ETS Acquires ACT: Who Owns the ACT Now (2026)

ETS, the nonprofit behind the GRE and TOEFL, announced on June 30, 2026 that it is acquiring ACT from the private equity firm Nexus Capital Management. For a student taking the ACT this year, the test, the dates and the scoring on ACT's own pages are the same as before the deal.

ETS acquires ACT is the short version of a deal both companies announced in identical press releases on June 30, 2026: ETS, based in Princeton, New Jersey, is buying ACT, the Iowa City organization that makes the ACT test and WorkKeys. So the answer to who owns the ACT is now ETS, not Nexus Capital Management, which had been its majority owner since 2024. This page covers what was announced, who ETS is, what the two companies said will and will not change, what nobody has said yet, and what it means if you are registered for the December 12 ACT. If you came here comparing tests, the SAT is still owned by College Board, a separate not-for-profit, and our SAT vs ACT guide compares the two.

What Was Announced on June 30, 2026

The announcement is a single press release, posted on both the ETS newsroom and the ACT newsroom, titled "ETS Acquires ACT, Expanding Pathways to Opportunity Across America." It is dated Princeton, N.J., June 30, 2026, and opens by saying ETS is acquiring ACT, which it calls one of the most widely recognized names in college and career readiness.

The release is short on mechanics. It names the two chief executives, Amit Sevak of ETS and Steve Tapp of ACT, and it highlights ACT's workforce readiness portfolio, anchored by WorkKeys, which Sevak told Higher Ed Dive comes with the deal. It does not give a price. Reporting by Higher Ed Dive on the same day added three details: the terms were not disclosed, an ETS spokesperson said the deal was expected to close on July 1, and ETS approached Nexus about the purchase, not the other way around. Higher Ed Dive also reported that the combined organization reaches 35 million people a year.

We did not find a separate closing announcement on either company's site. ACT's later press releases, such as an October 21 leadership appointment, are still issued by ACT under its own name from Iowa City, quoting Steve Tapp as CEO.

Who Is ETS?

ETS is a nonprofit testing organization based in Princeton, New Jersey. You may know its tests without knowing the name. The assessments listed on ets.org include:

• GRE: the General Test and Subject Tests, used for graduate school admissions.
• TOEFL: English proficiency tests, including TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials and TOEFL Junior.
• TOEIC: English tests, including Listening and Reading and Speaking and Writing.
• Praxis: teacher certification tests.

There is a history with the SAT, too. Bloomberg describes ETS as the organization that "once created SAT test questions and formerly scored" the test on behalf of College Board. ETS does not own the SAT. The release frames the ACT purchase around a goal ETS repeats in its own description: readying more than 100 million people for the next generation of jobs.

Who Owned the ACT Before ETS?

Until 2024, ACT was a nonprofit. On May 1, 2024, ACT announced that it had formed a new Delaware public benefit corporation, ACT Education Corp., and closed a partnership with Nexus Capital Management, a Los Angeles private equity firm. The new company combined ACT with Encoura, an education data business ACT had owned, and Nexus was its majority owner. Higher Ed Dive describes the deal as converting the nonprofit into a for-profit company. Encoura is not part of the ETS deal.

So the ownership timeline reads like this:

That last cell matters. Sevak told Higher Ed Dive that ETS plans to keep the ACT business for-profit for now, will run it as a mission-focused organization, and could change its legal status later.

What Changes for Students, and What Does Not

The only commitment the companies made in writing is about the near term. The release says ACT customers and partners will see "no disruption to the products or services they rely on today." It adds that ACT will get access to ETS's expertise in measurement and other capabilities. That is the whole of the official promise.

Here is what ACT's own pages showed when we read them on October 26, 2026, four months after the announcement:

• Registration still runs through your MyACT account, with deadlines at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
• Test dates for 2026-27 are published as before: December 12, 2026, then February 27, April 10, June 12 and July 10, 2027.
• Scoring is unchanged: the Composite is the average of English, math and reading, rounded to the nearest whole number, and Science is an optional section reported separately.
• Score release follows ACT's published 2026-27 schedule, and ACT still says online scores are usually available sooner than paper.

None of these pages mentions ETS or a change tied to the deal. If you are mid-prep, nothing about the acquisition should change what you study. Our guide to the ACT score report still describes the report you will get.

What Is Still Unknown

Plenty, and it is better to say so than to guess. As of this writing, neither company has said:

• Whether the ACT test itself will change in format, length or content after the near term.
• Whether fees will change, or when.
• Whether ACT will stay for-profit. ETS said only that it could change the legal status eventually.
• How ACT products and ETS products might be combined. Sevak told Higher Ed Dive that detailed plans were still to be worked out, and that ETS wants to take some ACT products "to the next level."
• Whether anything changes for the states and districts that give the ACT during the school day.

Any article that claims a new ACT format, price or schedule because of ETS is getting ahead of the companies. When ACT changes something, it posts it on act.org. Read that page, not a rumor.

Who Owns the SAT?

The SAT is owned by College Board, not by ETS and not by ACT. College Board describes itself as a not-for-profit membership organization founded more than 120 years ago, which pioneered programs like the SAT and AP. The deal does not touch the SAT, the PSAT or AP.

So the two big college admissions tests are still run by two separate organizations. If you are deciding between them, ownership is not a reason to pick one. Format, timing and which test fits how you think are. Our comparison of whether the SAT or ACT is easier covers that choice.

What to Do If You Are Taking the December 12 ACT

Treat it as any other ACT date. From ACT's test dates page and scores page:

From October 29, the regular deadline is about a week away. If you want December, register now rather than paying the late fee. The full calendar, including the February date, is on our ACT test dates page, and if you already have an October score, should I retake the ACT helps you decide whether December is worth it.

Then spend the six weeks on the section that holds your Composite down. Our section-by-section plan to improve your ACT score and the December ACT study plan lay out the weeks. Short daily practice adds up: start a free ACT quiz to see where you stand today.

Frequently Asked Questions About ETS and the ACT

Who owns the ACT now?

ETS. It announced on June 30, 2026 that it is acquiring ACT, and an ETS spokesperson said the deal was expected to close July 1. Before that, ACT was majority owned by Nexus Capital Management, which bought it in 2024.

Does ETS own the SAT too?

No. The SAT belongs to College Board, a separate not-for-profit. Bloomberg reports that ETS once created SAT questions and scored the test on behalf of College Board, but ETS does not own it.

Is the ACT changing because of the ETS deal?

Not so far. The companies promised no near-term disruption to ACT's products and services, and ACT's registration, dates and scoring pages show no change tied to the deal. Longer-term plans have not been announced.

How much did ETS pay for ACT?

The price was not disclosed by either company.

Is ACT still a for-profit company?

Yes, for now. ETS is a nonprofit, but it told Higher Ed Dive it plans to keep the ACT business for-profit for now and could change its legal status later.

Should I switch to the SAT because of the acquisition?

Not for that reason. The announcement says nothing about how colleges use ACT scores, and ACT's scoring has not changed. Choose the test that fits you, and compare them on our SAT vs ACT page.

The owner changed. The December 12 test did not. Larry Learns has 30,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions on web, iPhone and Android, with a score estimate that tracks your progress. Create a free account and get 3 free quizzes a day while you prepare.