diff --git a/cmd/kube-apiserver/app/testing/testserver.go b/cmd/kube-apiserver/app/testing/testserver.go
index 9b97da28169..9a69a796254 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-apiserver/app/testing/testserver.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-apiserver/app/testing/testserver.go
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ import (
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	utilerrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors"
 	utilruntime "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/runtime"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/version"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	serveroptions "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/server/options"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/storagebackend"
@@ -102,8 +103,11 @@ type TestServerInstanceOptions struct {
 	// an apiserver version skew scenario where all apiservers use the same proxyCA to verify client connections.
 	ProxyCA *ProxyCA
 	// Set the BinaryVersion of server effective version.
-	// Default to 1.31
+	// If empty, effective version will default to version.DefaultKubeBinaryVersion.
 	BinaryVersion string
+	// Set the EmulationVersion of server effective version.
+	// If empty, emulation version will default to the effective version.
+	EmulationVersion string
 	// Set non-default request timeout in the server.
 	RequestTimeout time.Duration
 }
@@ -194,6 +198,9 @@ func StartTestServer(t ktesting.TB, instanceOptions *TestServerInstanceOptions,
 	if instanceOptions.BinaryVersion != "" {
 		effectiveVersion = utilversion.NewEffectiveVersion(instanceOptions.BinaryVersion)
 	}
+	if instanceOptions.EmulationVersion != "" {
+		effectiveVersion.SetEmulationVersion(version.MustParse(instanceOptions.EmulationVersion))
+	}
 	// need to call SetFeatureGateEmulationVersionDuringTest to reset the feature gate emulation version at the end of the test.
 	featuregatetesting.SetFeatureGateEmulationVersionDuringTest(t, featureGate, effectiveVersion.EmulationVersion())
 	utilversion.DefaultComponentGlobalsRegistry.Reset()
diff --git a/test/integration/apiserver/cel/validatingadmissionpolicy_test.go b/test/integration/apiserver/cel/validatingadmissionpolicy_test.go
index 95ea25ea6d0..6231c06c533 100644
--- a/test/integration/apiserver/cel/validatingadmissionpolicy_test.go
+++ b/test/integration/apiserver/cel/validatingadmissionpolicy_test.go
@@ -2234,7 +2234,8 @@ func Test_CostLimitForValidation(t *testing.T) {
 func Test_CostLimitForValidationWithFeatureDisabled(t *testing.T) {
 	resetPolicyRefreshInterval := generic.SetPolicyRefreshIntervalForTests(policyRefreshInterval)
 	defer resetPolicyRefreshInterval()
-	server, err := apiservertesting.StartTestServer(t, nil, []string{
+	featuregatetesting.SetFeatureGateDuringTest(t, utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate, genericfeatures.StrictCostEnforcementForVAP, false)
+	server, err := apiservertesting.StartTestServer(t, &apiservertesting.TestServerInstanceOptions{EmulationVersion: "1.31"}, []string{
 		"--enable-admission-plugins", "ValidatingAdmissionPolicy",
 	}, framework.SharedEtcd())
 	if err != nil {