Best Test-Optional Western Colleges
There are 124 test-optional colleges in the West, ranked using the same methodology as our national list. These schools do not require SAT or ACT scores with your application.
Claremont McKenna College leads West test-optional rankings for 2027. The top rated public option is University of California Berkeley. Also highly ranked: Pomona College, University of Southern California and Scripps College.
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.
Claremont McKenna College
- Private 4 Year
- Claremont, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 5 application deadline
Claremont McKenna is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, government, and international relations. Students live on a residential campus that shares classes and facilities with the neighboring Claremont Colleges.
- SAT Range 1470-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 10%
- Net Price $33,895
Pomona College
- Private 4 Year
- Claremont, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 8 application deadline
Pomona is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, biology, and politics. Students live on a residential campus and can cross-enroll across the adjoining Claremont Colleges.
- SAT Range 1490-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.89
- Acceptance Rate 7%
- Net Price $19,938
University of Southern California
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
4.2 | 5 reviews
USC is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate film, communications, and business. The urban Los Angeles campus has a large Greek presence and longstanding ties to the entertainment industry.
- SAT Range 1450-1550
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Acceptance Rate 10%
- Net Price $43,412
Scripps College
- Private 4 Year
- Claremont, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Scripps is a private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate arts, humanities, and its interdisciplinary Core Curriculum. Most students live on the residential campus and take classes across the Claremont Colleges consortium.
- SAT Range 1440-1540
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $44,396
Santa Clara University
- Private 4 Year
- Santa Clara, CA
-
4.9 | 14 reviews
- Jan 7 application deadline
Santa Clara is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and engineering. The historic campus sits in the heart of Silicon Valley.
- SAT Range 1350-1490
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $53,883
University of California Berkeley
- Public 4 Year
- Berkeley, CA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
Berkeley is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and chemistry. The hillside campus overlooks San Francisco Bay in the East Bay city of Berkeley.
- SAT Range 1310-1530
- Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 11%
- Net Price $16,538
University of California Los Angeles
- Public 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UCLA is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate film, television, and theater. The urban Westwood campus also has a nationally known basketball program.
- SAT Range 1300-1530
- Avg GPA 3.92
- Acceptance Rate 9%
- Net Price $14,512
Loyola Marymount University
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Loyola Marymount is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate film and television, business, and communications. The bluff-top Los Angeles campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
- SAT Range 1260-1430
- Avg GPA 3.92
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $59,926
Occidental College
- Private 4 Year
- Los Angeles, CA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Jan 10 application deadline
Occidental is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate politics, international relations, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in Los Angeles's Eagle Rock neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1380-1520
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $48,400
Reed College
- Private 4 Year
- Portland, OR
-
| 0 reviews
Reed is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences and humanities. All seniors complete a required year-long thesis on a wooded residential campus in southeast Portland.
- SAT Range 1290-1520
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 25%
- Net Price $30,953
Colorado College
- Private 4 Year
- Colorado Springs, CO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Colorado College is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and geology. Students take one course at a time under the Block Plan in intensive three-and-a-half-week sessions.
- SAT Range 1230-1460
- Avg GPA 3.98
- Acceptance Rate 18%
- Net Price $36,123
University of Denver
- Private 4 Year
- Denver, CO
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
University of Denver is a private university known for undergraduate international studies and business. The campus sits in a residential Denver neighborhood near the Rocky Mountains.
- SAT Range 1240-1410
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $45,451
University of California San Diego
- Public 4 Year
- La Jolla, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC San Diego is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate biological sciences, engineering, and oceanography. The coastal La Jolla campus sits on bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
- SAT Range 1270-1480
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.82
- Acceptance Rate 27%
- Net Price $14,047
Whitman College
- Private 4 Year
- Walla Walla, WA
-
3.4 | 5 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Whitman is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate biology, chemistry, and environmental studies. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Walla Walla.
- SAT Range 1310-1480
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $37,633
University of Washington Seattle Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Seattle, WA
-
3.5 | 6 reviews
- Nov 16 application deadline
UW is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate computer science, engineering, and oceanography. The urban campus sits beside Portage Bay and Lake Washington.
- SAT Range 1200-1453
- Avg GPA 3.82
- Acceptance Rate 39%
- Net Price $11,784
University of California Irvine
- Public 4 Year
- Irvine, CA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Irvine is a large public university known for undergraduate computer science, biological sciences, and engineering. The suburban campus centers on Aldrich Park in the planned city of Irvine.
- SAT Range 1230-1430
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 29%
- Net Price $15,889
University of California Davis
- Public 4 Year
- Davis, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Davis is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, environmental science, and biological sciences. The campus sits in the bike-friendly college town of Davis.
- SAT Range 1160-1400
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 42%
- Net Price $17,270
Chapman University
- Private 4 Year
- Orange, CA
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Chapman is a private university known for undergraduate film, media arts, and performing arts. The suburban campus is in the city of Orange in Southern California's Orange County.
- SAT Range 1260-1440
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 65%
- Net Price $47,902