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 New Orleans
- Public 4 Year
- New Orleans, LA
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UNO is a public university known for undergraduate naval architecture, marine engineering, and hospitality. The urban campus sits on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
- SAT Range 935-1241
- Avg GPA 3.21
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $12,258
Marian University
- Private 4 Year
- Fond Du Lac, WI
-
| 0 reviews
Marian is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The small campus lies in Fond du Lac at the southern end of Lake Winnebago.
- SAT Range 800-1080
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.16
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $22,697
California State Polytechnic University Humboldt
- Public 4 Year
- Arcata, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Apr 30 application deadline
Cal Poly Humboldt is a public polytechnic university known for undergraduate environmental science, forestry, and marine biology. The campus is set among coastal redwoods in far northern California.
- SAT Range 970-1190
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $14,090
New Mexico State University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Las Cruces, NM
-
| 0 reviews
New Mexico State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture and engineering. The main campus lies in Las Cruces near the Organ Mountains.
- SAT Range 870-1110
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $10,719
Minnesota State University Mankato
- Public 4 Year
- Mankato, MN
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
Minnesota State Mankato is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits on a bluff overlooking the Minnesota River valley in southern Minnesota.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $18,861
Lee University
- Private 4 Year
- Cleveland, TN
-
| 0 reviews
Lee is a private Christian university known for undergraduate music and education. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Cleveland, Tennessee.
- SAT Range 1040-1230
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $20,416
Fisher College
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
| 0 reviews
Fisher is a private college known for undergraduate business, criminal justice, and hospitality management. The compact urban campus sits in Boston's Back Bay.
- SAT Range 800-1070
- Avg GPA 2.72
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $28,596
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
- Public 4 Year
- Oshkosh, WI
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
UW Oshkosh is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus borders Lake Winnebago in a mid-sized Wisconsin city.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $12,500
Sam Houston State University
- Public 4 Year
- Huntsville, TX
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Sam Houston State is a large public university known for undergraduate criminal justice and forensic science. The main campus is in Huntsville in the piney woods of East Texas.
- SAT Range 930-1120
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $14,737
Saint Leo University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Leo, FL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Saint Leo is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate criminal justice, business, and education. The campus adjoins a Benedictine abbey in a small central Florida town north of Tampa.
- SAT Range 980-1190
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $22,599
California Baptist University
- Private 4 Year
- Riverside, CA
-
| 0 reviews
California Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and engineering. The suburban Riverside campus lies in Southern California's Inland Empire.
- SAT Range 960-1150
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $27,862
CUNY New York City College of Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Brooklyn, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Sep 1 application deadline
City Tech is a public CUNY college of technology known for undergraduate architecture, engineering technology, and hospitality management. The urban campus is in Downtown Brooklyn.
- SAT Range 900-1140
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $5,794
California State University Fullerton
- Public 4 Year
- Fullerton, CA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
Cal State Fullerton is a large public university known for undergraduate business, communications, and education. The suburban campus sits in northern Orange County.
- SAT Range 1000-1180
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $7,064
Adrian College
- Private 4 Year
- Adrian, MI
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Adrian is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and exercise science. The residential campus sits in the small city of Adrian in southeast Michigan.
- SAT Range 873-1140
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $25,922
The University of Texas Permian Basin
- Public 4 Year
- Odessa, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 23 application deadline
UT Permian Basin is a public university known for undergraduate petroleum engineering and business. The campus is located in Odessa in West Texas's Permian Basin.
- SAT Range 910-1130
- Avg GPA 3.27
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $13,563
Cleary University
- Private 4 Year
- Howell, MI
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Cleary is a private university known for undergraduate business and management programs. The campus is in Howell, a smaller city in southeastern Michigan.
- SAT Range 950-1170
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.17
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $23,705
Eastern Washington University
- Public 4 Year
- Cheney, WA
-
| 0 reviews
- Sep 10 application deadline
Eastern Washington is a public university known for undergraduate education, business, and health sciences. The residential campus is in Cheney, a small college town near Spokane.
- SAT Range 880-1090
- Avg GPA 3.29
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $14,767
Fairleigh Dickinson University Metropolitan Campus
- Private 4 Year
- Teaneck, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
FDU is a private university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and international studies. The suburban Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck sits close to New York City.
- SAT Range 908-1180
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $16,920