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.
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
- Public 4 Year
- Ann Arbor, MI
-
4.8 | 5 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Michigan is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and the social sciences. Ann Arbor is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1360-1530
- Avg GPA 3.88
- Acceptance Rate 16%
- Net Price $17,574
Wake Forest University
- Private 4 Year
- Winston-Salem, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Wake Forest is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business and the liberal arts. Most undergraduates live on the residential campus in Winston-Salem.
- SAT Range 1410-1520
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 22%
- Net Price $24,401
Scripps College
- Private 4 Year
- Claremont, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Scripps is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate arts, humanities, and its interdisciplinary Core Curriculum. Most students live on the residential campus and take classes across the Claremont Colleges consortium.
- SAT Range 1440-1540
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $44,396
Case Western Reserve University
- Private 4 Year
- Cleveland, OH
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Case Western is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, biomedical engineering, and nursing. The urban campus sits in Cleveland's University Circle near major hospitals and museums.
- SAT Range 1430-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 37%
- Net Price $44,000
Lehigh University
- Private 4 Year
- Bethlehem, PA
-
3.8 | 6 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Lehigh is a private university known for undergraduate engineering and business. The hillside campus sits on South Mountain overlooking Bethlehem.
- SAT Range 1370-1500
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 26%
- Net Price $34,154
Skidmore College
- Private 4 Year
- Saratoga Springs, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Skidmore is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate studio art, performing arts, and business. The residential campus sits in the historic spa town of Saratoga Springs.
- SAT Range 1340-1480
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 21%
- Net Price $31,187
Yeshiva University
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Yeshiva is a private Jewish university known for combining Jewish studies with undergraduate business, sciences, and liberal arts. Men and women study on separate urban campuses in Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1340-1510
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 56%
- Net Price $39,681
University of Rochester
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 5 application deadline
Rochester is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate optics, music through the Eastman School, and engineering. Undergraduates follow a flexible curriculum built around interdisciplinary clusters rather than fixed general-education requirements.
- SAT Range 1410-1540
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $40,462
Grinnell College
- Private 4 Year
- Grinnell, IA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Grinnell is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for an open curriculum and undergraduate work in the sciences and social sciences. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the small town of Grinnell.
- SAT Range 1410-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 15%
- Net Price $34,363
University of Virginia Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Charlottesville, VA
-
| 0 reviews
UVA is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate commerce, government, and architecture. The historic campus in Charlottesville centers on Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village.
- SAT Range 1410-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Acceptance Rate 17%
- Net Price $18,427
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Public 4 Year
- Chapel Hill, NC
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
UNC-Chapel Hill is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate journalism, business, and public health. Chapel Hill is a classic college town built around the historic campus.
- SAT Range 1390-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 15%
- Net Price $10,154
Franklin and Marshall College
- Private 4 Year
- Lancaster, PA
-
3.8 | 6 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Franklin and Marshall is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate government and the natural sciences. Most students live on a residential campus in the city of Lancaster.
- SAT Range 1310-1463
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 28%
- Net Price $43,987
Santa Clara University
- Private 4 Year
- Santa Clara, CA
-
4.9 | 14 reviews
- Jan 7 application deadline
Santa Clara is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and engineering. The historic campus sits in the heart of Silicon Valley.
- SAT Range 1350-1490
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $53,883
Kenyon College
- Private 4 Year
- Gambier, OH
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Kenyon is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate English and creative writing. The rural campus occupies much of the small village of Gambier.
- SAT Range 1358-1503
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 31%
- Net Price $46,859
William & Mary
- Public 4 Year
- Williamsburg, VA
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- Jan 2 application deadline
William & Mary is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate history, government, and international relations. The historic campus adjoins Colonial Williamsburg in a small college town.
- SAT Range 1400-1530
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Acceptance Rate 34%
- Net Price $19,686
Trinity University
- Private 4 Year
- San Antonio, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Trinity is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and the sciences. Most students live on a residential hilltop campus overlooking downtown San Antonio.
- SAT Range 1340-1500
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 26%
- Net Price $32,224
University of California Berkeley
- Public 4 Year
- Berkeley, CA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
Berkeley is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and chemistry. The hillside campus overlooks San Francisco Bay in the East Bay city of Berkeley.
- SAT Range 1310-1530
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 11%
- Net Price $16,538
University of California Los Angeles
- Public 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UCLA is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate film, television, and theater. The urban Westwood campus also has a nationally known basketball program.
- SAT Range 1300-1530
- Avg GPA 3.92
- Acceptance Rate 9%
- Net Price $14,512