Test-Optional Colleges
The number of test-optional schools continues to grow each year as the movement that actually began way back in 1969 continues to spread like wildfire. While the first school to adopt such a policy was Bowdoin, a highly-selective liberal arts college, the majority of recent adoptees are less-selective to moderately-selective schools that hope eschewing the SAT/ACT will lead to a spike in applicants/enrollment. However, there are also a good number of very selective institutions that have also decided to jettison the requirement, an important development for those applicants who possess exceptional credentials in every area but standardized tests. Below is College Transitions' list of selective colleges and universities that do not require standardized test (SAT/ACT) scores for admission.
Last updated May 31, 2021. Please check back frequently as policies continue to be updated.
To view additional data columns, click the + icon to the left of the institution's name.
Institution Policy Adopted % Incoming Freshmen Submitting SAT (2019) % Incoming Freshmen Submitting ACT (2019) SAT Math (middle 50%) SAT R/W (middle 50%) ACT (middle 50%)
Adelphi University 2020 74% 20% 540-640 540-630 22-27
Agnes Scott College 2009 50% 36% 540-650 590-690 24-30
Albion College 2020 76% 25% 490-590 500-610 21-27
Allegheny College 2015 56% 27% 580-680 590-680 24-30
American University 2010 53% 31% 590-690 620-700 27-31
Amherst College 2020 59% 51% 720-790 690-760 31-34
Appalachian State University 2020 49% 46% 540-630 560-640 22-28
Arizona State University 58% 58% 560-690 560-670 22-28
Auburn University 2020 18% 81% 570-670 580-650 25-31
Augustana College (IL) 2007 68% 52% 530-650 540-630 22-29
Austin College 2016 67% 41% 550-650 560-660 24-29
Babson College 2020 74% 35% 650-760 620-690 28-32
Ball State University 2018 68% 32% 530-610 540-620 20-24
Bard College 1985 33% 16% 610-710 640-710 27-31
Barnard College 2020 63% 48% 670-770 670-750 31-34
Baruch College (CUNY) 2020 94% Not Reported 580-690 550-640 Not Reported
Bates College 1984 45% 31% 640-730 630-750 29-33
Baylor University 2020 49% 51% 600-700 600-680 26-32
Belmont University 2020 46% 72% 550-650 580-670 24-29
Beloit College 2014 30% 30% 550-690 570-670 21-29
Bennington College 2006 34% 13% 590-700 660-740 29-32
Bentley University 2020 85% 24% 630-730 600-680 27-31
Berea College 2020 15% 80% 540-640 550-660 23-27
Berry College 2020 50% 49% 530-650 560-670 24-30
Birmingham Southern College 2016 17% 74% 540-650 570-660 22-29
Boston College 2020 59% 45% 670-780 660-740 31-34
Boston University 2020 73% 32% 690-790 650-720 30-34
Bowdoin College 1969 59% 45% 670-780 660-740 31-34
Bradley University 2020 70% 52% 530-640 540-630 22-28
Brandeis University 2013 69% 32% 650-780 630-720 29-33
Brown University 2020 67% 48% 740-800 700-770 33-35
Bryant University 2011 70% 7% 570-660 560-640 24-30
Bryn Mawr College 2014 61% 32% 650-770 640-740 29-33
Bucknell University 2019 72% 36% 630-730 620-700 28-32
Butler University 2020 68% 62% 570-670 580-660 24-30
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo 2020 78% 48% 620-740 620-700 26-32
Cal Poly, Pomona 2020 91% 25% 510-640 510-620 19-27
Cal State University, Fresno 2020 97% 30% 470-560 470-570 16-22
Cal State University, Fullerton 2020 96% 26% 520-600 510-600 19-24
California Institute of Technology 2020 79% 42% 790-800 740-760 35-36
Carleton College 2020 57% 54% 690-790 670-750 31-34
Carnegie Mellon University 2020 77% 36% 760-800 700-760 33-35
Case Western Reserve University 2020 66% 48% 700-790 640-720 30-34
Catholic University 2015 64% 21% 550-660 580-670 24-29
Centre College 2020 26% 79% 560-730 570-650 26-32
Chapman University 2020 69% 44% 590-690 600-680 25-30
Christopher Newport University 2007 90% 26% 540-630 570-650 22-27
Claremont Mckenna College 2020 56% 53% 690-780 670-730 31-34
Clark University 2011 61% 17% 580-680 600-690 27-31
Clarkson University 2020 89% 32% 600-690 560-660 23-30
Clemson University 2020 62% 38% 610-710 620-690 27-32
Colby College 2018 52% 38% 700-780 680-740 31-34
Colgate University 2020 56% 44% 670-770 660-730 31-34
