Best Test-Optional Southwestern Colleges
There are 68 test-optional colleges in the Southwest, ranked using the same methodology as our national list. These schools do not require SAT or ACT scores with your application.
Rice University leads Southwest test-optional rankings for 2027. The top rated public option is Texas A&M University College Station. Also highly ranked: Trinity University, Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian 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.
Rice University
- Private 4 Year
- Houston, TX
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Rice is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and the natural sciences. Most undergraduates live in residential colleges that organize dining and social life on the urban Houston campus.
- SAT Range 1510-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.96
- Acceptance Rate 8%
- Net Price $23,589
Trinity University
- Private 4 Year
- San Antonio, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Trinity is a private university known for undergraduate business, communication, and the sciences. Most students live on a residential hilltop campus overlooking downtown San Antonio.
- SAT Range 1340-1500
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 26%
- Net Price $32,224
Southern Methodist University
- Private 4 Year
- Dallas, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
SMU is a private university known for undergraduate business and the performing arts. The campus occupies University Park, a residential enclave within Dallas.
- SAT Range 1340-1490
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $48,179
Texas Christian University
- Private 4 Year
- Fort Worth, TX
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
TCU is a private university known for undergraduate business and communications. The residential campus sits a few miles from downtown Fort Worth.
- SAT Range 1140-1350
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $41,848
University of Tulsa
- Private 4 Year
- Tulsa, OK
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
University of Tulsa is a private university known for undergraduate petroleum engineering and energy programs. The compact urban campus sits in midtown Tulsa.
- SAT Range 1223-1530
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $13,095
Texas A&M University College Station
- Public 4 Year
- College Station, TX
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- Dec 1 application deadline
Texas A&M is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and business. A large Corps of Cadets gives the College Station campus a long-standing military tradition.
- SAT Range 1150-1400
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $21,437
Baylor University
- Private 4 Year
- Waco, TX
-
4.2 | 14 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Baylor is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and prehealth programs. The residential campus sits along the Brazos River in Waco.
- SAT Range 1200-1400
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 51%
- Net Price $47,001
Southwestern University
- Private 4 Year
- Georgetown, TX
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Southwestern is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate study in the arts and sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in historic Georgetown, north of Austin.
- SAT Range 1130-1300
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $32,228
Austin College
- Private 4 Year
- Sherman, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 31 application deadline
Austin College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and international studies. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in Sherman, north of Dallas.
- SAT Range 1100-1310
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $23,462
The University of Texas at Dallas
- Public 4 Year
- Richardson, TX
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
UT Dallas is a public university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and business. The suburban Richardson campus sits in the Dallas area's tech corridor.
- SAT Range 1160-1410
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.78
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $14,916
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Norman, OK
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
OU is a large public university known for undergraduate meteorology and petroleum engineering. Norman is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1140-1330
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $18,574
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott
- Private 4 Year
- Prescott, AZ
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
Embry-Riddle Prescott is a private university known for undergraduate aeronautical science, aerospace engineering, and aviation. The mountain campus sits outside downtown Prescott in Arizona high country.
- SAT Range 1140-1370
- Avg GPA 3.82
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $41,864
University of Arizona
- Public 4 Year
- Tucson, AZ
-
| 0 reviews
Arizona is a large public university known for undergraduate astronomy, optical sciences, and planetary science. The main campus sits in the Sonoran Desert in Tucson.
- SAT Range 1150-1420
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $19,055
Oklahoma City University
- Private 4 Year
- Oklahoma City, OK
-
| 0 reviews
Oklahoma City University is a private university known for undergraduate dance, music, and theater. The urban campus is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
- SAT Range 1050-1260
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $24,051
LeTourneau University
- Private 4 Year
- Longview, TX
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
LeTourneau is a private Christian university known for undergraduate engineering and aviation. The campus is in Longview in East Texas.
- SAT Range 990-1330
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $29,799
Saint Edward's University
- Private 4 Year
- Austin, TX
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Saint Edward's is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate liberal arts, business, and education. The hilltop campus in South Austin overlooks the downtown skyline.
- SAT Range 970-1240
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $28,766
Arizona State University
- Public 4 Year
- Tempe, AZ
-
3.3 | 6 reviews
ASU is a large public university known for undergraduate journalism, business, and sustainability. The Tempe campus sits in the Phoenix metro area.
- SAT Range 1100-1320
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $17,779
Oklahoma State University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Stillwater, OK
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
Oklahoma State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and business. Stillwater is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1040-1250
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $19,561