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.
Hendrix College
- Private 4 Year
- Conway, AR
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| 0 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
Hendrix is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and its Odyssey experiential-learning program. Most students live on the residential campus in the college town of Conway.
- SAT Range 1123-1348
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 56%
- Net Price $24,699
Oklahoma City University
- Private 4 Year
- Oklahoma City, OK
-
| 0 reviews
Oklahoma City University is a private university known for undergraduate dance, music, and theater. The urban campus is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
- SAT Range 1050-1260
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $24,051
CUNY Hunter College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
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| 0 reviews
Hunter College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and psychology. The urban campus is on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
- SAT Range 1100-1420
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 54%
- Net Price $4,431
Dominican University of California
- Private 4 Year
- San Rafael, CA
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2.5 | 2 reviews
A private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The San Rafael campus sits in Marin County north of San Francisco.
- SAT Range 1210-1300
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $37,456
Calvin University
- Private 4 Year
- Grand Rapids, MI
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Calvin is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the liberal arts. The Grand Rapids campus is rooted in the Reformed tradition of the Christian Reformed Church.
- SAT Range 1083-1330
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $25,231
Belmont University
- Private 4 Year
- Nashville, TN
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4.0 | 4 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
Belmont is a private university known for undergraduate music business, commercial music, and entertainment programs. The urban Nashville campus has long ties to the city's recording and music industry.
- SAT Range 1160-1350
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $38,578
Valparaiso University
- Private 4 Year
- Valparaiso, IN
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4.0 | 2 reviews
Valparaiso is a private Lutheran university known for undergraduate engineering, meteorology, and nursing. The residential campus sits in a college town in northwest Indiana.
- SAT Range 1060-1280
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $21,766
Knox College
- Private 4 Year
- Galesburg, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Knox is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate creative writing and the sciences. The historic campus in Galesburg includes Old Main, site of an 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debate.
- SAT Range 1180-1440
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $25,709
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach
- Private 4 Year
- Daytona Beach, FL
-
4.5 | 8 reviews
Embry-Riddle is a private university known for undergraduate aerospace engineering, aeronautical science, and aviation. The Daytona Beach campus adjoins the local airport on Florida's Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 1160-1360
- Avg GPA 3.88
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $42,976
Goucher College
- Private 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Goucher is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate creative writing, dance, and international studies. Every undergraduate completes a required study abroad experience.
- SAT Range 1090-1325
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $26,913
University of California Riverside
- Public 4 Year
- Riverside, CA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Riverside is a large public university known for undergraduate entomology, plant sciences, and business. The suburban campus lies in California's Inland Empire east of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 1080-1280
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $14,562
Rider University
- Private 4 Year
- Lawrenceville, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
Rider is a private university known for undergraduate business, accounting, and music through Westminster Choir College. The suburban campus is in Lawrenceville near Princeton.
- SAT Range 1100-1320
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $26,506
College of Saint Benedict
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Joseph, MN
-
| 0 reviews
College of Saint Benedict is a private Catholic women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing. Students share classes and many programs with men from nearby Saint John's University under a coordinate college system.
- SAT Range 1048-1233
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $28,400
Saint Johns University
- Private 4 Year
- Collegeville, MN
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5.0 | 1 reviews
Saint John's is a private Benedictine men's college known for undergraduate liberal arts. The wooded Collegeville campus centers on a historic abbey and shares academics with the nearby College of Saint Benedict.
- SAT Range 941-1228
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $28,504
Howard University
- Private 4 Year
- Washington, DC
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Howard is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate communications, political science, and business. The urban campus sits in Washington's Shaw neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1090-1320
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 41%
- Net Price $33,368
Augustana College
- Private 4 Year
- Rock Island, IL
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4.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Augustana is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology and music. The campus sits along the Mississippi River in Rock Island.
- SAT Range 1030-1270
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $24,714
Roger Williams University
- Private 4 Year
- Bristol, RI
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4.3 | 3 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Roger Williams is a private university known for undergraduate architecture and marine biology. The waterfront campus sits on Mount Hope Bay in Bristol.
- SAT Range 1140-1310
- Avg GPA 3.43
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $38,779
CUNY City College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
CCNY is a public college in the CUNY system known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and the sciences. The urban campus is located in Harlem in northern Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1070-1430
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $4,664