North Carolina AP Exam Fee Assistance

Funding for North Carolina Schools for May 2026 AP Exams 

Fee-Reduced Students

“Fee-reduced students” qualify for the College Board fee reduction of $37 per exam. For eligibility criteria, visit AP Exam Fee Reductions.  

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) will fund exams for public school students who qualify for College Board fee reductions, provided they take the corresponding AP course. For eligible students, NC DPI will provide $53 per exam. This brings the final fee down to $0. 

Note: Funding is only available to public school students enrolled in an AP course. NC DPI won’t pay for private school students, homeschool students, or students who aren’t enrolled in an AP course. 

Schools are expected to forgo their $9 rebate for fee-reduced students. 

Standard-Fee Students

“Standard-fee students” are those who don’t qualify for College Board fee reductions. NC DPI will fund exam fees for standard-fee students in public schools, provided they take the corresponding AP course. For eligible students, NC DPI will provide $99 per exam. This brings the final fee down to $0.

Note: The fee for each AP Exam is $99, with the school normally retaining $9 of that fee as a rebate to defray administrative costs associated with AP Exam administration. However, considering that NC DPI pays for all AP Exam fees, public schools in North Carolina should no longer collect this fee from students. Instead, NC DPI will provide the $9 rebate to schools for each exam taken by a standard-fee student. 

In September 2026, your school will receive a rebate check from College Board for the amount equal to the number of standard-fee exams used by your school multiplied by $9. For example, if you used 100 standard-fee exams, your school will receive a rebate check in September 2026 for $900. 

Please note that the North Carolina rebate is separate from the Rebates for Schools with Large AP Programs.

Fees for North Carolina Public School Students

Steps for AP Coordinators

Before the Exams

• For your invoice to accurately reflect any fee reductions, the AP coordinator must indicate the fee reduction status for each eligible student in AP Registration and Ordering.  
  • For each student who is eligible for the College Board fee reduction, check the Reduced Fee box next to their name in the student roster.
  • For students who aren't eligible for the fee reduction, no action is needed.
• Fee reduction status is indicated only once per student, not for each exam.  
• If possible, indicate each student’s status by the time you submit your exam order. This ensures you have time to plan for and collect the appropriate exam fees.
• However, if you need more time to verify this information, the deadline to indicate students' fee reduction status in AP Registration and Ordering is April 30, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET).

Ensure Eligible Students are Enrolled in Class Sections in AP Registration and Ordering

• North Carolina public school students are only eligible to receive state subsidies for their AP Exams if they were enrolled in a class section in AP Registration and Ordering.
• Virtual schools must ensure that AP teachers enroll all their students in AP Registration and Ordering. Students taking AP courses at a virtual school (such as NCVirtual) must be enrolled in both:
  • The exam-only section at the school where they'll physically take the exam.
  • A class section for the corresponding course through their virtual school.
• For more information on enrolling students taking AP in virtual schools, visit Ordering AP Exams for Students Who Don’t Attend Your School or Independent Study Students, or see the AP Coordinator's Manual, Part 1.
• Self-study students, homeschooled students, IB students, and any private school students testing at a public school should be solely enrolled in an exam-only section so that the state subsidies aren’t applied.

After the Exams

• Your invoice will be automatically generated and emailed to you after late-testing administration ends. At that point, you can also access and print your invoice through AP Registration and Ordering.
• College Board will bill NC DPI directly for its share of the qualifying students' AP Exam fees.
• June 15, 2026, is the postmark deadline for payment due to College Board.
• AP coordinators don’t need to send a copy of their invoice to NC DPI. 

For More Information

Contact Brian Barnes, Senior Director, State and District Partnerships

T. 850.708.4324

Or Beth Cross, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

Mail Service Center 6307
Raleigh, NC 27699-6307
T. 984.236.2739