College of Charleston 2020 59% 42% 530-620 550-640 22-28
College of Idaho 2015 69% 43% 510-600 520-610 21-27
College of the Atlantic 1969 31% 16% 540-630 630-710 26-32
College of the Holy Cross 2005 44% 21% 630-730 630-700 28-32
College of William and Mary 2020 80% 32% 660-770 660-740 30-34
College of Wooster 2020 59% 57% 570-700 580-680 24-31
Colorado College 2019 50% 48% 650-750 650-730 29-33
Colorado School of Mines 2020 81% 59% 640-750 620-710 27-33
Columbia University 2020 66% 45% 740-800 710-760 33-35
Connecticut College 2009 31% 16% 660-740 650-710 30-33
Cooper Union 2020 81% 26% 660-790 650-740 30-35
Cornell College 2015 35% 68% 560-670 540-680 23-29
Cornell University 2020 71% 41% 720-800 680-760 32-35
Creighton University 2019 28% 84% 570-680 580-670 24-30
Dartmouth College 2020 57% 43% 730-790 710-770 32-35
Davidson College 2020 63% 46% 660-760 650-730 30-33
Denison University 2006 38% 39% 610-730 590-680 27-31
DePaul University 2010 64% Not Reported 530-640 540-650 Not Reported
DePauw University 2018 72% 49% 570-700 560-660 23-30
Dickinson College 1994 52% 23% 620-710 620-700 28-32
Drake University 2015 22% 74% 540-690 580-680 24-31
Drew University 2005 66% 24% 540-660 570-650 25-30
Drexel University 2020 86% 22% 600-710 590-680 25-31
Duke University 2020 53% 72% 740-800 710-770 33-35
Duquesne University 2014 73% 31% 560-650 570-650 23-28
Earlham College 2011 62% 34% 550-690 550-680 23-30
East Carolina University 2020 69% 65% 510-590 520-600 19-24
Eckerd College 2020 72% 45% 530-630 560-650 23-29
Elon University 2020 65% 46% 570-660 590-660 25-30
Emerson College 2017 67% 26% 590-710 610-700 27-31
Emory University 2020 59% 41% 690-790 670-740 31-34
Fairfield University 2009 58% 16% 600-680 610-670 26-30
Fordham University 2020 71% 39% 630-730 620-700 28-32
Franklin and Marshall College 2006 62% 23% 640-760 610-700 28-32
Furman University 2011 40% 50% 600-700 630-710 28-32
George Mason University 2006 72% 8% 550-660 570-660 24-30
George Washington University 2015 52% 31% 650-750 630-720 29-33
Georgetown College 2020 13% 93% 510-640 530-640 21-27
Gettysburg College 2006 Not Reported Not Reported 620-700 630-700 27-31
Gonzaga University 2020 72% 46% 600-690 600-670 25-30
Goucher College 2007 71% 22% 500-610 530-650 21-30
Grinnell College 2020 55% 45% 700-790 670-740 31-34
Guilford College 2006 Not Reported 47% 470-560 440-590 17-24
Gustavus Adolphus College 2006 Not Reported 61% Not Reported Not Reported 25-30
Hamilton College 2020 41% 40% 700-780 670-740 32-34
Hanover College 2017 49% 40% 510-620 520-620 21-26
Hartwick College 1995 50% 10% 510-600 520-610 20-25
Harvard University 2020 69% 47% 740-800 720-780 33-35
Harvey Mudd College 2020 74% 44% 780-800 710-770 33-35
Haverford College 2020 68% 43% 700-790 680-750 32-34
Hendrix College 2019 26% 90% 570-670 580-700 25-31
Hobart & William Smith College 2006 35% 18% 590-680 610-680 27-30
Hofstra University 2014 69% 21% 580-680 580-660 25-30
Houghton College 2016 80% 24% 520-660 540-660 21-28
Hollins University 2020 84% 25% 510-630 560-670 22-30
Indiana University Bloomington 2020 75% 60% 570-690 580-670 24-31
Illinois Institute of Technology 2020 78% 39% 620-730 570-670 26-32
Iowa State University 2020 17% 87% 560-690 540-650 22-28
Ithaca College 2012 50% 17% 570-670 590-680 26-30
James Madison University 2017 62% 15% 550-640 570-650 23-28
John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) 2020 99% Not Reported 480-560 480-570 Not Reported
Johns Hopkins University 2020 63% 37% 760-800 710-770 33-36
Juniata College 2006 58% 20% 540-670 550-660 23-31
Kalamazoo College 2015 53% 25% 580-680 590-690 25-31
Kansas State University 2020 Not Reported 92% Not Reported Not Reported 22-28
Kenyon College 2020 58% 51% 630-740 640-720 29-33
Knox College 2005 54% 41% 540-680 550-670 24-31
Lafayette College 2020 71% 35% 630-740 620-700 28-33
Lake Forest College 2006 57% 44% 540-640 540-640 23-29
Lawrence University 2005 36% 51% 600-730 600-700 25-32
Le Moyne College 2015 64% 17% 540-640 530-640 22-28
Lehigh University 2020 70% 30% 660-760 620-690 29-33
Lewis & Clark College 1991 56% 36% 590-690 630-710 27-31
Linfield College 2018 62% 31% 520-610 520-620 20-26
