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.
Coastal Carolina University
- Public 4 Year
- Conway, SC
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
Coastal Carolina is a public university known for undergraduate marine science and PGA golf management. The Conway campus lies a short drive from Myrtle Beach and the Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 1050-1220
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $14,379
Wingate University
- Private 4 Year
- Wingate, NC
-
| 0 reviews
Wingate is a private university known for undergraduate programs in the health sciences, business, and education. The residential campus sits in a small town east of Charlotte.
- SAT Range 1010-1210
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $21,282
Coppin State University
- Public 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Coppin State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing and teacher education. The urban campus sits in west Baltimore.
- SAT Range 880-1020
- Avg GPA 2.62
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $9,831
West Virginia University Institute of Technology
- Public 4 Year
- Beckley, WV
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
WVU Tech is a public college known for undergraduate engineering and technology. The campus sits in Beckley in the mountains of southern West Virginia.
- SAT Range 880-1120
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Acceptance Rate 37%
- Net Price $11,281
University of Central Arkansas
- Public 4 Year
- Conway, AR
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
UCA is a public university known for undergraduate education and nursing programs. The campus sits in Conway, a college town north of Little Rock.
- SAT Range 910-1170
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $16,546
Carson Newman University
- Private 4 Year
- Jefferson City, TN
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Carson-Newman is a private Baptist university with undergraduate strengths in nursing, education, and the liberal arts. Students live on a residential campus in the small East Tennessee town of Jefferson City.
- SAT Range 955-1215
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $20,895
Columbia International University
- Private 4 Year
- Columbia, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
CIU is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies and intercultural studies. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Columbia.
- SAT Range 990-1195
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 94%
- Net Price $26,056
Louisiana State University Shreveport
- Public 4 Year
- Shreveport, LA
-
| 0 reviews
LSU Shreveport is a public university in the LSU system with undergraduate programs in business, education, and the sciences. The campus serves students across the Shreveport-Bossier region of northwest Louisiana.
- SAT Range 1000-1195
- Avg GPA 3.38
- Acceptance Rate 51%
- Net Price $7,287
Liberty University
- Private 4 Year
- Lynchburg, VA
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
Liberty is a private Christian university known for undergraduate aviation, nursing, and business. The Lynchburg campus sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- SAT Range 1040-1250
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $29,532
Northern Kentucky University
- Public 4 Year
- Highland Heights, KY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
NKU is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The suburban campus in Highland Heights sits just south of Cincinnati.
- SAT Range 953-1150
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $9,211
Belmont Abbey College
- Private 4 Year
- Belmont, NC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Belmont Abbey is a private Benedictine Catholic college known for undergraduate business and the liberal arts. The historic campus adjoins Belmont Abbey monastery in the Charlotte metro area.
- SAT Range 960-1200
- Avg GPA 3.32
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $24,726
Francis Marion University
- Public 4 Year
- Florence, SC
-
| 0 reviews
Francis Marion is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The wooded campus sits on the edge of Florence.
- SAT Range 870-1115
- Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $11,727
Marshall University
- Public 4 Year
- Huntington, WV
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 10 application deadline
Marshall is a public university known for undergraduate forensic science, nursing, and business. The urban campus borders the Ohio River in Huntington.
- SAT Range 910-1150
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $8,076
Faulkner University
- Private 4 Year
- Montgomery, AL
-
| 0 reviews
Faulkner is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies, ministry, and business. The Montgomery campus is affiliated with the Churches of Christ and keeps a residential college focus.
- SAT Range 886-1135
- Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $19,920
Regent University
- Private 4 Year
- Virginia Beach, VA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Regent is a private Christian university known for undergraduate communication, government, and the arts. The suburban campus is in Virginia Beach near the Atlantic coast.
- SAT Range 990-1250
- Avg GPA 3.34
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $20,512
Eastern Kentucky University
- Public 4 Year
- Richmond, KY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
EKU is a public university known for undergraduate criminal justice, fire protection, and safety programs. The campus sits in the college town of Richmond in central Kentucky.
- SAT Range 880-1080
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $12,279
Jacksonville State University
- Public 4 Year
- Jacksonville, AL
-
| 0 reviews
Jacksonville State is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits in a small college town in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Alabama.
- SAT Range 1000-1290
- Avg GPA 3.43
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $14,221
Shepherd University
- Public 4 Year
- Shepherdstown, WV
-
| 0 reviews
Shepherd is a public university known for undergraduate nursing and teacher education. The campus sits in historic Shepherdstown along the Potomac River.
- SAT Range 878-1140
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $11,744