit of over 185 million dollars. Even if it is a large “non-profit” organization, it still has leeway to decrease its exam prices by at least a few dollars. Because all of these fees build up over time, even slight drops in prices can help leverage a student’s costs in the future.

Works Cited:

AP Exam Fees. (2016, May 16). AP Central. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/ordering-fees/exam-fees

Digital SAT Student FAQ: Pricing and Fees – SAT Suite | College Board. (2024). Collegeboard.org. https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/help-center/students/pricing-fees

‌Follow the Money - College Board Finances. (n.d.). Www.totalregistration.net. https://www.totalregistration.net/AP-Exam-Registration-Service/Follow-The-Money-History-of-College-Board-Finances.php

Opinion: Unpacking the College Board. (2023, February 3). The BSA Muse. https://musebsa.com/2023/02/03/commentary-unpacking-the-college-board/

Peterson, C. (n.d.). College Board’s Monopoly. Stuyspec.com. https://stuyspec.com/article/college-board-s-monopoly