Best Test-Optional Texas Colleges
Texas has 50 ranked test-optional colleges, part of our national test-optional list. These schools do not require SAT or ACT scores with your application, ranked by academic quality and outcomes.
Rice University tops our 2027 test-optional rankings in Texas. 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. Sort by tuition or acceptance rate to find schools that fit your profile. 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
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
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
Abilene Christian University
- Private 4 Year
- Abilene, TX
-
3.7 | 6 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
ACU is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies, nursing, and business. Most undergrads live on its residential campus in Abilene, a city in West Texas.
- SAT Range 1070-1270
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $28,760
Texas Tech University
- Public 4 Year
- Lubbock, TX
-
3.9 | 10 reviews
Texas Tech is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and business. The Lubbock campus is marked by Spanish Renaissance architecture on the South Plains of West Texas.
- SAT Range 1090-1280
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $16,919
University of Houston
- Public 4 Year
- Houston, TX
-
4.0 | 7 reviews
- May 31 application deadline
University of Houston is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality management, business, and engineering. The urban campus sits in southeast Houston.
- SAT Range 1160-1340
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $14,309
St. Mary's University
- Private 4 Year
- San Antonio, TX
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
St. Mary's is a private Marianist Catholic university known for undergraduate business and criminal justice. The urban campus sits on San Antonio's near West Side.
- SAT Range 900-1310
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $20,412
The University of Texas at Tyler
- Public 4 Year
- Tyler, TX
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 24 application deadline
UT Tyler is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and engineering. The campus is in the East Texas city of Tyler.
- SAT Range 1010-1200
- Avg GPA 3.44
- Acceptance Rate 94%
- Net Price $14,476
Dallas Baptist University
- Private 4 Year
- Dallas, TX
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Dallas Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate business, education, and biblical studies. The hilltop campus overlooks Mountain Creek Lake in southwest Dallas.
- SAT Range 960-1213
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $30,057
Wayland Baptist University
- Private 4 Year
- Plainview, TX
-
2.5 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Wayland Baptist is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate education, business, and Christian studies. The campus is in the small city of Plainview on the Texas High Plains.
- SAT Range 900-1090
- Avg GPA 3.14
- Acceptance Rate 56%
- Net Price $20,446