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.
Roanoke College
- Private 4 Year
- Salem, VA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
Roanoke is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, biology, and psychology. The residential campus sits in Salem at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- SAT Range 1090-1300
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $26,044
Mount St. Mary's University
- Private 4 Year
- Emmitsburg, MD
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Mount St. Mary's is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, education, and the liberal arts. The residential campus sits in rural Emmitsburg near the Catoctin Mountains.
- SAT Range 1046-1280
- Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $23,027
University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Public 4 Year
- Lowell, MA
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
UMass Lowell is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and sciences. The urban campus sits along the Merrimack River in Lowell.
- SAT Range 1180-1370
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $16,530
North Central College
- Private 4 Year
- Naperville, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- Apr 15 application deadline
North Central is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in suburban Naperville, west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 1055-1310
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $23,276
Coe College
- Private 4 Year
- Cedar Rapids, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Coe is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate writing, biology, and business. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Cedar Rapids.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $20,864
Hanover College
- Private 4 Year
- Hanover, IN
-
0.0 | 1 reviews
Hanover is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, business, and psychology. The campus overlooks the Ohio River from wooded bluffs in a small southern Indiana town.
- SAT Range 1110-1280
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $23,683
University of Mississippi
- Public 4 Year
- University, MS
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
Ole Miss is a large public university known for undergraduate accountancy and business. Oxford is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1000-1200
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $15,045
University of Nevada Reno
- Public 4 Year
- Reno, NV
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- Apr 7 application deadline
Nevada is a large public university known for undergraduate mining engineering, earth sciences, and journalism. The Reno campus sits near the base of the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe.
- SAT Range 1060-1290
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $17,226
SUNY Maritime College
- Public 4 Year
- Throggs Neck, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 31 application deadline
SUNY Maritime is a public maritime college known for undergraduate marine transportation, marine engineering, and naval architecture. The waterfront campus occupies historic Fort Schuyler on the Throggs Neck peninsula in the Bronx.
- SAT Range 1123-1288
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $20,312
Christopher Newport University
- Public 4 Year
- Newport News, VA
-
3.2 | 4 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Christopher Newport is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate leadership studies and political science. The residential campus in Newport News features classical Georgian architecture.
- SAT Range 1060-1290
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $23,148
Bellarmine University
- Private 4 Year
- Louisville, KY
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Bellarmine is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and the health sciences. The campus occupies a residential setting in Louisville.
- SAT Range 1030-1250
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $23,165
University of Nebraska Lincoln
- Public 4 Year
- Lincoln, NE
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Nebraska is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and journalism. Students attend classes on a large campus in Lincoln, the state capital.
- SAT Range 1098-1330
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $18,322
Susquehanna University
- Private 4 Year
- Selinsgrove, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Susquehanna is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate business and communications. The campus sits along the Susquehanna River in the small town of Selinsgrove.
- SAT Range 1100-1300
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $26,444
Berry College
- Private 4 Year
- Mount Berry, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Berry is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate animal science, business, and education. Most students join a campus work program on the college's 27,000-acre grounds of forests and farmland near Rome.
- SAT Range 1125-1330
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $25,363
University of North Dakota
- Public 4 Year
- Grand Forks, ND
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 17 application deadline
UND is a public university known for undergraduate aviation and aerospace sciences. The campus sits in a college-town setting in Grand Forks near the Minnesota border.
- SAT Range 1110-1290
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $18,076
College of Charleston
- Public 4 Year
- Charleston, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
College of Charleston is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate marine biology and historic preservation. The historic campus sits in downtown Charleston near the harbor.
- SAT Range 1140-1310
- Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $21,004
Stetson University
- Private 4 Year
- DeLand, FL
-
| 0 reviews
Stetson is a private university known for undergraduate business and music. The historic campus sits in the college town of DeLand in Central Florida.
- SAT Range 1060-1270
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $20,319
Ohio Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Delaware, OH
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Ohio Wesleyan is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate zoology, economics, and international studies. Most undergrads live on a residential campus in Delaware, a small city north of Columbus.
- SAT Range 1105-1350
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 56%
- Net Price $23,006