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.
University of Charleston
- Private 4 Year
- Charleston, WV
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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
Reinhardt University
- Private 4 Year
- Waleska, GA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Reinhardt is a private university known for undergraduate business, education, and music. The campus is set in the small North Georgia mountain town of Waleska.
- SAT Range 940-1160
- Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $24,550
University of Louisiana at Monroe
- Public 4 Year
- Monroe, LA
-
| 0 reviews
ULM is a public university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and health sciences. The campus borders Bayou DeSiard in Monroe.
- SAT Range 1160-1360
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $13,648
Mississippi University for Women
- Public 4 Year
- Columbus, MS
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| 0 reviews
Mississippi University for Women is a public university known for undergraduate nursing and education. Historically the first public women's college in the United States, the Columbus campus is now coeducational.
- SAT Range 850-1180
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $12,487
Brenau University
- Private 4 Year
- Gainesville, GA
-
| 0 reviews
Brenau is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the arts. Traditional undergraduates enroll in its residential Women's College on a historic campus in Gainesville.
- SAT Range 930-1200
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $19,743
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
- Private 4 Year
- Baton Rouge, LA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
FranU is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The compact Baton Rouge campus is tied to the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady health system.
- SAT Range -
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $16,432
University of Virginia's College at Wise
- Public 4 Year
- Wise, VA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UVA Wise is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and teacher education. The rural campus sits in the Appalachian Mountains of southwestern Virginia.
- SAT Range 945-1120
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 29%
- Net Price $14,378
Winthrop University
- Public 4 Year
- Rock Hill, SC
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
Winthrop is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, visual and performing arts, and business. The historic campus sits in Rock Hill, near the Charlotte metro area.
- SAT Range 1010-1220
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $16,108
Spalding University
- Private 4 Year
- Louisville, KY
-
| 0 reviews
Spalding is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The urban campus sits in downtown Louisville.
- SAT Range 875-1038
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $25,999
Tennessee Wesleyan University
- Private 4 Year
- Athens, TN
-
| 0 reviews
Tennessee Wesleyan is a small private Methodist university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The campus sits in the small town of Athens in East Tennessee.
- SAT Range 960-1100
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $15,125
University of South Alabama
- Public 4 Year
- Mobile, AL
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
South Alabama is a public university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The campus is in the coastal city of Mobile near Mobile Bay.
- SAT Range 970-1190
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $16,074
Savannah College of Art and Design
- Private 4 Year
- Savannah, GA
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
SCAD is a private art and design college known for undergraduate fashion, graphic design, and animation. The campus occupies renovated historic buildings in downtown Savannah.
- SAT Range 1030-1270
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $50,821
University of New Orleans
- Public 4 Year
- New Orleans, LA
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UNO is a public university known for undergraduate naval architecture, marine engineering, and hospitality. The urban campus sits on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
- SAT Range 935-1241
- Avg GPA 3.21
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $12,258
Lee University
- Private 4 Year
- Cleveland, TN
-
| 0 reviews
Lee is a private Christian university known for undergraduate music and education. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Cleveland, Tennessee.
- SAT Range 1040-1230
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $20,416
Saint Leo University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Leo, FL
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5.0 | 1 reviews
Saint Leo is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate criminal justice, business, and education. The campus adjoins a Benedictine abbey in a small central Florida town north of Tampa.
- SAT Range 980-1190
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $22,599
Johnson & Wales University Charlotte
- Private 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
| 0 reviews
Johnson & Wales Charlotte is a private university known for undergraduate culinary arts, hospitality management, and business. The urban campus is located in uptown Charlotte.
- SAT Range 880-1130
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $28,084