ACT Sign Up: Registration Steps, Photo Rules, and Deadlines for 2026–27

To sign up for the ACT, create or open your MyACT account, choose an available test date and center, select paper or online testing where offered, decide whether to add Science or Writing, enter accurate school and score-recipient information, pay or apply an eligible fee waiver, and upload a compliant photo before its separate deadline. Registration is not complete enough for test day until your name, photo, ID and ticket details agree.

Ahrefs data for this content batch identifies “ACT sign up” as a transactional query with 3,400 monthly U.S. searches and “ACT registration” as its broader parent topic. This page therefore stays on the actual registration workflow rather than turning into a generic study guide.

Before opening MyACT

Collect these items:

• your legal name exactly as it appears on the photo ID you will bring;
• home address and contact details;
• high-school information, if enrolled;
• date of birth;
• a current head-and-shoulders photo file;
• preferred test date plus a backup;
• transportation radius for test-center search;
• college or scholarship recipient codes, if you plan to select them;
• fee-waiver code, if an eligible school counselor issued one;
• accommodation needs and school contact, if applicable.

Use ACT's live registration page for current availability. A blog cannot see which seats remain in your account.

Step-by-step ACT registration

1. Create or recover the correct MyACT account

Use an email you can access through score release and applications. Do not create a second account just because an old score is missing; contact ACT if account history needs to be connected.

Enter the name that matches your test-day ID. A nickname in one place and legal name in another can create a check-in problem.

2. Choose the test date backward from the deadline

Start with the college, scholarship or program's last accepted score date, not simply its application deadline. Then choose a test whose score-release window leaves margin for processing.

ACT publishes 2026–27 national dates on its test hub. For example, its current pages list September 19, October 17 and December 12, 2026, followed by February 27, April 10, June 12 and July 10, 2027. Dates and centers can have location exceptions, so verify the live registration screen.

3. Select a test center and format

Search a realistic travel area. A center name alone does not guarantee easy transportation at an early Saturday hour. Save the address, but recheck the admission ticket near test day for updates.

If online and paper are both available, choose the format you can practice authentically. Online national testing still occurs at an authorized center. A Bring Your Own Device option, when offered, requires advance device setup and a charged laptop plus charger.

4. Choose optional Science and Writing deliberately

The current Composite uses English, Math and Reading. Science and Writing are optional. Before removing them, check requirements for every college, scholarship, STEM program or state-specific purpose on your list.

Optional does not mean free. Review the current cart and ACT fee page before submitting. Makon's ACT fee guide explains the categories without freezing a changeable price into your plan.

5. Add score recipients with the right codes

Recipient codes control where reports go. Match the institution and campus carefully. Before using an included report, know the consequence: you are selecting a recipient before seeing the result. Some students prefer to wait; others need included reporting. Follow the destination's instructions.

6. Request accommodations through the proper route

Select the accommodations need during registration. Enrolled students generally work with their school official after ACT sends the request email. Homeschooled or non-enrolled examinees use ACT's separate process. Registration alone does not approve accommodations, and a prior school accommodation does not guarantee ACT approval.

Read ACT's accommodations instructions early because documentation and review take time.

7. Pay, apply a valid waiver, and save confirmation

Review the date, center, format, optional sections and services before checkout. ACT fee waivers have eligibility rules and must be issued properly; they are not transferable coupon codes.

Save the order confirmation and sign back in to confirm the registration appears.

8. Upload the registration photo

ACT's photo rules require a recent, clear image of only you, facing the camera against a plain background. No filters, dark glasses, text or stickers are allowed. Do not scan your driver's-license photo.

The file may be JPG, JPEG, PNG or BMP, no larger than 5 MB and at least 640 × 480 pixels. The photo deadline is separate from regular registration. Missing it can cancel your registration without a refund.

Final account audit

Account field	Must match or confirm
Name	Original valid photo ID
Photo	Current appearance and ACT photo rules
Test date/center	Transportation and recipient deadline
Format	Practice environment and device requirement
Optional sections	Every destination's policy
Accommodations	Approval status, not just request submitted
Ticket	Current center instructions and test details

ACT's test-day page says to bring the admission ticket and an acceptable original hard-plastic photo ID. If you lack one, ACT permits its Student Identification Form when completed by a school official or notary—not a relative.

Makon's ACT registration guide covers account troubleshooting, and the guide to the best ACT month helps choose among administrations.

Makon action: Screenshot or record the confirmation number, then create three reminders: photo deadline, device/accommodation status check, and ticket/ID check one week before the test. Registration errors are calendar problems, so put them on the calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sign up after the regular deadline?

ACT may offer late registration with an additional fee and subject to seat availability. Use the live date page; late registration is not guaranteed at your preferred center.

Can someone else create my ACT account?

A family member can help, but the student should control accurate identity, school, recipient and consent information and retain access to the account.

Is the photo deadline the same as registration?

Not necessarily. ACT publishes separate photo-upload deadlines. Missing the photo deadline can cancel an otherwise paid registration.