South Carolina AP Exam Fee Assistance
Funding for South 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.
For fee-reduced students in public schools, the State of South Carolina will contribute $53 per AP Exam. This brings the final fee down to $0. Funding is available for public, nonpublic, virtual, and homeschool students, provided they take the AP course and exam at a South Carolina public school.
However, the State of South Carolina won’t provide funding for AP Precalculus, AP African American Studies, AP Business with Personal Finance, AP Cybersecurity, and AP Networking Exams.
Schools are expected to forgo their $9 rebate for fee-reduced students.
Standard-Fee Students
“Standard-fee students” don’t qualify for College Board fee reductions. The State of South Carolina will pay $90 per AP Exam. Schools are expected to forgo the $9 rebate for exams paid for by the state. Funding is available for public, private, virtual, and homeschool students, provided they take the AP course and exam at a South Carolina public school.
However, the State of South Carolina won’t provide funding for AP Precalculus, AP African American Studies, AP Business with Personal Finance, AP Cybersecurity, and AP Networking Exams.
Fees for South Carolina Students
| AP Exam | AP Precalculus, AP African American Studies, AP Business with Personal Finance, AP Cybersecurity, and AP Networking | $9 Rebate Collected from Students? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee-Reduced Students | $0 | $53 | No |
| Standard-Fee Students | $0 | $99 | At school's discretion |
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).
Special Instructions for Virtual, Homeschool, and Private School Students
- South Carolina students are only eligible to receive the state funding if they’re enrolled in the corresponding AP course at a South Carolina public school. If this isn’t done correctly, the physical school where an unenrolled virtual school student took their exams will be charged, rather than the state.
- Students taking AP courses at a virtual school, such as VirtualSC, must be enrolled in both:
- The exam-only section at the school where they’ll be taking the exam
- A class section for the corresponding course through their virtual school
- Virtual schools must ensure that their AP teachers enroll all their students in AP Registration and Ordering.
- For more information on enrolling these students taking AP in virtual schools, visit Ordering AP Exams for Students Who Don’t Attend Your School or Independent Study Students or see pages 36-38 of the AP Coordinator's Manual, Part 1.
- Students taking AP courses at a virtual school, such as VirtualSC, must be enrolled in both:
- The state will also pay for eligible AP Exams taken by homeschool and private school students. However, these students must be enrolled in the class section for the corresponding AP course at a public school to receive state funding.
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 the state directly for its share of the qualifying students' AP Exam fees.
- Send payment to College Board for AP Exams not covered by the state along with any other additional fees due.
- June 15, 2026, is the postmark deadline for payment due to College Board.
- Email a copy of your school’s invoice to Leslie Dawes, SC Dept. of Ed., by June 15, 2026.
For More Information
Contact Leslie Dawes, South Carolina Department of Education
849 Learning Lane
W. Columbia, SC 29172
T. 803-734-4944