Best Test-Optional Southern Colleges
There are 307 test-optional colleges in the South, ranked using the same methodology as our national list. These schools do not require SAT or ACT scores with your application.
Duke University leads South test-optional rankings for 2027. The top rated public option is University of Virginia Main Campus. Also highly ranked: Rice University, Vanderbilt University and Emory University.
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.
North Carolina Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Rocky Mount, NC
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| 0 reviews
North Carolina Wesleyan is a small private university known for undergraduate business, education, and criminal justice. The residential campus is located in Rocky Mount in eastern North Carolina.
- SAT Range 860-1120
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $18,472
Coker University
- Private 4 Year
- Hartsville, SC
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| 0 reviews
Coker is a private university known for undergraduate liberal arts programs and round-table classroom teaching. The historic campus sits in the small town of Hartsville.
- SAT Range 940-1160
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 94%
- Net Price $19,823
Elizabeth City State University
- Public 4 Year
- Elizabeth City, NC
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| 0 reviews
- Jun 30 application deadline
ECSU is a public HBCU known for undergraduate aviation and teacher education. The campus is in the small coastal city of Elizabeth City in northeastern North Carolina.
- SAT Range 920-1080
- Avg GPA 3.16
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $6,483
University of South Carolina Beaufort
- Public 4 Year
- Bluffton, SC
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| 0 reviews
A public university known for undergraduate nursing, hospitality management, and biology. The Bluffton campus sits in South Carolina's Lowcountry near Hilton Head Island.
- SAT Range 940-1110
- Avg GPA 3.82
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $15,363
Bethel University
- Private 4 Year
- McKenzie, TN
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| 0 reviews
Bethel is a private Christian university affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, known for undergraduate business and education programs. The campus is set in the small town of McKenzie in western Tennessee.
- SAT Range 830-1120
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $13,112
Johnson C Smith University
- Private 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
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4.5 | 2 reviews
Johnson C. Smith is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate business, computer science, and social work. The compact urban campus sits in Charlotte's historic West End.
- SAT Range 800-980
- Avg GPA 2.48
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $19,705
Bluefield State University
- Public 4 Year
- Bluefield, WV
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Bluefield State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate nursing, engineering technology, and education. The campus is in Bluefield, a small city in the Appalachian mountains of southern West Virginia.
- SAT Range 870-1080
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $15,814
Western Kentucky University
- Public 4 Year
- Bowling Green, KY
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
WKU is a public university known for undergraduate journalism, photojournalism, and broadcasting. The hilltop campus overlooks Bowling Green in south-central Kentucky.
- SAT Range 840-1050
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 94%
- Net Price $12,548
Tennessee State University
- Public 4 Year
- Nashville, TN
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| 0 reviews
Tennessee State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate nursing, business, and engineering. The urban campus is in Nashville.
- SAT Range 880-1050
- Avg GPA 3.22
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $14,586
Arizona Christian University
- Private 4 Year
- Glendale, AZ
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| 0 reviews
Arizona Christian is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies and education. The suburban campus sits in Glendale in the Phoenix metro area.
- SAT Range 960-1170
- Avg GPA 3.16
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $32,514
Clark Atlanta University
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
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| 0 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
Clark Atlanta is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate social work, business, and mass media arts. The urban Atlanta campus is part of the Atlanta University Center consortium with neighboring HBCUs.
- SAT Range 880-1120
- Avg GPA 3.28
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $31,223
Dillard University
- Private 4 Year
- New Orleans, LA
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| 0 reviews
Dillard is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, public health, and the sciences. The urban campus sits in New Orleans's Gentilly neighborhood.
- SAT Range 968-1202
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 42%
- Net Price $21,842
Claflin University
- Private 4 Year
- Orangeburg, SC
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| 0 reviews
Claflin is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate biology, business, and education. The residential campus is located in Orangeburg in central South Carolina.
- SAT Range 840-1040
- Avg GPA 3.28
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $17,272
Concord University
- Public 4 Year
- Athens, WV
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| 0 reviews
Concord is a small public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the college town of Athens in southern West Virginia.
- SAT Range 830-1090
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $11,379
Southeastern Louisiana University
- Public 4 Year
- Hammond, LA
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Southeastern Louisiana is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The residential campus is in Hammond, a smaller city between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $13,116
Georgia Southwestern State University
- Public 4 Year
- Americus, GA
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| 0 reviews
- Jul 21 application deadline
Georgia Southwestern is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The residential campus sits in the small city of Americus in southwest Georgia.
- SAT Range 890-1110
- Avg GPA 3.17
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $11,769
Newberry College
- Private 4 Year
- Newberry, SC
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3.0 | 2 reviews
Newberry is a private liberal arts college with undergraduate programs in education and business. The residential campus sits in the small town of Newberry and has long ties to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
- SAT Range 820-1060
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $21,943
Norfolk State University
- Public 4 Year
- Norfolk, VA
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| 0 reviews
- May 31 application deadline
Norfolk State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, social work, and communications. The urban campus sits in Norfolk near downtown and the Elizabeth River.
- SAT Range 823-1030
- Avg GPA 2.9
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $9,124