Best Test-Optional Midwestern Colleges
There are 249 test-optional colleges in the Midwest, ranked using the same methodology as our national list. These schools do not require SAT or ACT scores with your application.
University of Chicago leads Midwest test-optional rankings for 2027. The top rated public option is University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Also highly ranked: Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis and University of Notre Dame.
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.
Rochester University
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester Hills, MI
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| 0 reviews
Rochester University is a private Christian university with undergraduate programs in business, nursing, and education. The suburban campus is in Rochester Hills in metro Detroit.
- SAT Range 840-1060
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.13
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $21,611
Upper Iowa University
- Private 4 Year
- Fayette, IA
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| 0 reviews
Upper Iowa is a private university known for undergraduate business, education, and human services. The residential campus sits in the small town of Fayette in northeast Iowa.
- SAT Range 970-1160
- Avg GPA 3.34
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $20,426
Missouri Baptist University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Louis, MO
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| 0 reviews
Missouri Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate teacher education, nursing, and Christian ministry. The suburban campus sits in Creve Coeur in the St. Louis metro area.
- SAT Range 910-1170
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $27,623
Tiffin University
- Private 4 Year
- Tiffin, OH
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| 0 reviews
Tiffin is a private university known for undergraduate business, criminal justice, and sports management. Students study on a compact residential campus in the small city of Tiffin in northwest Ohio.
- SAT Range 910-1110
- Avg GPA 3.11
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $26,068
Indiana University South Bend
- Public 4 Year
- South Bend, IN
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| 0 reviews
IU South Bend is a public regional campus of Indiana University known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The campus lies along the St. Joseph River in South Bend.
- SAT Range 950-1190
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $9,003
Culver Stockton College
- Private 4 Year
- Canton, MO
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Culver-Stockton is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and equestrian studies. The campus sits on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range 970-1080
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $21,996
Youngstown State University
- Public 4 Year
- Youngstown, OH
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4.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Youngstown State is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and education. The urban campus sits in Youngstown in northeastern Ohio.
- SAT Range 1010-1230
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $12,757
Southeast Missouri State University
- Public 4 Year
- Cape Girardeau, MO
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
SEMO is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and business. The campus overlooks the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau.
- SAT Range 850-1030
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $16,185
University of Wisconsin Parkside
- Public 4 Year
- Kenosha, WI
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| 0 reviews
UW-Parkside is a public university known for undergraduate business, criminal justice, and biological sciences. The wooded Kenosha campus sits between Milwaukee and Chicago.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $10,234
Avila University
- Private 4 Year
- Kansas City, MO
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| 0 reviews
Avila is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The compact campus sits in southern Kansas City.
- SAT Range 800-960
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $17,004
Black Hills State University
- Public 4 Year
- Spearfish, SD
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| 0 reviews
Black Hills State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, business, and outdoor education. The campus sits in Spearfich at the northern edge of South Dakota's Black Hills.
- SAT Range 965-1135
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.22
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $15,576
Missouri Valley College
- Private 4 Year
- Marshall, MO
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| 0 reviews
Missouri Valley is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the small town of Marshall in central Missouri.
- SAT Range 895-1115
- Avg GPA 3.04
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $18,923
Central State University
- Public 4 Year
- Wilberforce, OH
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| 0 reviews
Central State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate education and manufacturing engineering. The residential campus sits in the small town of Wilberforce.
- SAT Range 770-950
- Avg GPA 2.8
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $11,398
Lake Superior State University
- Public 4 Year
- Sault Ste Marie, MI
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| 0 reviews
Lake Superior State is a small public university known for undergraduate fisheries and wildlife management and criminal justice. The campus sits along the St. Marys River in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near the Canadian border.
- SAT Range 1000-1225
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $12,339
Wright State University Lake Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Celina, OH
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 26 application deadline
Wright State Lake Campus is a public regional campus known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The lakeside campus sits on the northern shore of Grand Lake St. Marys.
- SAT Range 790-890
- Avg GPA 3.27
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $11,008