To finalize your ACT registration, you are required to submit a recent photograph of yourself. This photos serves a crucial role in verifying your identity and ensuring test security. Your submitted photos will be printed directly onto your admission ticket and the official score report sent to your high school. ACT will securely retain your photos in accordance with our Privacy Policy, utilizing it for test security measures and purposes related to your score usage.
You have flexible options for photos submission:
- Upload A Photos directly from your computer.
- Upload a photos conveniently from your mobile device.
It is imperative that your photos is uploaded by the specified photo upload deadline associated with your test date. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the cancellation of your registration, and unfortunately, you will not be permitted to test. Adding your photos is a prerequisite for ticket printing, so please ensure this step is completed promptly.
For students with religious prohibitions regarding photos submission, please contact ACT at 319.337.1270 as early as possible, ideally before the regular registration deadline for your chosen test date, to discuss your specific situation and explore potential exceptions.
Essential Guidelines for Your Photos
The Basics of Acceptable Photos
To ensure your photos is accepted and your registration proceeds smoothly, please adhere to the following fundamental criteria:
- Clarity is Key: Your photos must be sharply focused and clear, depicting ONLY you. Avoid blurry, grainy, or fuzzy images. The photos should be set against a simple, plain background to minimize distractions.
- Face-Forward and Full Face: The photos should be a portrait-style shot, capturing your full face and shoulders squarely facing the camera.
- Orientation Matters: Use a portrait (vertical) orientation for your photos, ensuring it is correctly oriented and not landscape (horizontal).
- Direct Gaze: You must be looking directly at the camera in your photos.
- No Dark Glasses: Dark glasses or sunglasses are not permitted in your photos to ensure clear facial recognition.
- Authenticity is Required: Your photos must be a genuine representation of yourself and cannot be digitally altered or enhanced in any way. This means no lenses, filters, added text, emojis, stickers, or other modifications are allowed.
- Religious Head Coverings: If you wear a head covering daily for religious reasons, you are permitted to wear it in your photos. However, please adjust it to ensure a full-face view is clearly visible for identification purposes.
Examples of Photos That Meet Our Requirements
Acceptable Photos
Portrait format, plain background
Acceptable Photos
Portrait format, plain background
Common Examples of Unacceptable Photos
Submitting photos like the examples below may lead to rejection and prevent you from taking the ACT test on your scheduled test day. It’s crucial to review these examples carefully to avoid common mistakes.
Photo is too dark.
Photo is too light.
Should be a plain background.
Face is too small.
Photo is blurry.
Face obscured by hair and hand.
Face is too close.
Helpful Tips for a Successful Photos Submission
- Ensure Facial Feature Visibility: Make sure your facial features and hair are fully visible in your photos. Avoid excessive light or shadow that might obscure your face. Busy backgrounds can also detract from your photos and make it unacceptable. Opt for a simple, uncluttered background.
- Religious Head Covering Adjustments: If you wear a head covering for religious reasons daily, please adjust it to allow a complete and unobstructed full-face view for identification purposes in your photos.
- Avoid Scanned IDs: Do not attempt to scan your driver’s license or school ID photos for submission. Scanned images typically do not meet the high-quality resolution requirements of the ACT system and will likely be rejected.
- Original Photos Only: Submitting a photos of a photos is not acceptable. Please upload the original digital photos file.
How to Upload Your Photos
File Format and Size Specifications
When uploading your photos, please be mindful of the following technical specifications:
- Acceptable File Formats: You can upload photos in JPG, JPEG, PNG, or BMP image file formats.
- Maximum File Size: The file size of your photos must not exceed 5MB.
- Scanned Photos Dimensions: If you choose to scan a physical photos, ensure the resulting digital file can print at a size of 2″ x 2″ inches or larger to maintain image quality.
- Minimum Pixel Dimensions: Your photos must have a minimum resolution of 640 pixels in width and 480 pixels in height (640×480 pixels).
- Cropping Scanned Photos: If you have scanned your photos, crop the image to focus solely on your head and shoulders before uploading to optimize the composition and file size.
Steps to Upload from Your Computer
During the online registration process, you will be automatically prompted to upload your photos. If you are registering using a smartphone, the system may allow you to directly upload a saved photos from your device’s gallery or take a new photos directly using your phone’s camera.
While the system allows you to upload your photos anytime before the official deadline, we strongly advise you to complete this crucial step as early as possible in your registration process. Submitting your photos and printing your admission ticket well in advance of test day provides ample time to resolve any potential issues and ensures a smoother test day experience.
Important Photos Submission Deadlines
Adhering to the photos upload deadline is critical. Your photos must be successfully uploaded by midnight Central Time on the dates listed below for your specific ACT test date.
| 2023 – 2024 Photo Submission Deadlines | |
|---|---|
| ACT Test Date | Photo Upload Deadline (by midnight central time) |
| September 14, 2024 | September 6 |
| October 26, 2024 | October 18 |
| December 14, 2024 | December 6 |
| February 8, 2025 | January 31 |
| April 5, 2025 | March 28 |
| June 14, 2025 | June 6 |
| July 12, 2025* | July 4 |
*Please note that no test centers are scheduled in New York for the July test date.
Missing the photo upload deadline will unfortunately lead to the cancellation of your ACT registration, and you will not be permitted to take the test. In cases of registration cancellation due to missing the photo deadline, the registration fee is non-refundable. However, if you are not registered for standby testing, you may request to change your test date for a future administration.
