Opt out of College Board Student Search marketing

Student Search participation is voluntary, so a student can stop taking part. Follow the current opt-out instructions in College Board's Student Search FAQ. Leave the account, test registrations and scores as they are. Opting out does not stop schools that already hold the student's information from contacting them.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated October 2, 2026.

Change Student Search participation only

Open the Student Search Service FAQ on bigfuture.collegeboard.org by typing the address. Do not use a link printed in a brochure.
Let the student read the opt-out instructions and decide. If the student is a minor, follow the age rules College Board states.
Complete only the Student Search step the FAQ describes. Do not close the account, cancel a test or remove score reports.
Record the date of the change and list every college already sending mail.

Schools that already have the student's details

College Board says organizations that already hold a student's information may keep contacting the student after an opt-out, and it recommends contacting those organizations directly. Use the list from step four for this. Write to each admissions office the student no longer wants mail from. ACT Recruit Me is a separate program with its own opt-out form, so check it separately if the student took the ACT.

Private Student Search checklist

Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.

Student name as shown on College Board account: [student name] Student agreed to opt out (yes/no): [yes/no] Date Student Search opt-out completed: [date] Account, registrations and scores left unchanged (yes/no): [yes/no] Schools already mailing: [school names] Schools to contact directly, date sent: [school name, date] ACT Recruit Me checked separately (yes/no/not applicable): [answer]

Sort what arrives next

Put each new brochure in one of three groups: schools the student is still considering, schools they have ruled out, and senders you cannot identify. Send ruled-out schools a request to stop recruitment mail. For an unidentified sender, find the school on its official website before you reply.

Official sources

Stop college mail that continues after Search opt-out Find the current ACT Recruit Me opt-out route Stop prospect mail after enrolling elsewhere Reduce follow-up after sharing details at a college fair Schools and student recruitment All practical mail guides

Choose the route that matches the mailing

Use the official route described in this guide for this kind of mail. For a separate ordinary advertisement, Junk Mail Magic can help prepare a sender-specific removal request.

Compare removal routes