Dive Brief:

• The new $1.8 million dollar initiative, aimed at increasing access to college, will positively impact 15,000 juniors at 92 public high schools.
• In 2015, 56% of NYC students took the SAT, offered at cost during the weekend. 
• States including Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia will be offering free SAT exams at every public school for the 2015-16 academic year.

Dive Insight:

For students who work on the weekend, and for those who are low-income, a long-existing barrier to college has been pricey weekend SAT and ACT testing. NYC's new initiative is not unique, and many other states have already begun offering the test for free during regular school hours. SAT's currently cost $54.50 per test. The move also encourages students to take the test more than once. 

The initiative is supported by the nonprofit Khan Academy, which provides free resources to student test-takers. Khan already offers free SAT test prep in other districts, including the Houston Independent School District, the seventh-largest in the U.S. The College Board itself has also made strides towards accessibility, launching a free app called "Daily Practice for the New SAT." 

The uptick in SAT accessibility initiatives comes at a time when colleges are paying less attention to SAT scores, with just 13% of the top 300 colleges now requiring SAT essays.