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.
Point Loma Nazarene University
- Private 4 Year
- San Diego, CA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Point Loma Nazarene is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, biology, and business. The campus sits on coastal bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
- SAT Range 1175-1365
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $39,696
University of California Santa Cruz
- Public 4 Year
- Santa Cruz, CA
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Santa Cruz is a public university known for undergraduate marine science, environmental studies, and astronomy. The residential-college campus sits among redwood forests overlooking Monterey Bay.
- SAT Range 1160-1360
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $18,059
University of Utah
- Public 4 Year
- Salt Lake City, UT
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
Utah is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and ballet. The campus sits in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains overlooking Salt Lake City.
- SAT Range 1190-1380
- Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $16,583
California Lutheran University
- Private 4 Year
- Thousand Oaks, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Cal Lutheran is a private university known for undergraduate business, psychology, and communication. The suburban campus in Thousand Oaks is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
- SAT Range 1150-1330
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $32,774
Willamette University
- Private 4 Year
- Salem, OR
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Willamette is a private liberal arts university known for undergraduate political science and government. The historic campus borders the Oregon State Capitol grounds in downtown Salem.
- SAT Range 1240-1440
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $29,421
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Denver, CO
-
3.0 | 5 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
CU Denver is a public university known for undergraduate architecture, business, and engineering. The urban campuses include downtown Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
- SAT Range 980-1220
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $14,831
Saint Mary's College of California
- Private 4 Year
- Moraga, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Saint Mary's is a private Catholic college known for undergraduate business and a Great Books liberal arts program. The residential campus lies in the hills of Moraga in the East Bay.
- SAT Range 1070-1253
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $35,332
Northwest University
- Private 4 Year
- Kirkland, WA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Northwest University is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, ministry, and business. The suburban campus sits in Kirkland east of Seattle.
- SAT Range 1040-1350
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $24,251
Seattle Pacific University
- Private 4 Year
- Seattle, WA
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 11 application deadline
Seattle Pacific is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The urban campus sits in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood.
- SAT Range 1050-1320
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $25,232
Regis University
- Private 4 Year
- Denver, CO
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Regis is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The urban campus is in northwest Denver.
- SAT Range 1020-1220
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $21,618
Dominican University of California
- Private 4 Year
- San Rafael, CA
-
2.5 | 2 reviews
A private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The San Rafael campus sits in Marin County north of San Francisco.
- SAT Range 1210-1300
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $37,456
University of California Riverside
- Public 4 Year
- Riverside, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
UC Riverside is a large public university known for undergraduate entomology, plant sciences, and business. The suburban campus lies in California's Inland Empire east of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 1080-1280
- Avg GPA 3.84
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $14,562
Biola University
- Private 4 Year
- La Mirada, CA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
Biola is a private Christian university known for undergraduate biblical studies, theology, and cinema and media arts. The suburban La Mirada campus requires Bible coursework of all undergraduates.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $34,082
Whitworth University
- Private 4 Year
- Spokane, WA
-
| 0 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
Whitworth is a private Presbyterian university known for undergraduate education, business, and the sciences. The wooded residential campus sits in north Spokane.
- SAT Range 1090-1330
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $27,605
University of Wyoming
- Public 4 Year
- Laramie, WY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 10 application deadline
Wyoming is a public university known for undergraduate geology, petroleum engineering, and agriculture. The campus sits in the college town of Laramie near the Medicine Bow Mountains.
- SAT Range 1040-1240
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $14,872
Oregon State University
- Public 4 Year
- Corvallis, OR
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Oregon State is a large public university known for undergraduate forestry, marine science, and engineering. Corvallis is a college town built around the campus in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
- SAT Range 1140-1400
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $22,467
University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Public 4 Year
- Honolulu, HI
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
UH Manoa is a large public university known for undergraduate marine science, oceanography, and Hawaiian studies. The campus occupies Manoa Valley in Honolulu.
- SAT Range 1081-1293
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $17,202
University of Oregon
- Public 4 Year
- Eugene, OR
-
5.0 | 4 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Oregon is a large public university known for undergraduate journalism, architecture, and business. Eugene is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1130-1360
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $24,605