Best Test-Optional U.S. Colleges
CollegeSimply ranks 1045 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, Stanford University and Harvard 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.
Taylor University
- Private 4 Year
- Upland, IN
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
Taylor is a private Christian university known for undergraduate education, business, and nursing. Most students live on the residential campus in the small town of Upland.
- SAT Range 1070-1330
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $26,178
Western Washington University
- Public 4 Year
- Bellingham, WA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 31 application deadline
Western Washington is a public university known for undergraduate environmental science and education. The hillside campus overlooks Bellingham Bay near the Cascade Mountains.
- SAT Range 1150-1390
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $24,338
Beloit College
- Private 4 Year
- Beloit, WI
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
Beloit is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate anthropology and the sciences. The historic residential campus overlooks the Rock River in southern Wisconsin.
- SAT Range 1200-1430
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $24,455
Eckerd College
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Petersburg, FL
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Eckerd is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate marine science and environmental studies. The waterfront campus borders Boca Ciega Bay in St. Petersburg.
- SAT Range 1160-1330
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $43,884
Monmouth University
- Private 4 Year
- West Long Branch, NJ
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Monmouth is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and education. The suburban campus sits a short drive from the Atlantic beaches on the New Jersey shore.
- SAT Range 1140-1310
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $34,072
Gannon University
- Private 4 Year
- Erie, PA
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
Gannon is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and the health sciences. The urban campus sits in downtown Erie near Lake Erie.
- SAT Range 990-1250
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $23,123
The College of Idaho
- Private 4 Year
- Caldwell, ID
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
The College of Idaho is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and a PEAK curriculum that pairs a major with three minors. The residential campus sits in the small city of Caldwell west of Boise.
- SAT Range 1070-1280
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 49%
- Net Price $21,686
Meredith College
- Private 4 Year
- Raleigh, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Meredith is a private women's college known for undergraduate business, education, and design. The residential campus sits in Raleigh near the state's government district.
- SAT Range 1098-1348
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $24,323
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