Best Test-Optional U.S. Colleges
CollegeSimply ranks 976 four-year colleges that do not require SAT or ACT scores for admission. These are the highest-ranked test-optional schools in the U.S., sorted by academic quality and student outcomes. Policies can vary by applicant and year, so confirm requirements on each school's website before applying.
Princeton University leads our 2027 test-optional rankings, ranked #1 nationally. The top rated public option is University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Also highly ranked: Duke University, University of Chicago and Rice University.
Without test scores, your GPA, activities, recommendation letters, and essays carry more weight. Compare acceptance rates, tuition, and enrollment across the full list below. Filter by state or sort by selectivity to build your list. You can also explore matches by GPA on our college search by GPA. See our ranking methodology for how schools are scored.
John Carroll University
- Private 4 Year
- University Heights, OH
-
| 0 reviews
John Carroll is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and the sciences. The suburban campus sits in University Heights near Cleveland.
- SAT Range 1180-1330
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $30,030
University at Albany
- Public 4 Year
- Albany, NY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
University at Albany is a large public university known for undergraduate criminal justice, public policy, and atmospheric science. The campus is in New York's capital, with many programs oriented toward state government.
- SAT Range 1120-1320
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $17,949
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
- Public 4 Year
- Syracuse, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
ESF is a specialized public college known for undergraduate environmental science, forestry, and landscape architecture. The campus adjoins Syracuse University in Syracuse.
- SAT Range 1130-1300
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $19,814
New York Institute of Technology
- Private 4 Year
- Old Westbury, NY
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
NYIT is a private university known for undergraduate architecture, engineering, and computer science. The suburban Old Westbury campus sits on Long Island.
- SAT Range 1190-1420
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $24,688
Manhattan University
- Private 4 Year
- Riverdale, NY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Aug 31 application deadline
Manhattan University is a private Lasallian Catholic university known for undergraduate engineering. The residential campus is in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.
- SAT Range 1180-1358
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $29,717
Ohio Northern University
- Private 4 Year
- Ada, OH
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Ohio Northern is a private university known for undergraduate pharmacy and engineering. The residential campus anchors the small college town of Ada in northwest Ohio.
- SAT Range 1175-1400
- Avg GPA 3.78
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $25,941
Pratt Institute Main
- Private 4 Year
- Brooklyn, NY
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 5 application deadline
Pratt is a private college known for undergraduate architecture, art, and design. The compact urban campus occupies a city-block setting in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill.
- SAT Range 1150-1390
- Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $54,150
Milwaukee School of Engineering
- Private 4 Year
- Milwaukee, WI
-
| 0 reviews
- Sep 1 application deadline
MSOE is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and nursing. The urban campus is located in downtown Milwaukee.
- SAT Range 1160-1405
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 59%
- Net Price $25,669
Kalamazoo College
- Private 4 Year
- Kalamazoo, MI
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Kalamazoo is a private liberal arts college known for the K-Plan curriculum, extensive undergraduate study abroad, and a required senior individualized project. Most undergrads complete an extended off-campus study experience before graduation.
- SAT Range 1170-1380
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $26,956
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
- Public 4 Year
- Charleston, SC
-
| 0 reviews
The Citadel is a public military college known for undergraduate engineering, business, and criminal justice. Most undergrads join the Corps of Cadets and live in barracks under a structured military system on the historic Charleston campus.
- SAT Range 1085-1285
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 23%
- Net Price $22,124
University of Iowa
- Public 4 Year
- Iowa City, IA
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Iowa is a large public university known for undergraduate creative writing and journalism. The campus sits in the college town of Iowa City along the Iowa River.
- SAT Range 1130-1330
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $21,765
Kettering University
- Private 4 Year
- Flint, MI
-
| 0 reviews
Kettering is a private university known for undergraduate mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineering. The campus sits in Flint, a mid-sized Michigan city long tied to the auto industry.
- SAT Range 1160-1330
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $35,609
Luther College
- Private 4 Year
- Decorah, IA
-
| 0 reviews
Luther is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and the sciences. The residential campus sits among the bluffs of Decorah in northeast Iowa.
- SAT Range 1078-1406
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $24,511
Illinois Institute of Technology
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Illinois Tech is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and computer science. The urban Chicago campus is noted for its modernist buildings by Mies van der Rohe.
- SAT Range 1180-1440
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $24,796
Linfield University
- Private 4 Year
- McMinnville, OR
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Linfield is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and wine studies. The residential campus sits in the small college town of McMinnville in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
- SAT Range 1050-1210
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $29,936
University of Redlands
- Private 4 Year
- Redlands, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
University of Redlands is a private university known for undergraduate music, business, and the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies. The residential campus sits in Redlands in Southern California's Inland Empire.
- SAT Range 1107-1350
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $28,482
Indiana Wesleyan University Marion
- Private 4 Year
- Marion, IN
-
| 0 reviews
Indiana Wesleyan is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and ministry. The residential campus in Marion is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church.
- SAT Range 960-1180
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $23,402
Siena College
- Private 4 Year
- Loudonville, NY
-
2.8 | 6 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Siena is a private Franciscan college known for undergraduate business and the liberal arts. Students live on a residential campus in the Albany suburb of Loudonville.
- SAT Range 1110-1360
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $32,955