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.
College of Charleston
- Public 4 Year
- Charleston, SC
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| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
College of Charleston is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate marine biology and historic preservation. The historic campus sits in downtown Charleston near the harbor.
- SAT Range 1140-1310
- Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $21,004
Stetson University
- Private 4 Year
- DeLand, FL
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| 0 reviews
Stetson is a private university known for undergraduate business and music. The historic campus sits in the college town of DeLand in Central Florida.
- SAT Range 1060-1270
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $20,319
University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Public 4 Year
- Wilmington, NC
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3.4 | 5 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
UNCW is a public university known for undergraduate marine biology and coastal sciences. The campus sits in coastal Wilmington near the Atlantic beaches.
- SAT Range 1230-1340
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $18,976
Towson University
- Public 4 Year
- Towson, MD
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3.8 | 4 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
Towson is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and communications. The suburban campus sits just north of Baltimore.
- SAT Range 950-1235
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $16,653
Jacksonville University
- Private 4 Year
- Jacksonville, FL
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| 0 reviews
Jacksonville University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, aviation, and marine science. The campus sits along the St. Johns River.
- SAT Range 1100-1280
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $24,238
Transylvania University
- Private 4 Year
- Lexington, KY
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Transylvania is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate pre-medicine and the sciences. The historic campus occupies several blocks in downtown Lexington.
- SAT Range 1120-1380
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $25,442
University of Louisville
- Public 4 Year
- Louisville, KY
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5.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
UofL is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering and business. Most undergraduates study on the urban Belknap Campus in Louisville.
- SAT Range 1040-1270
- Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $19,785
The University of Alabama
- Public 4 Year
- Tuscaloosa, AL
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5.0 | 7 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Alabama is a large public university known for undergraduate business and communications. Tuscaloosa is a classic college town built around the historic campus.
- SAT Range 1170-1400
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $22,559
University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Public 4 Year
- Birmingham, AL
-
| 0 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
UAB is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and biomedical programs. The urban campus is anchored by a major academic medical center in Birmingham.
- SAT Range 1210-1450
- Avg GPA 3.82
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $17,997
Presbyterian College
- Private 4 Year
- Clinton, SC
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4.2 | 5 reviews
- Sep 21 application deadline
Presbyterian College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and known for undergraduate business and the sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in the small town of Clinton.
- SAT Range 980-1200
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $20,840
University of Kentucky
- Public 4 Year
- Lexington, KY
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4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Kentucky is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and business. Lexington is a midsize city in the state's Bluegrass horse country.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $21,958
University of North Carolina Asheville
- Public 4 Year
- Asheville, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UNC Asheville is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate environmental studies and the arts. The campus sits in the mountain city of Asheville in the Blue Ridge.
- SAT Range 1170-1360
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $13,798
University of Arkansas
- Public 4 Year
- Fayetteville, AR
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Arkansas is a large public university known for undergraduate business and architecture. The campus sits in the college town of Fayetteville in the Ozark Mountains.
- SAT Range 1030-1220
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $18,408
Lincoln Memorial University
- Private 4 Year
- Harrogate, TN
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| 0 reviews
Lincoln Memorial is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and pre-veterinary studies. The rural campus sits near Cumberland Gap in the Appalachian Mountains.
- SAT Range 1000-1210
- Avg GPA 3.29
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $21,447
Covenant College
- Private 4 Year
- Lookout Mountain, GA
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| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Covenant is a private Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate programs taught from a Reformed theological perspective. The mountaintop campus on Lookout Mountain overlooks the Chattanooga valley.
- SAT Range 1160-1380
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $27,926
Virginia Commonwealth University
- Public 4 Year
- Richmond, VA
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3.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 18 application deadline
VCU is a large public university known for undergraduate fine arts, design, and health professions. The urban campus stretches across downtown Richmond.
- SAT Range 1010-1270
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $26,836
Asbury University
- Private 4 Year
- Wilmore, KY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
Asbury is a private Christian university known for undergraduate media communications and equestrian studies. Most students live on the residential campus in the small town of Wilmore.
- SAT Range 1080-1320
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $23,033
University of Alabama in Huntsville
- Public 4 Year
- Huntsville, AL
-
| 0 reviews
UAH is a public university known for undergraduate aerospace engineering, engineering, and the sciences. The Huntsville campus sits near NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and a major aerospace industry hub.
- SAT Range 1210-1410
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $19,396