Best Test-Optional U.S. Colleges
CollegeSimply ranks 1045 four-year colleges that do not require SAT or ACT scores for admission. These are the highest-ranked test-optional schools in the U.S., sorted by academic quality and student outcomes. Policies can vary by applicant and year, so confirm requirements on each school's website before applying.
Princeton University leads our 2027 test-optional rankings, ranked #1 nationally. The top rated public option is University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Also highly ranked: Duke University, Stanford University and Harvard University.
Without test scores, your GPA, activities, recommendation letters, and essays carry more weight. Compare acceptance rates, tuition, and enrollment across the full list below. Filter by state or sort by selectivity to build your list. You can also explore matches by GPA on our college search by GPA. See our ranking methodology for how schools are scored.
Trine University
- Private 4 Year
- Angola, IN
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Trine is a private university known for undergraduate engineering and business. Most students live on a residential campus in the small town of Angola.
- SAT Range 1030-1240
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $25,355
University of Michigan Flint
- Public 4 Year
- Flint, MI
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 22 application deadline
UM-Flint is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The urban campus is located in downtown Flint.
- SAT Range 970-1243
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $7,852
University of Central Missouri
- Public 4 Year
- Warrensburg, MO
-
| 0 reviews
Central Missouri is a public university known for undergraduate aviation, criminal justice, and education. The campus sits in the college town of Warrensburg east of Kansas City.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $14,943
Siena Heights University
- Private 4 Year
- Adrian, MI
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Siena Heights is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. Students attend a compact campus in the small city of Adrian in southeast Michigan.
- SAT Range 806-1073
- Avg GPA 3.32
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $17,520
Lindenwood University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Charles, MO
-
| 0 reviews
Lindenwood is a private university known for undergraduate business, education, and communications. The residential campus is in historic St. Charles near St. Louis.
- SAT Range 1023-1230
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $20,901
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
- Public 4 Year
- Millersville, PA
-
| 0 reviews
Millersville is a public university known for undergraduate education and meteorology. The campus sits in a small college town near Lancaster in southeastern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1020-1210
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.21
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $20,551
University of Maine at Farmington
- Public 4 Year
- Farmington, ME
-
| 0 reviews
University of Maine at Farmington is a small public liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and creative writing. The residential campus is set in the western Maine college town of Farmington.
- SAT Range 995-1245
- Avg GPA 3.15
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $17,451
Carlow University
- Private 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
Carlow is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The compact urban campus sits in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.
- SAT Range 960-1168
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $21,002
Mississippi University for Women
- Public 4 Year
- Columbus, MS
-
| 0 reviews
Mississippi University for Women is a public university known for undergraduate nursing and education. Historically the first public women's college in the United States, the Columbus campus is now coeducational.
- SAT Range 850-1180
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $12,487
Seton Hill University
- Private 4 Year
- Greensburg, PA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Seton Hill is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate performing arts, education, and business. The campus is in Greensburg, a small city east of Pittsburgh.
- SAT Range 1020-1240
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $23,056
Saint Joseph's College of Maine
- Private 4 Year
- Standish, ME
-
| 0 reviews
A private Catholic college known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The campus sits on the shores of Sebago Lake in a rural Maine setting.
- SAT Range 960-1150
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $28,217
Missouri Southern State University
- Public 4 Year
- Joplin, MO
-
| 0 reviews
Missouri Southern is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, business, and health sciences. The campus is in Joplin in southwest Missouri.
- SAT Range 1150-1420
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $11,626
Saint Xavier University
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Saint Xavier is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The campus is in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
- SAT Range 950-1120
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $11,318
Aurora University
- Private 4 Year
- Aurora, IL
-
| 0 reviews
Aurora University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and social work. The suburban campus sits in Aurora, about 40 miles west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 900-1150
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $19,053
Buena Vista University
- Private 4 Year
- Storm Lake, IA
-
| 0 reviews
Buena Vista is a private university known for undergraduate education and business. The residential campus sits beside Storm Lake in northwest Iowa.
- SAT Range 930-1130
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $19,704
Brenau University
- Private 4 Year
- Gainesville, GA
-
| 0 reviews
Brenau is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and the arts. Traditional undergraduates enroll in its residential Women's College on a historic campus in Gainesville.
- SAT Range 930-1200
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $19,743
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
- Private 4 Year
- Baton Rouge, LA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
FranU is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The compact Baton Rouge campus is tied to the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady health system.
- SAT Range -
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $16,432
University of West Florida
- Public 4 Year
- Pensacola, FL
-
| 0 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
UWF is a public university known for undergraduate marine biology, archaeology, and nursing. The wooded Pensacola campus includes a large nature preserve.
- SAT Range 1020-1230
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $10,092