Where Can You Take the ACT in Canada?

ACT does not publish this list anywhere public. To see it, you have to create an account at my.act.org and begin a registration. We did that so you don't have to.

A ninth Mississauga listing appears in the registration flow marked as closed. It is a second entry for the same operator, so the count of active locations is eight.

Why the Canadian list looks so random

ACT test centres are host sites that apply to run the exam. There is no national plan behind the map, which is why a town of 3,500 people in southern Alberta has a centre and Calgary does not.

The Canadian list breaks down into three groups. Four are private academies clustered in the Greater Toronto Area, several of which serve international student populations already writing US admissions tests. Two are commercial testing services that administer exams as a business. The remaining three are schools in smaller communities, including Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, a boarding school better known to our readers as a hockey and athletics program.

The practical takeaway: if you live outside the GTA, expect to travel. An athlete in Halifax or Montreal is looking at a flight or a long drive.

What this list does not tell you

Three limits worth knowing before you plan around it.

• Availability changes by test date. This is the country-level roster of registered centres. Each site sets its own dates and capacity, so not every centre offers every national test date. You will not see specific dates until you select a centre in the registration flow.
• Adding optional sections may shorten the list. This list was pulled without requesting the optional Writing or Science sections. If a school you are applying to wants either one, check whether your nearest centre offers it.
• Format is not shown up front. ACT's registration flow does not indicate paper or computer-based testing at the centre selection stage. Confirm with the centre directly if it matters to you.

Do Canadian athletes even need the ACT?

For NCAA eligibility, no. The NCAA permanently removed standardized test scores from Division I and Division II initial-eligibility requirements at its January 2023 Convention, effective from the 2023-24 academic year. Eligibility now runs on core-course GPA: 2.3 across 16 core courses for D1, 2.2 for D2. Division III sets its own standards at the institution level.

Admissions is a separate gate. The NCAA clearing you academically does not mean a school's admissions office will. Several selective US universities reinstated testing requirements after the pandemic-era test-optional wave, and test scores still drive academic scholarship money at plenty of schools that do not require them. That money matters in track and field and cross country, where athletic aid is split across large rosters.

So the question is not whether the NCAA wants a score. It is whether the specific schools on your list want one. Check each school's admissions page before you book a test.

For the full picture on how the SAT and ACT fit into recruiting, including which test to take and how scores factor into academic money, read our guide to the SAT and ACT for student-athletes.

If no ACT centre works, look at the SAT

The SAT is administered at considerably more locations across Canada than the ACT, including in provinces where the ACT has no presence at all. It is also fully digital now, which changes how test days are scheduled. US universities accept either test and none require both.

If travel is the deciding factor rather than test format, run a College Board test centre search for your area before committing to an ACT date.

Frequently asked questions

How many ACT test centres are there in Canada?

Eight open test centres across five provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Ontario holds four of the eight, all within the Greater Toronto Area.

Can you take the ACT in Quebec or Atlantic Canada?

No. There are no ACT test centres in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, or any of the three territories. Athletes in those regions need to travel to another province or take the SAT instead.

Why is the list of ACT test centres in Canada so hard to find?

ACT does not publish its Canadian centre list on a public page. The only way to see it is to create an account at my.act.org and start a registration, at which point the country-level list appears as a dropdown.

Do I need an ACT score to be eligible for NCAA track and field?

No. The NCAA removed standardized test scores from Division I and Division II initial-eligibility requirements in 2023. Eligibility is based on core-course GPA and course completion. Individual universities may still require a score for admission, which is a separate decision from NCAA eligibility.

Is it easier to take the SAT than the ACT in Canada?

In terms of access, yes. The SAT has substantially more Canadian test locations, including in provinces with no ACT centre. US universities accept either test, so location is a legitimate reason to choose one over the other.

Test centre list last verified August 2026, pulled from the my.act.org registration flow at the country level. Centres open and close without notice. Confirm current availability directly through your ACT account before making travel plans.