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.
Hampton University
- Private 4 Year
- Hampton, VA
-
3.8 | 6 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Hampton is a private HBCU known for undergraduate journalism, business, and nursing. The waterfront campus sits along the Hampton River near the Chesapeake Bay.
- SAT Range 790-1090
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $27,428
University of North Texas
- Public 4 Year
- Denton, TX
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UNT is a large public university known for undergraduate music and jazz studies. Denton is a college town north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
- SAT Range 980-1230
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $15,965
University of New Mexico Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Albuquerque, NM
-
| 0 reviews
UNM is a large public university known for undergraduate Latin American studies, anthropology, and photography. The urban Albuquerque campus features Pueblo Revival architecture.
- SAT Range 890-1170
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $6,347
North Greenville University
- Private 4 Year
- Tigerville, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 22 application deadline
North Greenville is a private Christian university known for undergraduate programs in Christian studies, education, and business. The residential campus lies in the Blue Ridge foothills of rural Tigerville.
- SAT Range 1060-1240
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $21,346
Oglethorpe University
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Oglethorpe is a private liberal arts college known for a required undergraduate core curriculum in the humanities and sciences. The wooded campus sits in Atlanta's Brookhaven neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1090-1310
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $20,490
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- Public 4 Year
- Lafayette, LA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
UL Lafayette is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and architecture. The campus is set in Lafayette, a hub of Cajun and Acadiana culture in southern Louisiana.
- SAT Range 1120-1240
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $13,017
Virginia Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Virginia Beach, VA
-
| 0 reviews
Virginia Wesleyan is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate programs in the arts and sciences. The wooded campus sits in suburban Virginia Beach near the Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 1140-1350
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $21,267
Converse University
- Private 4 Year
- Spartanburg, SC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Converse is a private university known for undergraduate music and the visual and performing arts. Its historic campus in Spartanburg was long a women's college and is now coeducational.
- SAT Range 1010-1250
- Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $19,061
The University of Texas at Arlington
- Public 4 Year
- Arlington, TX
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
UT Arlington is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and architecture. The suburban campus sits in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex between the two cities.
- SAT Range 1010-1240
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.43
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $13,755
Gardner Webb University
- Private 4 Year
- Boiling Springs, NC
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
Gardner-Webb is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The residential campus sits in the small town of Boiling Springs in western North Carolina.
- SAT Range 975-1198
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $20,016
Frostburg State University
- Public 4 Year
- Frostburg, MD
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Frostburg State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the Appalachian mountain town of Frostburg in western Maryland.
- SAT Range 980-1200
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $17,669
University of South Carolina Upstate
- Public 4 Year
- Spartanburg, SC
-
| 0 reviews
USC Upstate is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus is in Spartanburg in South Carolina's Upstate region.
- SAT Range 1005-1175
- Avg GPA 2.53
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $13,999
Western Carolina University
- Public 4 Year
- Cullowhee, NC
-
4.6 | 10 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Western Carolina is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and criminal justice. The campus sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Cullowhee.
- SAT Range 1080-1270
- Avg GPA 3.44
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $13,767
Methodist University
- Private 4 Year
- Fayetteville, NC
-
| 0 reviews
Methodist University is a private university known for undergraduate PGA golf management and business. The campus sits in Fayetteville near Fort Liberty.
- SAT Range 1080-1250
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $26,334
Belhaven University
- Private 4 Year
- Jackson, MS
-
| 0 reviews
Belhaven is a private Christian university known for undergraduate dance, music, and visual arts. The urban campus sits in Jackson's historic Belhaven neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1010-1298
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 50%
- Net Price $16,299
University of Charleston
- Private 4 Year
- Charleston, WV
-
1.0 | 1 reviews
University of Charleston is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The urban campus sits along the Kanawha River in West Virginia's capital.
- SAT Range 985-1160
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.13
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $20,844
Murray State University
- Public 4 Year
- Murray, KY
-
| 0 reviews
Murray State is a public university known for undergraduate education, agriculture, and nursing. Murray is a small college town in western Kentucky built around the campus.
- SAT Range 940-1170
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $10,182
Life University
- Private 4 Year
- Marietta, GA
-
| 0 reviews
Life University is a private university known for chiropractic education and undergraduate exercise science and biology. The suburban campus is in Marietta near Atlanta.
- SAT Range 920-1130
- Avg GPA 3.11
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $29,111