History of College Board in Timeline

The College Board is a U.S. non-profit organization established in 1899, originally as the College Entrance Examination Board, with the goal of broadening access to higher education. Although not a college association itself, it operates as a membership association for over 6,000 institutions, encompassing schools, colleges, universities, and other educational entities.

1905: Publication of New International Encyclopedia

In 1905, text was incorporated from a publication in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.

1922: Criticism of the College Board

In 1922, criticism of the College Board and its exams can be traced back to a Harvard Alumni Bulletin article from prep school teacher Morgan Barnes. Barnes's grievances included general incompetence in grading, excessive focus on exam preparation in classrooms, and overreliance on exam scores in the college admissions process.

1926: First administration of the SAT

In 1926, the SAT was first administered as a fee-based digital standardized test for college admissions in the United States.

1999: Gaston Caperton becomes CEO of College Board

In 1999, Gaston Caperton, former governor of West Virginia, became the CEO of the College Board.

2004: AP Chinese Language and Culture Course and Exam Program Development

In 2004, Hanban and the College Board collaborated to develop the "AP Chinese Language and Culture Course and Exam" program.

October 2005: Tests incorrectly scored

In October 2005, several thousand College Board tests were incorrectly scored. The error was discovered in March 2006.

2005: Les Perelman's study on essay length versus score

In 2005, MIT Writing Director Les Perelman found a high correlation between essay length and essay score on the new SAT, finding that he could accurately determine the score of an essay without even reading it.

March 2006: Discovery of scoring errors on October 2005 tests

In March 2006, it was discovered that the College Board had incorrectly scored several thousand tests taken in October 2005, with a delayed response and correction of affected students.

2006: Financial ties with Hanban in place

Since 2006, the College Board has maintained financial ties with Hanban.

2009: AETR criticizes College Board executive compensation

In 2009, Americans for Educational Testing Reform (AETR) criticized the College Board for violating its non-profit status through excessive profits and exorbitant executive compensation, with CEO Gaston Caperton earning $1.3 million. AETR also claims that College Board is acting unethically by selling test preparation materials, directly lobbying legislators and government officials, and refusing to acknowledge test-taker rights.

2009: CEO Caperton's compensation

In 2009, the College Board paid out a $1.3 million/year package for CEO Caperton.

October 2012: David Coleman becomes CEO of College Board

In October 2012, David Coleman replaced Gaston Caperton as the CEO of the College Board.

March 5, 2014: College Board announces redesigned SAT

On March 5, 2014, the College Board announced a redesigned version of the SAT, which would revert to a 1600-point scale and make the essay optional. The College Board also announced a partnership with Khan Academy to provide free test preparation materials.

May 13, 2015: New credential initiative announced with Project Lead the Way

On May 13, 2015, the College Board announced the release of a new credential initiative with a Project Lead the Way partnership to get students more interested in careers focused in STEM.

2015: Khan Academy partnership announced

In Spring 2015, the College Board announced the partnership with Khan Academy to provide free test preparation materials for the redesigned SAT. This included a preparation application to help students practice and identify areas of improvement. Practice problems and videos demonstrating step-by-step solutions were also made available.

2016: First administration of the redesigned SAT

In 2016, the redesigned version of the SAT was administered for the first time, reverting to a 1600-point scale and making the essay optional.

October 2017: October 2017 International SAT given in China

In October 2017, an international SAT was given in China. This exam was later recycled and given in America on August 25, 2018, and the leaked PDF file was on the internet before the August 25, 2018 exam.

2017: College Board surplus

In 2017, the College Board had a $140 million surplus.

August 25, 2018: Recycled SAT given in America

On August 25, 2018, the SAT given in America was a recycled October 2017 international SAT given in China. The leaked PDF file was on the internet before the August 25, 2018 exam.

2018: Pilot program for early AP test registration

In 2018, the College Board initiated a pilot program requiring students to sign up for AP tests during the fall before early-round college decisions.

2019: Official rollout of early AP test registration

In 2019, the College Board officially rolled out early AP test registration to all schools, requiring students to sign up for AP tests during the fall before early-round college decisions.

March 2020: Cancellation of test dates due to COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, the College Board announced the cancellation of several test dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading many colleges to temporarily or permanently change to test-optional or test-blind admissions policies.

May 2020: Glitches during AP exam submissions

In May 2020, some students were prevented from submitting their AP exams due to glitches, forcing them to retake the exams in June.

June 23, 2020: College Board and NBCUniversal Telemundo launch Triunfadores campaign

On June 23, 2020, The College Board and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises launched a joint public campaign Truinfadores in order to help guide primarily Spanish-speaking families through their child's college planning process. This campaign will offer funding to scholarships that are included in the College Board Opportunity Scholarship program that encourages students to apply for a chance to earn $40,000 towards their college tuition. These scholarships are open to any student, regardless of their citizenship status and are strictly reserved for students whose household income is less than $60,000.

October 2020: College Board to Terminate Financial Ties with Hanban

In October 2020, the College Board declared its intention to end its financial connections with Hanban, which had been in place since 2006. This decision followed a letter from U.S. senators expressing concerns about the relationship due to Hanban's affiliation with the Chinese government.

2020: Alternate AP testing format due to COVID-19

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board created an alternate form of AP testing where students took shortened 45-minute, open-book exams at home, with reports of disruptions during the process.

2020: Exam fee worth $155 in 2020

In 2020, the exam fee from the College Board's original plan of organization was worth approximately $155.

2020: SAT Suite of Assessment Program results

The 2021 SAT Suite of Assessment Program results showed that 1.5 million high school students took compared to the 2.2 million students in 2020 who participated taking this test.

January 19, 2021: College Board discontinues SAT Subject Tests

On January 19, 2021, the College Board discontinued SAT Subject Tests, effective immediately in the United States.

June 2021: College Board discontinues SAT essay section

After June 2021, CollegeBoard discontinued the optional essay section of the SAT.

September 2021: College Board charges for student information

As of September 2021, the College Board charges $0.50 per name for access to student information. The New York Civil Liberties Union revealed that one of the College Board's customers was JAMRS, a military recruitment program run by the United States Department of Defense. The College Board and ACT have been sued over the use of this information and there is criticism that students are not sufficiently made aware that their data is being sold, or that disclosure of certain data is optional. The College Board has received substantial backlash for these practices.

2021: SAT Suite of Assessment Program results

The 2021 SAT Suite of Assessment Program results showed that 1.5 million high school students took compared to the 2.2 million students in 2020 who participated taking this test.

January 25, 2022: College Board announces digital SAT

On January 25, 2022, the College Board announced that the SAT will be delivered digitally, featuring a 2-hour testing period, more relevant topics, and calculator use throughout the Math portion. The change was prompted by COVID-related testing disruptions.

2024: PSAT transitioned to Bluebook application

As of Spring 2024, all PSATs have been transitioned to be taken on the Bluebook exam application.

2024: SAT and PSAT Transition to Digital

As of spring 2024, all SAT and PSATs transitioned to digital only using the Bluebook application. Some AP exams are fully digital, while others are paper only or a hybrid of the two. College Board is working to transition the remaining AP paper exams to digital exams in the future.

March 2025: AP exam cost

As of March 2025, AP exams cost $99 with an additional $40 fee for late orders.

June 2025: SAT Reasoning registration fee

As of June 2025, the SAT Reasoning registration fee was $68 with an additional $34 fee for late registrations.

2025: Digital AP Testing via Bluebook App

As of 2025, following the COVID-19 pandemic, College Board began to roll out digital AP testing via the Bluebook app, with some exams fully digital, others paper-only or hybrid.