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
St. Joseph's University New York Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Brooklyn, NY
  • | 0 reviews

St. Joseph's New York is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The urban campus is in Brooklyn.

#34 Best Private Colleges in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1110-1270
  • Avg GPA 3.2
  • Acceptance Rate 72%
  • Net Price $19,422
Details
Wagner College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Staten Island, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Wagner is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing, theater, and business. The hilltop campus on Staten Island overlooks New York Harbor.

#35 Best Private Colleges in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1190-1290
  • Avg GPA 3.5
  • Acceptance Rate 88%
  • Net Price $28,033
Details
Salve Regina University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Newport, RI
  • 4.0 | 2 reviews

Salve Regina is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and historic preservation. The Newport campus overlooks the Atlantic and incorporates several Gilded Age mansions.

#5 Best Private Colleges in Rhode Island 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1160-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.52
  • Acceptance Rate 68%
  • Net Price $38,307
Details
Le Moyne College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Syracuse, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Le Moyne is a private Jesuit college known for undergraduate nursing, business, and biology. The suburban campus sits just outside downtown Syracuse.

#36 Best Private Colleges in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1160-1330
  • Avg GPA 3.55
  • Acceptance Rate 83%
  • Net Price $23,702
Details
Endicott College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Beverly, MA
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 15 application deadline

Endicott is a private college known for undergraduate hospitality management, nursing, and business. The oceanfront campus sits along the North Shore coastline in Beverly.

#22 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1193-1340
  • Avg GPA 3.55
  • Acceptance Rate 71%
  • Net Price $41,394
Details
State University of New York at New Paltz Campus

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  • Public 4 Year
  • New Paltz, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Apr 1 application deadline

SUNY New Paltz is a public university known for undergraduate fine arts, graphic design, and education. The campus sits in a Hudson Valley college town near the Shawangunk Mountains.

#8 Best Public Universities in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1170-1340
  • Avg GPA 3.6
  • Acceptance Rate 62%
  • Net Price $18,051
Details
Saint Michael's College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Colchester, VT
  • | 0 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Saint Michael's is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for undergraduate education, biology, and business. The residential campus sits near Burlington and Lake Champlain in northwestern Vermont.

#3 Best Colleges in Vermont 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1120-1280
  • Avg GPA 3.27
  • Acceptance Rate 85%
  • Net Price $27,982
Details
CUNY Hunter College Campus

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  • Public 4 Year
  • New York, NY
  • | 0 reviews

Hunter College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and psychology. The urban campus is on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

#9 Best Public Universities in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1100-1420
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 54%
  • Net Price $4,431
Details
Rider University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Lawrenceville, NJ
  • | 0 reviews

Rider is a private university known for undergraduate business, accounting, and music through Westminster Choir College. The suburban campus is in Lawrenceville near Princeton.

#4 Best Private Colleges in New Jersey 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1100-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.41
  • Acceptance Rate 79%
  • Net Price $26,506
Details
Roger Williams University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Bristol, RI
  • 4.3 | 3 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Roger Williams is a private university known for undergraduate architecture and marine biology. The waterfront campus sits on Mount Hope Bay in Bristol.

#6 Best Private Colleges in Rhode Island 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1140-1310
  • Avg GPA 3.43
  • Acceptance Rate 88%
  • Net Price $38,779
Details
CUNY City College Campus

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

CCNY is a public college in the CUNY system known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and the sciences. The urban campus is located in Harlem in northern Manhattan.

#10 Best Public Universities in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1070-1430
  • Avg GPA 3.2
  • Acceptance Rate 60%
  • Net Price $4,664
Details
SUNY Oneonta Campus

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  • Public 4 Year
  • Oneonta, NY
  • 3.0 | 2 reviews

SUNY Oneonta is a public university known for undergraduate education, environmental science, and music. The residential campus sits in a college town in New York's Catskill region.

#11 Best Public Universities in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1120-1310
  • Avg GPA 3.45
  • Acceptance Rate 70%
  • Net Price $18,669
Details
CUNY Brooklyn College Campus

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  • Public 4 Year
  • Brooklyn, NY
  • 1.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Brooklyn College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate education, the liberal arts, and performing arts. The Georgian-style campus sits on a tree-lined quadrangle in Brooklyn's Midwood neighborhood.

#12 Best Public Universities in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 950-1340
  • Avg GPA 3.42
  • Acceptance Rate 58%
  • Net Price $4,512
Details
Juniata College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Huntingdon, PA
  • 5.0 | 2 reviews
  • Mar 15 application deadline

Juniata is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate natural sciences and its Program of Emphasis, which lets students design individualized majors. The residential campus sits in the small town of Huntingdon along the Juniata River.

#24 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1130-1320
  • Avg GPA 3.81
  • Acceptance Rate 79%
  • Net Price $24,580
Details
DeSales University Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Center Valley, PA
  • 3.0 | 2 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

DeSales is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate theatre, nursing, and business. The suburban campus is in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.

#25 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1090-1260
  • Avg GPA 3.39
  • Acceptance Rate 77%
  • Net Price $31,732
Details
SUNY Polytechnic Institute Campus

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  • Public 4 Year
  • Utica, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 1 application deadline

SUNY Poly is a public polytechnic institute known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and cybersecurity. The Utica-area campus sits in Central New York.

#13 Best Public Universities in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1025-1370
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 81%
  • Net Price $14,782
Details
Lebanon Valley College Campus

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  • Private 4 Year
  • Annville, PA
  • 3.5 | 2 reviews

Lebanon Valley is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music and physical therapy. The residential campus sits in the small town of Annville.

#26 Best Private Colleges in Pennsylvania 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1140-1302
  • Avg GPA 3.79
  • Acceptance Rate 84%
  • Net Price $27,995
Details
Molloy University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Rockville Centre, NY
  • | 0 reviews

Molloy is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. Students attend a suburban campus in Rockville Centre on Long Island.

#37 Best Private Colleges in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1088-1290
  • Avg GPA 3.2
  • Acceptance Rate 82%
  • Net Price $24,405
Details