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.
Union Commonwealth University
- Private 4 Year
- Barbourville, KY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
Union Commonwealth is a small private university with undergraduate programs in education, business, and nursing. The residential campus sits in the Appalachian college town of Barbourville.
- SAT Range 920-1105
- Avg GPA 3.15
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $17,124
University of the Cumberlands
- Private 4 Year
- Williamsburg, KY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 31 application deadline
University of the Cumberlands is a private Christian university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. Students live on a residential campus in the small Appalachian town of Williamsburg.
- SAT Range 960-1160
- Avg GPA 3.47
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $14,743
North Carolina Central University
- Public 4 Year
- Durham, NC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
NCCU is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and criminal justice. The campus sits in Durham within North Carolina's Research Triangle.
- SAT Range 980-1100
- Avg GPA 3.27
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $14,475
University of West Alabama
- Public 4 Year
- Livingston, AL
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 10 application deadline
West Alabama is a public university known for undergraduate education and business programs. The campus sits in the small town of Livingston in western Alabama.
- SAT Range 860-1120
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.16
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $13,954
Eastern New Mexico University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Portales, NM
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 24 application deadline
ENMU is a public university known for undergraduate aviation and teacher education. The campus is in the small college town of Portales on New Mexico's eastern plains.
- SAT Range 830-1060
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $6,416
Fayetteville State University
- Public 4 Year
- Fayetteville, NC
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Fayetteville State is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and business. It is a historically Black university in the University of North Carolina system.
- SAT Range 890-1090
- Avg GPA 3.11
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $7,811
Truett McConnell University
- Private 4 Year
- Cleveland, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Truett McConnell is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate Christian studies and education. The campus is in the North Georgia mountains near Cleveland.
- SAT Range 1000-1190
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $22,179
Jackson State University
- Public 4 Year
- Jackson, MS
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Jackson State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate business, education, and public health. The urban campus sits in Mississippi's capital city.
- SAT Range 820-1070
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $23,450
Lander University
- Public 4 Year
- Greenwood, SC
-
| 0 reviews
Lander is a public university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The campus is in the small city of Greenwood in South Carolina's Upstate.
- SAT Range 950-1178
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $15,520
Tusculum University
- Private 4 Year
- Greeneville, TN
-
| 0 reviews
Tusculum is a small private university with undergraduate programs in business, education, and nursing. The historic Greeneville campus is Tennessee's oldest college and retains a Presbyterian affiliation.
- SAT Range 910-1110
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.18
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $20,355
Clayton State University
- Public 4 Year
- Morrow, GA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jul 17 application deadline
Clayton State is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The suburban Morrow campus sits beside a lake south of Atlanta.
- SAT Range 860-1078
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $8,192
Mississippi Valley State University
- Public 4 Year
- Itta Bena, MS
-
| 0 reviews
Mississippi Valley State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate education and business. The rural campus sits in the Mississippi Delta near Greenwood.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 2.9
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $10,232
Fort Valley State University
- Public 4 Year
- Fort Valley, GA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jun 15 application deadline
Fort Valley State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate agriculture and animal science. The residential campus is in the small city of Fort Valley in central Georgia.
- SAT Range 930-1070
- Avg GPA 2.87
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $10,047
Columbus State University
- Public 4 Year
- Columbus, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jun 30 application deadline
Columbus State is a public university known for undergraduate music through the Schwob School of Music, plus nursing and theater. Arts programs also use a downtown RiverPark campus along the Chattahoochee River.
- SAT Range 800-1060
- Avg GPA 3.07
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $12,420
Bethune Cookman University
- Private 4 Year
- Daytona Beach, FL
-
| 0 reviews
Bethune-Cookman is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in Daytona Beach near Florida's Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 830-990
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $12,476
Morgan State University
- Public 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
4.2 | 5 reviews
- Apr 15 application deadline
Morgan State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and business. The urban campus is in northeast Baltimore.
- SAT Range 840-1070
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $15,476
West Virginia State University
- Public 4 Year
- Institute, WV
-
| 0 reviews
West Virginia State is a public historically Black university with undergraduate programs in business, education, and the sciences. The campus is in Institute, near Charleston.
- SAT Range 760-1040
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $11,055
Alabama A & M University
- Public 4 Year
- Normal, AL
-
| 0 reviews
Alabama A&M is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and education. The Normal campus lies just north of Huntsville.
- SAT Range 810-1040
- Avg GPA 3.02
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $17,152