Best Test-Optional Eastern Colleges

There are 275 test-optional colleges in the East, ranked using the same methodology as our national list. These schools do not require SAT or ACT scores with your application.

Princeton University leads East test-optional rankings for 2027. The top rated public option is University at Buffalo. Also highly ranked: Amherst College, Williams College and Wellesley College.

Without test scores, your GPA, activities, recommendation letters, and essays carry more weight. Compare acceptance rates, tuition, and enrollment across the colleges below. Explore the regional list below or browse individual states. See our ranking methodology for how schools are scored.

275 Results
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East Test Optional Public Private 4 Year
University of Maine at Farmington Campus
 

  • Public 4 Year
  • Farmington, ME
  • | 0 reviews

University of Maine at Farmington is a small public liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and creative writing. The residential campus is set in the western Maine college town of Farmington.

#3 Best Public Universities in Maine 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 995-1245
  • Avg GPA 3.15
  • Acceptance Rate 97%
  • Net Price $17,451
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • 3.0 | 3 reviews

Carlow is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The compact urban campus sits in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.

#50 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 960-1168
  • Avg GPA 3.6
  • Acceptance Rate 87%
  • Net Price $21,002
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Greensburg, PA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 15 application deadline

Seton Hill is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate performing arts, education, and business. The campus is in Greensburg, a small city east of Pittsburgh.

#51 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1020-1240
  • Avg GPA 3.74
  • Acceptance Rate 80%
  • Net Price $23,056
Details
Saint Joseph's College of Maine Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Standish, ME
  • | 0 reviews

A private Catholic college known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The campus sits on the shores of Sebago Lake in a rural Maine setting.

#4 Best Private Colleges in Maine 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 960-1150
  • Avg GPA 3.0
  • Acceptance Rate 84%
  • Net Price $28,217
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Union, NJ
  • 4.1 | 7 reviews
  • Aug 15 application deadline

Kean is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, nursing, and design. The suburban campus in Union sits near New York City.

#11 Best Public Universities in New Jersey 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 930-1150
  • Avg GPA 3.2
  • Acceptance Rate 76%
  • Net Price $12,708
Details
La Roche University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

La Roche is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and design. The suburban campus sits in Pittsburgh's North Hills.

#52 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 940-1200
  • Avg GPA 3.2
  • Acceptance Rate 76%
  • Net Price $24,108
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Kutztown, PA
  • | 0 reviews

Kutztown is a public university known for undergraduate education, communication design, and the visual arts. The campus sits in a small college town in eastern Pennsylvania.

#14 Best Public Universities in Pennsylvania 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1120-1310
  • Avg GPA 3.31
  • Acceptance Rate 91%
  • Net Price $22,134
Details
SUNY Morrisville Campus
 

  • Public 4 Year
  • Morrisville, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 15 application deadline

SUNY Morrisville is a public college known for undergraduate agriculture, equine studies, and applied technology. The rural campus is set in the village of Morrisville in central New York.

#30 Best Public Universities in New York 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 990-1230
  • Avg GPA 2.7
  • Acceptance Rate 92%
  • Net Price $15,960
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • 3.0 | 2 reviews

Point Park is a private university known for undergraduate dance, theater, and cinema. The urban campus sits in downtown Pittsburgh near the city's Cultural District.

#53 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1035-1240
  • Avg GPA 3.47
  • Acceptance Rate 97%
  • Net Price $26,502
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Jamaica, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

York College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate nursing, health professions, and aviation. The urban campus sits in Jamaica, Queens.

#31 Best Public Universities in New York 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 790-960
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.15
  • Acceptance Rate 64%
  • Net Price $5,131
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Keene, NH
  • | 0 reviews
  • Dec 1 application deadline

Keene State is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and occupational safety studies. The compact campus sits in the small city of Keene in southwestern New Hampshire.

#2 Best Public Universities in New Hampshire 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 970-1170
  • Avg GPA 3.1
  • Acceptance Rate 90%
  • Net Price $19,997
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Brooklyn, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews

Medgar Evers is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The urban campus is located in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood.

#32 Best Public Universities in New York 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 850-1020
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 86%
  • Net Price $6,273
Details
Neumann University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Aston, PA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 15 application deadline

Neumann is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The suburban Aston campus follows a Franciscan tradition just outside Philadelphia.

#54 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 905-1085
  • Avg GPA 3.23
  • Acceptance Rate 81%
  • Net Price $28,469
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Salem, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jun 1 application deadline

Salem State is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and social work. The campus sits in the historic coastal city of Salem north of Boston.

#11 Best Public Universities in Massachusetts 5/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 990-1160
  • Avg GPA 3.17
  • Acceptance Rate 96%
  • Net Price $17,541
Details

  • 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.

#31 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 800-1070
  • Avg GPA 2.72
  • Acceptance Rate 71%
  • Net Price $28,596
Details

  • 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.

#33 Best Public Universities in New York 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 900-1140
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 80%
  • Net Price $5,794
Details
Fairleigh Dickinson University Metropolitan Campus 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.

#12 Best Private Colleges in New Jersey 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 908-1180
  • Avg GPA 3.31
  • Acceptance Rate 91%
  • Net Price $16,920
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • Abington, PA
  • | 0 reviews

Penn State Abington is a public regional campus of Penn State known for undergraduate business, nursing, and information sciences. The suburban campus sits just north of Philadelphia.

#15 Best Public Universities in Pennsylvania 4/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1070-1265
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.42
  • Acceptance Rate 97%
  • Net Price $19,232
Details