AP Exam Registration 2027: October 2, November 13 and March 12 Ordering Deadlines

AP Exam ordering happens through schools

Students usually do not register for AP Exams through an individual national checkout page. Schools and AP coordinators manage AP Registration and Ordering. For the 2026-27 school year, College Board lists three major ordering milestones that students and families should understand even though the coordinator completes the actual order.

What should be complete by November 13?

College Board says schools should complete initial setup, create the relevant full-year and first-semester class sections and exam-only sections, enroll students in those sections, and submit exam orders by the final November deadline. Students should not assume that simply being in an AP class guarantees an exam has been ordered; confirm the status with your teacher or AP coordinator.

Why October 2 matters if November 13 is final

October 2 is the preferred deadline, not the final nationwide cutoff. It gives schools time to catch roster errors, missing join codes, exam-only students, and payment-process issues before November 13. If your school sets an earlier internal deadline, follow the school's date. Schools can require students to complete local steps before the College Board final deadline.

What happens after November 13?

College Board indicates that late order fees can apply to qualifying exam orders placed after the November deadline, with defined exceptions. Do not assume every late order is accepted under the same conditions. If you missed your school's deadline, contact the AP coordinator immediately rather than waiting until spring.

Spring courses have a different timeline

Courses that begin after November 13, such as second-semester, spring-semester, trimester, or block-schedule courses, can be ordered by March 12, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET under the spring-course rules. College Board states that these qualifying spring-course orders do not incur the late order fee simply because the course started after the November final deadline.

What about homeschooled, independent-study, or outside-school students?

Students who are not taking the AP course at the school where they plan to test often need an exam-only section and coordination with a school willing to administer the exam. These cases can require more lead time. Start early, ask the coordinator what local steps apply, and do not wait for the national final deadline to begin looking for a testing school.

AP payment timing is not the same as ordering timing

College Board says payment is not due to College Board at the moment the school submits an exam order. Schools determine when and how they collect and track student payment. Therefore a school may set a payment deadline that differs from the College Board order deadline. Follow both the school's payment instructions and the AP ordering process.

Late order fee basics

College Board lists an additional $40 per exam late order fee for many orders submitted after the November 13 final deadline, subject to exceptions and current policy. Students should not treat this as permission to intentionally delay. The coordinator controls ordering, and exam availability and local administration constraints still matter.

New 2026-27 courses

For 2026-27, College Board identifies AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity as newly launched AP courses and states that unused/canceled exam fees are waived for a new AP course in its launch year. This is a specific policy for those courses and should not be generalized to all AP Exams.

Student checklist for September and October

1. Join the correct AP Classroom section with the code from your teacher or coordinator.
2. Ask whether your school has an internal registration or payment form.
3. Confirm whether you intend to take the exam if your school asks for an exam decision.
4. Check spelling and account details so you are not enrolled under duplicate College Board accounts.
5. If you are an exam-only or outside-school student, contact the testing school early.
6. Before November 13, ask the coordinator to confirm that the order shows correctly.

If you change your mind later

College Board allows coordinators to make certain order changes after the initial order, with March 12 serving as a major deadline for spring-course orders and fall-order changes. Fees or other rules may apply depending on the type and timing of the change. Use the current College Board policy and your coordinator rather than relying on last year's procedure.

Once your order is confirmed, shift attention to the actual testing calendar. See 2027 AP Exam dates and the subject-by-subject schedule.