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.
The College of New Jersey
- Public 4 Year
- Ewing, NJ
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
TCNJ is a public college known for undergraduate teacher education, nursing, and business. The suburban Ewing campus is primarily residential.
- SAT Range 1140-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.29
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $25,580
Marist University
- Private 4 Year
- Poughkeepsie, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Marist is a private university known for undergraduate communications, media studies, and fashion. The campus sits along the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie.
- SAT Range 1190-1340
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $42,508
Quinnipiac University
- Private 4 Year
- Hamden, CT
-
3.8 | 5 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Quinnipiac is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and communications. The suburban campus sits at the base of Sleeping Giant in Hamden.
- SAT Range 1150-1320
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $40,632
Adelphi University
- Private 4 Year
- Garden City, NY
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
Adelphi is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, psychology, and the performing arts. The suburban Garden City campus sits on Long Island outside New York City.
- SAT Range 1120-1340
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $31,303
Bard College
- Private 4 Year
- Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Bard is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate arts, music, and literature. The campus overlooks the Hudson River in New York's Hudson Valley.
- SAT Range 1270-1450
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 52%
- Net Price $29,320
Penn State Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- University Park, PA
-
4.2 | 12 reviews
Penn State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and communications. The University Park campus anchors the college town of State College in central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1240-1420
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $27,889
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Baruch is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate business, finance, and accounting. The compact urban campus sits in Midtown Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1100-1400
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $4,326
Rutgers University Newark
- Public 4 Year
- Newark, NJ
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Rutgers-Newark is a public university known for undergraduate business and criminal justice. The urban campus is located in downtown Newark.
- SAT Range 1030-1270
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $18,276
Clarkson University
- Private 4 Year
- Potsdam, NY
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Clarkson is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and the sciences. The residential campus is in the small college town of Potsdam in northern New York.
- SAT Range 1200-1390
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $32,406
Duquesne University
- Private 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Duquesne is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and business. The urban campus sits on a bluff overlooking downtown Pittsburgh.
- SAT Range 1180-1340
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $37,917
Allegheny College
- Private 4 Year
- Meadville, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Allegheny is a private liberal arts college known for requiring a major and minor in different fields and a senior comprehensive project. The historic campus sits in the small college town of Meadville in northwestern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1173-1358
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $26,420
Hofstra University
- Private 4 Year
- Hempstead, NY
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
Hofstra is a private university known for undergraduate communications, journalism, and business. The suburban Long Island campus sits in Hempstead near New York City.
- SAT Range 1230-1400
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $35,792
New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Newark, NJ
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
NJIT is a public technological university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and architecture. The urban campus is located in Newark.
- SAT Range 1210-1460
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $17,313
SUNY College at Geneseo
- Public 4 Year
- Geneseo, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Geneseo is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate education and the sciences. The residential campus sits in a small college town in western New York's Genesee Valley.
- SAT Range 1190-1340
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $19,115
University of Vermont
- Public 4 Year
- Burlington, VT
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
UVM is a public university known for undergraduate environmental science, natural resources, and nursing. The hillside campus overlooks Lake Champlain in Burlington.
- SAT Range 1290-1440
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $20,084
Moravian University
- Private 4 Year
- Bethlehem, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Moravian is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the liberal arts. The historic campus sits in downtown Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley.
- SAT Range 1070-1285
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 54%
- Net Price $31,743
Emerson College
- Private 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 20 application deadline
Emerson is a private college known for undergraduate journalism, film, and performing arts. The urban campus sits in Boston's Theater District near Boston Common.
- SAT Range 1270-1420
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 51%
- Net Price $53,432
St. John Fisher University
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester, NY
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
St. John Fisher is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and business. The suburban campus sits in the Rochester area of western New York.
- SAT Range 1120-1300
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $30,540