AP exam cost, ordering deadline and format for May 2027
AP exams cost $99 each in 2026-27 at schools in the US, its territories, Canada and Department of Defense schools overseas, and $129 elsewhere. The final on-time ordering deadline for the May 2027 exams is November 13, 2026, which is about a month away.
Last checked October 2026. Fees and deadlines are from College Board’s AP Central pages. Schools can add their own administration fees, so what you pay may differ. The 2027 exam schedule was not available to us, so check AP Central for dates.
Fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Exam fee, on-time order, US, territories, Canada and DoD schools | $99 per exam |
| Exam fee at schools everywhere else | $129 per exam |
| Late order fee (orders from November 14, 2026 to March 12, 2027) | $40 per exam in addition to the base fee |
| Unused or canceled exam fee | $40 per exam |
| Fee reduction for eligible students | $37 per exam off the $99, so $62 before any school rebate; a College Board guide cites $53 per exam |
2026-27 fees from College Board’s AP Central. Your school may charge more.
College Board says AP Seminar and AP Research now cost the same as other AP exams. It also says that from 2026-27 it will waive unused or canceled exam fees for a new AP course in its launch year, which applies to AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity. Some school pages list other prices, such as $89 or $107, because schools set their own administration charges, so ask your coordinator.
Scores
AP exams are scored by college faculty and AP readers and reported on a 1 to 5 scale, per a school page quoting College Board. One third-party guide says a score report is included, with one free report sent to a college of your choice.
Format changes
- Digital via Bluebook. A third-party guide says 28 AP exams ran in Bluebook in 2026, 16 fully digital and 12 hybrid with multiple choice on screen and free response on paper.
- From May 2027. College Board says AP Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish Language and Culture become fully digital, as do AP Spanish Literature and Culture and AP Statistics. AP Music Theory becomes a hybrid exam.
- New courses. A guide says two new courses launch in 2026-27 with first exams in May 2027, AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity, part of College Board’s AP Career Kickstart program.
Common questions
Is financial help available?
College Board says some states also provide funding for AP exams, and it offers a fee reduction for eligible students. Ask your school’s AP coordinator.
Do I register with College Board directly?
Not by yourself in most cases. College Board says schools order the exams and collect fees, and payment is not due to College Board at the time of ordering.