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.
Molloy University
- Private 4 Year
- Rockville Centre, NY
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| 0 reviews
Molloy is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. Students attend a suburban campus in Rockville Centre on Long Island.
- SAT Range 1088-1290
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $24,405
Widener University
- Private 4 Year
- Chester, PA
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| 0 reviews
Widener is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and business. The Chester campus sits just south of Philadelphia.
- SAT Range 1080-1290
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $26,778
Lycoming College
- Private 4 Year
- Williamsport, PA
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| 0 reviews
Lycoming is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, archaeology, and business. The residential campus sits in Williamsport along the Susquehanna River in north-central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1080-1300
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $20,492
University of Wyoming
- Public 4 Year
- Laramie, WY
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 10 application deadline
Wyoming is a public university known for undergraduate geology, petroleum engineering, and agriculture. The campus sits in the college town of Laramie near the Medicine Bow Mountains.
- SAT Range 1040-1240
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $14,872
Oregon State University
- Public 4 Year
- Corvallis, OR
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Oregon State is a large public university known for undergraduate forestry, marine science, and engineering. Corvallis is a college town built around the campus in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
- SAT Range 1140-1400
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $22,467
Agnes Scott College
- Private 4 Year
- Decatur, GA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Agnes Scott is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, writing, and global learning. The residential campus sits in historic Decatur, just outside Atlanta.
- SAT Range 1160-1330
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $27,499
Messiah University
- Private 4 Year
- Mechanicsburg, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Messiah is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and music. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the Harrisburg suburbs.
- SAT Range 1110-1350
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $29,408
Baldwin Wallace University
- Private 4 Year
- Berea, OH
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5.0 | 2 reviews
Baldwin Wallace is a private university known for undergraduate music through its conservatory, along with business and education. The suburban campus sits in Berea near Cleveland.
- SAT Range 1060-1290
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $27,991
SUNY at Fredonia
- Public 4 Year
- Fredonia, NY
-
| 0 reviews
Fredonia is a public university known for undergraduate music, performing arts, and education. The residential campus sits in a small college town in western New York near Lake Erie.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $16,023
University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Public 4 Year
- Honolulu, HI
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4.5 | 2 reviews
UH Manoa is a large public university known for undergraduate marine science, oceanography, and Hawaiian studies. The campus occupies Manoa Valley in Honolulu.
- SAT Range 1081-1293
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $17,202
Iowa State University
- Public 4 Year
- Ames, IA
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4.0 | 4 reviews
Iowa State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and design. Ames is a college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1120-1360
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $17,779
University of Evansville
- Private 4 Year
- Evansville, IN
-
| 0 reviews
University of Evansville is a private university known for undergraduate theatre and engineering. Many undergrads study abroad at Harlaxton College, its campus in a historic English manor.
- SAT Range 1045-1300
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $18,773
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- Public 4 Year
- Buzzards Bay, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Apr 15 application deadline
Mass Maritime is a public maritime academy known for undergraduate marine transportation, marine engineering, and maritime business. Most students join a regiment of cadets on a campus along the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzards Bay.
- SAT Range 1030-1185
- Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $13,546
University of Oregon
- Public 4 Year
- Eugene, OR
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5.0 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Oregon is a large public university known for undergraduate journalism, architecture, and business. Eugene is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1130-1360
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $24,605
Gordon College
- Private 4 Year
- Wenham, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Gordon is a private Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate music, education, and psychology. Most students live on a wooded residential campus in the small North Shore town of Wenham.
- SAT Range 1130-1355
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $25,299
Saint Vincent College
- Private 4 Year
- Latrobe, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Saint Vincent is a private Benedictine liberal arts college known for undergraduate business and biology. The campus shares its grounds with Saint Vincent Archabbey in a small western Pennsylvania town.
- SAT Range 1020-1230
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $23,758
CUNY Queens College
- Public 4 Year
- Queens, NY
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4.0 | 1 reviews
Queens College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate music through the Aaron Copland School of Music and for education. The tree-lined campus is in Flushing, Queens.
- SAT Range 1010-1290
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $5,728
Louisiana State University
- Public 4 Year
- Baton Rouge, LA
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
LSU is a large public university known for undergraduate petroleum engineering, agriculture, and business. The campus sits along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge.
- SAT Range 1180-1340
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $21,430