Best Test-Optional Southeastern Colleges
There are 239 test-optional colleges in the Southeast, ranked using the same methodology as our national list. These schools do not require SAT or ACT scores with your application.
Duke University leads Southeast test-optional rankings for 2027. The top rated public option is University of Virginia Main Campus. Also highly ranked: Vanderbilt University, Emory University and Washington and Lee 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.
Virginia Tech
- Public 4 Year
- Blacksburg, VA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Virginia Tech is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering and architecture. The campus sits in the college town of Blacksburg in Virginia's Blue Ridge region.
- SAT Range 1280-1450
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $24,912
Centre College
- Private 4 Year
- Danville, KY
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Centre is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, politics, and the natural sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Danville.
- SAT Range 1160-1450
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Acceptance Rate 54%
- Net Price $23,860
Wofford College
- Private 4 Year
- Spartanburg, SC
-
3.1 | 8 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Wofford is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, finance, and government. The historic campus in Spartanburg has a large Greek system.
- SAT Range 1198-1343
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 52%
- Net Price $30,481
University of Delaware
- Public 4 Year
- Newark, DE
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Delaware is a large public university known for undergraduate chemical engineering, business, and fashion studies. The campus is set in the college town of Newark.
- SAT Range 1190-1370
- Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $19,139
St. Mary's College of Maryland
- Public 4 Year
- St. Mary's City, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
St. Mary's College of Maryland is a public honors college known for undergraduate liberal arts. The historic campus sits on the St. Mary's River in southern Maryland.
- SAT Range 1143-1340
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $21,071
Loyola University Maryland
- Private 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Loyola Maryland is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and communications. The wooded residential campus sits in a northern Baltimore neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1200-1370
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $32,846
Rollins College
- Private 4 Year
- Winter Park, FL
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Rollins is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business and international studies. Most undergrads live on a lakeside campus along Lake Virginia in Winter Park.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $39,201
University of South Carolina Columbia
- Public 4 Year
- Columbia, SC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Dec 1 application deadline
South Carolina is a large public university known for undergraduate international business and hospitality management. The historic Horseshoe anchors the campus in downtown Columbia.
- SAT Range 1180-1360
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $24,488
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
- Public 4 Year
- Charleston, SC
-
| 0 reviews
The Citadel is a public military college known for undergraduate engineering, business, and criminal justice. Most undergrads join the Corps of Cadets and live in barracks under a structured military system on the historic Charleston campus.
- SAT Range 1085-1285
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 23%
- Net Price $22,124
George Mason University
- Public 4 Year
- Fairfax, VA
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
George Mason is a large public university known for undergraduate economics, public policy, and computer science. The suburban Fairfax campus sits near Washington, D.C.
- SAT Range 1160-1360
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $18,823
James Madison University
- Public 4 Year
- Harrisonburg, VA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
JMU is a large public university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and education. Harrisonburg is a college town in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
- SAT Range 1170-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $18,856
Samford University
- Private 4 Year
- Birmingham, AL
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Samford is a private Christian university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and business. The Georgian-style campus sits in the Birmingham suburb of Homewood.
- SAT Range 1070-1250
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $34,926
University of Maryland Baltimore County
- Public 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
UMBC is a public university known for undergraduate computer science, information systems, and engineering. The suburban campus sits in Baltimore County just outside the city.
- SAT Range 1240-1420
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $18,770
University of Mary Washington
- Public 4 Year
- Fredericksburg, VA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Mary Washington is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate historic preservation and education. The historic campus sits in Fredericksburg near the Rappahannock River.
- SAT Range 1170-1370
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $21,800
Queens University of Charlotte
- Private 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Sep 7 application deadline
Queens is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communications. The historic campus sits in Charlotte's Myers Park neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1140-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $31,839
Lipscomb University
- Private 4 Year
- Nashville, TN
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
Lipscomb is a private Christian university known for undergraduate business, education, and nursing. The residential campus sits in Nashville's Green Hills neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1160-1380
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $27,695
Spelman College
- Private 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Spelman is a highly selective historically Black women's college known for undergraduate sciences and the liberal arts. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Atlanta's West End, part of the Atlanta University Center.
- SAT Range 1108-1320
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 25%
- Net Price $40,354
Maryland Institute College of Art
- Private 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
MICA is a private art and design college known for undergraduate illustration, graphic design, and fine arts. The urban campus lies in Baltimore's Station North Arts District.
- SAT Range 1078-1305
- Avg GPA 3.47
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $47,834