American College Testing
ACT Education Corp is a US nonprofit founded in 1959 that administers the ACT standardized college admission test and related prep, accommodations, and assessment services to high school students, K-12 districts, higher education institutions, and workforce organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What American College Testing does
American College Testing (legal name: ACT Education Corp) is a US-based nonprofit educational organization founded in 1959 and headquartered in Iowa City, IA. It operates as one of two dominant standardized college admission testing programs in the United States alongside the SAT, administering the ACT Test to high school students nationally and in Puerto Rico/U.S. territories, with a parallel international program served via global.act.org. The core ACT Test assesses English, mathematics, reading, and science, with an optional writing section, and is delivered through authorized test centers and a newer Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) online testing capability.
The product surface extends well beyond the exam itself. The MyACT portal serves as the self-serve registration, score access, and test day management platform. ACT offers a content library of free practice tests via the QuizMe platform, official published study guides, a paid ACT Kaplan Test Prep Suite delivered through a partnership with Kaplan, and a tutor finder service. Support products include a Fee Waiver Program (eligibility based on household income and location), Accommodations and English Learner supports, and ACT My Answer Key for score verification. Beyond consumer test takers, ACT serves K-12 districts with assessment solutions, higher education institutions with admissions/placement data, and workforce organizations with career readiness assessments.
ACT generates revenue through per-test registration fees, late registration fees, paid test preparation products (notably the Kaplan partnership), ancillary score and verification services, and likely institutional contracts for district and workforce solutions. Pricing details and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, consistent with its nonprofit status. The organization has no parent company, no disclosed external equity backing, and no reported M&A activity in the source material.
American College Testing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- American College Testing
- Legal name
- ACT Education Corp
- Website
- https://actstudent.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ACT Education Corp is a US nonprofit founded in 1959 that administers the ACT standardized college admission test and related prep, accommodations, and assessment services to high school students, K-12 districts, higher education institutions, and workforce organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
American College Testing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Assessment & Standardized Testing
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- University/College Entrance & Admissions Testing Authorities (EDADAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- National/State Examination Boards & Testing Agencies (EDADAFAA), Digital Assessment Platforms & Computer-Based Testing Authorities (EDADAFAK), Assessment & Item Writing / Test Content Development (EDAGAKAE)
Keywords
American College Testing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
American College Testing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ACT is a nonprofit that develops and administers the ACT Test, the most widely accepted college admissions assessment in the U.S., delivered in both paper and online (BYOD) formats. Around that core assessment, ACT sells paid preparation products (official prep and subject guides and the ACT Kaplan Test Prep Suite), a score-verification add-on (My Answer Key), and contract-based assessment and credentialing solutions for K-12 districts, higher-education institutions, and employers.
Product overview
American College Testing operates a single unified product—the ACT standardized college admission test—supplemented by an ecosystem of test preparation and support services. The core ACT Test measures academic readiness across English, math, reading, science, and optional writing. This core product is supported by: the MyACT student registration portal; free practice tests via QuizMe and official prep guides; paid prep options including Kaplan Test Prep Suite and tutor matching; fee waiver and accommodation support programs; online/BYOD testing capability; and My Answer Key score verification. The company also serves K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and workforce clients through separate assessment solutions not detailed on this page.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MyACT: Online student portal for ACT registration, score access, and test day management
- ACT Kaplan
Products and services
- The ACT Test
- ACT My Answer Key
- Official ACT Prep and Subject Guides
- ACT Kaplan Test Prep Suite
- ACT Online Testing (BYOD)
Companies that use American College Testing
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
American College Testing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
American College Testing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
American College Testing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Pearson: Pearson is a global education company that owns assessment products including the GED and operates Pearson VUE test centers worldwide. It is comparable as a broad incumbent spanning K-12, higher ed, and professional testing, with overlapping capabilities in test administration and prep.
Direct peers
- Educational Testing Service (ETS): ETS is a nonprofit assessment organization that develops and administers major standardized tests including the GRE, TOEFL, and Praxis. It is directly comparable to ACT in mission, structure (nonprofit), and business model of monetizing proprietary standardized assessments for students and institutions.
- College Board: College Board administers the SAT, the closest direct substitute to the ACT in US college admissions. Both organizations operate nonprofit assessment models targeting high school students, universities, and K-12 districts, with parallel fee waiver, accommodations, and prep programs.
- Curriculum Associates: Curriculum Associates' iReady is a widely adopted K-12 diagnostic assessment and instruction platform. It competes with ACT Aspire for district assessment budgets and shares the same institutional buyer profile of K-12 administrators and educators.
- Renaissance Learning: Renaissance Learning offers K-12 assessment and learning analytics products (Star Assessments, Accelerated Reader). It overlaps with ACT's district-level assessment business in serving schools seeking formative and interim student performance measurement.
- GED Testing Service: GED Testing Service (a Pearson-owned venture) administers the GED high school equivalency exam and workforce credentialing assessments. It is comparable to ACT in monetizing proprietary standardized assessments for high-school-age and adult learners, including workforce pathways.
- NWEA: NWEA provides adaptive K-12 assessment solutions (MAP Growth) used by school districts for measuring student progress. It is directly comparable to ACT's K-12 assessment segment (ACT Aspire) in target customer, business model, and product category.
Emerging players
- The Princeton Review: The Princeton Review is a test preparation and tutoring provider with deep overlap on ACT and SAT prep courses. It is an emerging/comparable player competing with ACT's own prep offerings and Kaplan partnership for share of student prep spend.
Others
- Kaplan: Kaplan is ACT's official test prep partner (ACT Kaplan Test Prep Suite) but also offers competing test prep for the SAT, GRE, and other exams. It is comparable as a strategic partner and adjacent commercial player in the same student test-preparation ecosystem.
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy provides free SAT prep in partnership with College Board and offers general academic content used by ACT test-takers. It is a thematically adjacent ecosystem player whose free SAT prep has intensified competitive pressure on ACT's paid prep products.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
American College Testing social profiles
Digital presenceAmerican College Testing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
American College Testing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
American College Testing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
American College Testing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about American College Testing
What does American College Testing do?
ACT is a nonprofit that develops and administers the ACT Test, the most widely accepted college admissions assessment in the U.S., delivered in both paper and online (BYOD) formats. Around that core assessment, ACT sells paid preparation products (official prep and subject guides and the ACT Kaplan Test Prep Suite), a score-verification add-on (My Answer Key), and contract-based assessment and credentialing solutions for K-12 districts, higher-education institutions, and employers.
Is American College Testing a public or private company?
American College Testing is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was American College Testing founded?
American College Testing was founded in 1959. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Who are American College Testing's main competitors?
Pearson is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Educational Testing Service (ETS), College Board, Curriculum Associates, Renaissance Learning, GED Testing Service and NWEA. The Princeton Review is listed as an emerging player. Others are Kaplan and Khan Academy.
Does American College Testing have an API?
No public API is recorded for American College Testing.
What industry is American College Testing in?
American College Testing's product category is Educational Assessment & Standardized Testing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADAFAE, University/College Entrance & Admissions Testing Authorities, with a secondary code of EDADAFAA, National/State Examination Boards & Testing Agencies. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.