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.
Morgan State University
- Public 4 Year
- Baltimore, MD
-
4.2 | 5 reviews
- Apr 15 application deadline
Morgan State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and business. The urban campus is in northeast Baltimore.
- SAT Range 840-1070
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $15,476
West Virginia State University
- Public 4 Year
- Institute, WV
-
| 0 reviews
West Virginia State is a public historically Black university with undergraduate programs in business, education, and the sciences. The campus is in Institute, near Charleston.
- SAT Range 760-1040
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $11,055
Alabama A & M University
- Public 4 Year
- Normal, AL
-
| 0 reviews
Alabama A&M is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and education. The Normal campus lies just north of Huntsville.
- SAT Range 810-1040
- Avg GPA 3.02
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $17,152
Brewton Parker College
- Private 4 Year
- Mount Vernon, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Brewton-Parker is a small private Baptist college with undergraduate programs in education, business, and Christian studies. The rural campus is located in the small town of Mount Vernon in southeast Georgia.
- SAT Range 880-1010
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $25,613
Missouri Valley College
- Private 4 Year
- Marshall, MO
-
| 0 reviews
Missouri Valley is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the small town of Marshall in central Missouri.
- SAT Range 895-1115
- Avg GPA 3.04
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $18,923
Alabama State University
- Public 4 Year
- Montgomery, AL
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Jul 31 application deadline
Alabama State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate education, business, and health sciences. The urban campus is in Montgomery, the state capital.
- SAT Range 749-967
- Avg GPA 2.95
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $13,138
Kentucky State University
- Public 4 Year
- Frankfort, KY
-
| 0 reviews
Kentucky State is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate aquaculture and agriculture. Students attend a small campus in Kentucky's capital city.
- SAT Range 820-1010
- Avg GPA 2.72
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $9,397
Southern University and A & M College
- Public 4 Year
- Baton Rouge, LA
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Southern is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and agriculture. The Baton Rouge campus sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range 790-1020
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 35%
- Net Price $18,353
South Carolina State University
- Public 4 Year
- Orangeburg, SC
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 31 application deadline
SC State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate education, business, and biological sciences. Most undergrads live on the residential campus in the small city of Orangeburg.
- SAT Range 800-1050
- Avg GPA 3.17
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $17,965
Grambling State University
- Public 4 Year
- Grambling, LA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Grambling is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and criminal justice. The residential campus is in the small town of Grambling in northern Louisiana.
- SAT Range 920-1080
- Avg GPA 3.01
- Acceptance Rate 45%
- Net Price $17,018
Benedict College
- Private 4 Year
- Columbia, SC
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Benedict is a private historically Black college known for undergraduate business and criminal justice. The urban campus sits in South Carolina's capital city of Columbia.
- SAT Range 820-1010
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $18,665
Texas Southern University
- Public 4 Year
- Houston, TX
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Texas Southern is a public historically Black university known for undergraduate pharmacy, business, and criminal justice. The urban campus is located in Houston's Third Ward.
- SAT Range 800-1000
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 97%
- Net Price $13,584
Virginia Union University
- Private 4 Year
- Richmond, VA
-
| 0 reviews
Virginia Union is a private historically Black university known for undergraduate programs in business, education, and social work. The historic urban campus sits on Richmond's North Side.
- SAT Range 850-885
- Avg GPA 2.71
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $11,483
Central State University
- Public 4 Year
- Wilberforce, OH
-
| 0 reviews
Central State is a public HBCU known for undergraduate education and manufacturing engineering. The residential campus sits in the small town of Wilberforce.
- SAT Range 770-950
- Avg GPA 2.8
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $11,398
University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Public 4 Year
- Fairbanks, AK
-
| 0 reviews
- Jun 15 application deadline
UAF is a public university known for undergraduate arctic science, geosciences, and engineering. The Fairbanks campus lies in subarctic Interior Alaska.
- SAT Range 1110-1360
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $11,278
Henderson State University
- Public 4 Year
- Arkadelphia, AR
-
| 0 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
Henderson State is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The campus sits in the small college town of Arkadelphia.
- SAT Range 903-1073
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $20,444
Adams State University
- Public 4 Year
- Alamosa, CO
-
| 0 reviews
Adams State is a small public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The campus sits in rural Alamosa in Colorado's San Luis Valley.
- SAT Range 910-1130
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $13,340
Western Colorado University
- Public 4 Year
- Gunnison, CO
-
| 0 reviews
Western Colorado is a small public university known for undergraduate outdoor recreation, environmental studies, and exercise science. Gunnison is a high-elevation mountain town in the Colorado Rockies.
- SAT Range 1163-1353
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $17,711