ACT International Test Dates Guide, 2025

When are the ACT international test dates? If you're an international student thinking about taking the ACT, you might be surprised to learn that ACT testing dates are different internationally than in the US.

Find out what the ACT international test dates are for 2025 and which dates you should choose in this article.

Upcoming ACT Test Days in 2025

Below, we've created a table with the ACT international test dates for 2025. The dates through July are confirmed, the dates after that are estimates based on historical data.

We've also included the regular and late ACT international registration deadlines, so you know when you need to sign up for each test date.

ACT International Dates 2025

Source: ACT.org
*Estimated ACT international dates

Guide to Choosing the Best ACT International Test Dates for You

Here at PrepScholar, we've developed several detailed guides for how to decide when to take the ACT and how many times to take it. While these articles list the (slightly different) US ACT test dates, the strategies they lay out can easily be adapted for international test-takers.

For both international and US students taking the ACT, generally the latest you can take the ACT for Early Decision/Early Action is September or October of senior year and the last test date for regular admission is December.

Aside from the normal pressures of college admissions deadlines and schoolwork/jobs/extracurriculars, international students taking the ACT have an additional factor to deal with that can affect which test date(s) you sign up for: international ACT registration fees.

ACT International Test Fees

ACT international registration fees are $186.50 for the regular ACT and $211.50 for the ACT with Writing (significantly more expensive than the $65 ACT or $90 ACT with Writing fee you'd have to pay to take the test in the U.S).

Other international ACT fees are similarly high: $38 to register late, $44 to change your test date, and $44 to change your test center or option.

It's worth noting here that while taking the SAT internationally is also more expensive than taking it in the U.S., it's cheaper than taking the ACT internationally—even if you live in an area with the highest international SAT fees, you'd only pay $135 for the SAT. 

Unless you've taken practice tests for both and discovered that your ACT score is likely to be much better than your SAT score, you might want to consider switching to studying for the SAT instead.

If you do decide to stick with studying for the ACT, the higher international fees give you an extra incentive to set out and follow a clear study plan and register for the ACT by the regular deadline so that you can avoid having to pay another $38 in late fees.

The Best ACT International Dates 

To help you avoid having to pay late fees, we've sketched out three possible ACT international testing schedules (including the opportunity for retesting). Note that the specific dates may vary for you, based on future years' ACT international test dates.

Sample International ACT Testing Schedule A: Early Starter

Thinking about getting the ACT out of the way early? Follow this testing schedule to get started sophomore year and leave yourself plenty of time in between tests to study (if you need to take it more than once).

Test 1: Sophomore year, take the ACT in either June or July.

Test 2 (optional): Junior year, take the ACT in December or February.

Test 3 (optional): Junior year, take the ACT in June or July.

Sample International ACT Testing Schedule B: Frequent Tester

Are you planning on taking the ACT multiple times to max out your superscore? This schedule is for you.

Test 1: Junior year, take the ACT in February or April.

Test 2: Summer before senior year, take the ACT in June or July. 

Test 3: Senior year, take the ACT in September or October; these are the last dates for students applying early decision/early action.

Test 4: Senior year, take the ACT in December. 

Sample International ACT Testing Schedule C: Senior-Year Testing

Only decided to apply to colleges in the US the summer before senior year (or later)? You still have a few chances to take the ACT.

Test 1: Take the ACT in September or July.

Test 2: Take the ACT in October. If you took the September ACT, you probably won't get your scores back until after the regular registration deadline, but if you don't mind paying the extra $38 you can wait to see how well you did before registering late for the October ACT.

Test 3 (optional): Take the ACT in December. This is the last test date for most colleges' regular admissions deadlines.

What's Next?

Now you know the ACT international test dates, but are you thinking about taking the SAT instead? Read our guide on taking the SAT as an international student here.

Looking for help on US college admissions as an international student? Look no further than our expert guide on how to apply for college in the US as an international student and our list of the best US colleges for international students, along with our complete guide to SAT/ACT test-taking for international students.

Need some financial assistance to go to college in the US? Our list of colleges with full-ride scholarships includes schools who provide scholarships to international students as well.