Does sending the December 5th SAT to colleges without looking at the score first ensure timely arrival for January 1st regular decision? (My schools do not accept SAT scores after the application deadline passes.) I found this link on the collegeboard website: https://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-reasoning/scores/dates
but I’m rather confused. Are the dates listed in the 2nd table called “to higher education institutions” for colleges when they receive SAT scores, or when the scores begin to be sent by the collegeboard? Thanks.
Check your colleges carefully because most with Jan 1 application deadlines actually accept test scores that arrive after the deadline, and many even take the Jan SAT. If it is unclear on your college’s website, check to see if it accpets the Dec ACT. If it does, it must accept scores after Jan 1 because many ACT scores are not even released until after Jan 1.
College Board has three forms of delivery that a college can sign up for. The college can require mail delivery of paper scores, have scores delivered via mail on CD’s, or have an online account with College Board into which CB places all scores (the internet score delivery mentioned on the webpage you cite). Colleges need adequate software to do the online account option but most have now opted for that, including because the charge College Board requires the college to pay for paper delivery (probably none still have that) and CD delivery is a lot more than it charges for downloading scores into an online account.
If the colleges to which you are applying have online accounts with CB (likely), then designating the college in your test registration as one to receive scores upon release is the fastest form of delivery and the download into that file usually occurs on the day, or up to two business days before, the scores are released to you online. Moreover, in that situation sending and delivery are simultaneous events. The college offically has the scores even though it may take some time to go into its online account to download the socres and match them to your application file (that can actually take anywhere from a day to two weeks after CB puts the scores into the college’s account, depending on the college).