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.
Palm Beach Atlantic University
- Private 4 Year
- West Palm Beach, FL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Palm Beach Atlantic is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and ministry. The urban campus in West Palm Beach borders the Intracoastal Waterway.
- SAT Range 950-1220
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $31,231
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
- Public 4 Year
- North Dartmouth, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
UMass Dartmouth is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and visual design. The suburban campus features distinctive modernist architecture in southeastern Massachusetts.
- SAT Range 1050-1270
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $21,094
Cornell College
- Private 4 Year
- Mount Vernon, IA
-
| 0 reviews
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college known for its One Course At A Time calendar of intensive undergraduate courses. Most students live on the residential campus in the small town of Mount Vernon.
- SAT Range 1120-1285
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $25,220
Mount St. Joseph University
- Private 4 Year
- Cincinnati, OH
-
| 0 reviews
Mount St. Joseph is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The hilltop campus overlooks the Ohio River on Cincinnati's west side.
- SAT Range 930-1140
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 59%
- Net Price $17,094
Ouachita Baptist University
- Private 4 Year
- Arkadelphia, AR
-
| 0 reviews
Ouachita Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate music, education, and business. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Arkadelphia.
- SAT Range 1070-1280
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $24,532
St. Mary's University
- Private 4 Year
- San Antonio, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
St. Mary's is a private Marianist Catholic university known for undergraduate business and criminal justice. The urban campus sits on San Antonio's near West Side.
- SAT Range 900-1310
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $20,412
The University of Tampa
- Private 4 Year
- Tampa, FL
-
2.5 | 13 reviews
University of Tampa is a private university known for undergraduate business, marine science, and nursing. The urban campus centers on historic Plant Hall along the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa.
- SAT Range 1070-1240
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $35,679
Mississippi State University
- Public 4 Year
- Mississippi State, MS
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Mississippi State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and architecture. Starkville is a college town centered on the campus.
- SAT Range 1100-1350
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $18,478
Penn State Erie Behrend College
- Public 4 Year
- Erie, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Penn State Behrend is a public college campus of Penn State known for undergraduate engineering, plastics engineering, and business. The wooded campus sits on a former estate outside downtown Erie.
- SAT Range 1120-1310
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $23,764
Marietta College
- Private 4 Year
- Marietta, OH
-
| 0 reviews
Marietta is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate petroleum engineering and environmental science. The campus sits in a historic town along the Ohio River.
- SAT Range 1040-1200
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $22,007
Xavier University of Louisiana
- Private 4 Year
- New Orleans, LA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
Xavier University of Louisiana is a private Catholic HBCU known for undergraduate pharmacy, biology, and chemistry. The urban campus sits in New Orleans.
- SAT Range 950-1113
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $17,162
Bay Path University
- Private 4 Year
- Longmeadow, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Bay Path is a private university known for educating undergraduate women in business, health sciences, and cybersecurity. The residential campus sits in suburban Longmeadow near Springfield.
- SAT Range 1010-1210
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $15,463
Capital University
- Private 4 Year
- Columbus, OH
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Capital is a private university known for undergraduate music through its conservatory, plus nursing and education. The residential campus sits in Bexley, a suburb of Columbus.
- SAT Range 910-1180
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $22,395
King's College
- Private 4 Year
- Wilkes-Barre, PA
-
| 0 reviews
King's is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate business and physician assistant studies. The urban campus occupies several blocks in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
- SAT Range 1070-1270
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $23,689
Curry College
- Private 4 Year
- Milton, MA
-
1.8 | 4 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
Curry is a private college known for undergraduate nursing, criminal justice, and communication. The suburban campus sits in Milton just south of Boston.
- SAT Range 1050-1230
- Avg GPA 3.01
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $29,917
Northern Illinois University
- Public 4 Year
- Dekalb, IL
-
3.2 | 5 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
NIU is a large public university known for undergraduate business, education, and the visual arts. The residential campus is in the college town of DeKalb west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 940-1170
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $14,243
Utah State University
- Public 4 Year
- Logan, UT
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Utah State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, natural resources, and engineering. Logan is a college town in northern Utah's Cache Valley.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $15,788
Tennessee Technological University
- Public 4 Year
- Cookeville, TN
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Tennessee Tech is a public university known for undergraduate engineering and technology. The campus sits in the college town of Cookeville on the Cumberland Plateau.
- SAT Range 1048-1310
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $15,336