SAT, PSAT Exams: How College Board is expanding access to global education

By Rushi Sheth

India’s global education landscape is undergoing a remarkable transformation, and the College Board is proud to clear a path for Indian students to own their futures. Our commitment to India’s educators and families is to prepare students for global and local university success through programmes like the SAT Suite of Assessments and Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

We see transformation in India’s education on several dimensions, including career education, diversifying global preferences and expanding access to high quality education. We are proud to support these transitions and celebrate partnerships with Indian and global leaders to support this positive momentum.

Career education in secondary schools

Our Advanced Placement programme gives secondary students opportunities to experience university-level course work, and students take AP courses and exams in subject areas of personal interest. Popular fields include Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, and we offer courses in other traditional academic subjects like Arts, English, Social Sciences and World Languages.

What’s missing from these fields is Business, and today’s students are designing their careers at earlier ages. They want to learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, managing their wealth and protecting their information, and we are excited to launch two new courses in Fall 2026 to meet their needs – AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity. Both courses will prepare students for a changing global economy through project-based learning, real world experiences and engaging case studies.

Also read GRE, TOEFL exams opening global education doors for students: ETS country manager

SAT Exam: Accessing world class education

The second transformation we see is diversifying geographic preferences for higher education. Indian students have a wealth of global and local options to obtain an excellent education, and our responsibility at College Board is to ensure their AP and SAT credentials are recognised by admissions offices in India and throughout the world.

Along with AP courses, the SAT is an admissions assessment which serves as a global indicator of university preparedness. Over 4,000 universities across 70+ countries accept SAT scores, and popular destinations for Indian students include the US, UK, Europe, East Asia, and Australia. Popular universities accepting SAT scores from Indian students include Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, National University of Singapore and University of Sydney.

Indian students also have access to world class universities without having to leave the country and College Board is delighted to partner with leading Indian universities to recognise SAT and AP credentials.

More than 50 universities in India accept SAT scores for admission. These include Ashoka University, Shiv Nadar University, FLAME University, NMIMS, Azim Premji University, and others. Indian students are increasingly using SAT to explore both international and domestic higher education opportunities.

Indian universities are also beginning to recognise AP courses and exams. Universal AI University, Amity University, and Manav Rachna have started awarding college credit for AP scores, a significant milestone in aligning Indian higher education with global standards.

Also read 'International Baccalaureate schools in India grew from 11 to 245, reached non-metro cities'

SAT, PSAT, AP exams

Our mission to clear a path for all students is not met if we restrict access to AP and SAT based on geography or wealth. This is why we are committed to expanding our footprint of AP and SAT test centers beyond India’s largest cities and removing financial barriers to education opportunities.

The SAT is now available at 100+ test centers and the AP at 35 centers across India including Tier 2 and Tier 3 locations. Cities like Srinagar, Bhilwara, Kochi, and Siliguri are now part of this national academic map. This expansion isn’t merely logistical; it represents a cultural shift where students from every corner of the country see global education as a viable, supported ambition.

Affordability remains a central concern for Indian families exploring global options. The Indian Scholars Program (ISP), launched by the College Board, is designed to address this challenge directly. It provides up to 90% SAT fee waivers for students from families earning under ₹8 lakh per annum, and 50% waivers for those in the ₹8–15 lakh income bracket.

Moreover, income-eligible students who score 1300 or higher on the SAT and meet the income criteria may qualify for full tuition, merit-cum-need scholarships at participating universities, in India. These scholarships are not just changing academic outcomes, they are reshaping life trajectories. Through ISP, financial need no longer stands in the way of academic aspiration.

Finally, we want to provide all students with world-class test preparation materials. Bluebook, the free assessment platform which hosts SAT, PSAT and AP exams, has free practice exams, and College Board’s partnership with Khan Academy delivers free test preparation videos, lessons and materials.

What’s most promising about India’s global education movement is its growing inclusivity, welcoming first-generation learners, students from rural areas and families of all income levels to high quality education. College Board is a proud contributor to India’s transformation through our SAT, AP, and India Scholars programs.

Whether students choose to study business or academic topics or have higher education aspirations locally or abroad, our mission is the same: to clear a path for students to own their future, and the future is bright in India.

Rushi Sheth is a global education leader. Over the past decade, he has led initiatives to expand access to the AP program and SAT in more than 170 countries. This piece first appeared in the 200th issue of the Careers360 magazine, published in August, 2025