Loyola Marymount University 2020 69% 41% 610-710 620-700 27-31
Loyola University (MD) 2009 63% 25% 560-660 580-660 25-30
Loyola University Chicago 2020 59% 60% 560-660 570-660 25-30
Lycoming College 2006 77% 21% 500-600 510-600 19-24
Manhattan College 2020 88% 12% 530-640 530-640 23-28
Macalester College 2020 57% 50% 660-770 660-740 29-33
Marist College 2010 52% 16% 580-670 580-660 25-30
Marquette University 2019 32% 79% 560-670 560-650 24-29
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2020 75% 48% 780-800 720-770 34-36
Miami University 2020 31% 81% 610-730 600-680 26-31
Michigan State University 2020 78% 38% 550-670 550-650 23-29
Middlebury College 2020 62% 45% 690-780 670-750 32-34
Mount Holyoke College 2001 50% 27% 640-770 630-720 27-32
Muhlenberg College 1996 60% 30% 580-680 590-680 26-30
New Jersey Institute of Technology 2020 90% 17% 610-710 580-670 25-30
New York University 2020 64% 28% 690-790 660-740 30-34
North Carolina State University 2020 55% 45% 630-730 620-690 27-32
Northeastern University 2020 55% 31% 710-790 680-750 32-35
Northwestern University 2020 64% 53% 740-790 700-760 33-35
Oberlin College 2020 68% 41% 630-750 650-730 29-33
Occidental College 2020 68% 45% 650-750 650-730 28-32
Ohio State University 2020 39% 78% 650-770 600-690 28-32
Ohio University 2020 22% 90% 520-620 530-640 21-26
Ohio Wesleyan University 2013 32% 64% 530-670 550-660 22-28
Olin College of Engineering 2020 67% 45% 760-800 700-760 34-35
Oregon State University 2020 72% 40% 530-660 550-660 21-28
Penn State University - University Park 2020 74% 22% 580-700 580-660 25-30
Pitzer College 2003 32% 28% 680-750 670-730 30-33
Pomona College 2020 64% 50% 700-790 690-750 32-35
Princeton University 2020 68% 55% 730-800 710-770 32-35
Providence College 2006 51% 17% 600-680 610-700 27-31
Reed College 2020 70% 42% 660-770 670-750 30-34
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2020 72% 28% 690-780 640-720 29-33
Rhodes College 2020 36% 72% 600-730 620-700 27-32
Rice University 2020 46% 54% 750-800 700-760 33-35
Ripon College 2016 21% 80% 510-620 480-600 19-25
Rochester Institute of Technology 2020 75% 27% 620-720 600-690 27-32
Rollins College 2007 67% 44% 560-660 600-680 24-30
Rowan University 2014 92% 11% 470-580 520-620 21-27
Rutgers University 2020 87% 25% 600-730 590-680 25-31
Saint Joseph's University 2013 72% 18% 550-650 570-650 23-29
Saint Louis University 2020 36% 76% 580-700 590-680 25-30
San Diego State University 2020 86% 38% 550-670 560-650 22-29
San Jose State University 2020 93% 23% 520-640 510-620 18-27
Santa Clara University 2020 68% 43% 650-740 630-700 28-32
Sarah Lawrence College 2004 45% 26% 600-700 640-720 28-31
Scripps College 2020 62% 51% 660-750 670-740 30-33
Seattle University 2020 79% 37% 570-670 580-660 24-30
Seton Hall University 2020 87% 23% 570-670 580-660 24-29
Sewanee – The University of the South 2008 40% 61% 570-660 580-680 25-30
Siena College 2014 65% 13% 540-650 530-630 22-28
Simmons University 2020 88% 12% 540-630 570-660 23-29
Skidmore College 2016 53% 22% 610-700 610-700 28-32
Smith College 2008 54% 30% 660-780 670-740 30-33
Southern Methodist University 2020 39% 55% 660-760 640-720 29-33
Southwestern University 2019 77% 51% 560-650 580-670 23-29
St. John's University 2016 77% 11% 540-660 540-640 23-29
St. Lawrence University 2005 55% 20% 580-680 570-670 24-30
St. Mary's College (IN) 2018 65% 58% 510-610 540-650 22-28
St. Mary's College (MD) 2019 87% 22% 520-640 540-650 21-29
St. Michael's College 2010 53% 11% 560-650 580-670 25-29
St. Olaf College 2020 30% 74% 600-720 590-710 26-32
Stanford University 2020 67% 50% 740-800 700-770 32-35
Stevens Institute of Technology 2020 76% 20% 700-780 640-720 31-34
Stonehill College 2006 56% 7% 550-640 570-650 24-29
Stony Brook University (SUNY) 2020 86% 20% 640-750 590-690 26-32
Universtiy at Albany (SUNY) 2020 87% 14% 540-630 550-620 22-28
SUNY Potsdam 2009 41% 9% 510-620 520-630 20-27
SUNY Maritime College 2020 91% 21% 550-640 540-620 22-28
Susquehanna University 2004 74% 15% 540-640 560-650 22-28
Swarthmore College 2020 68% 37% 700-790 680-750 31-35
Syracuse University 2020 70% 32% 600-710 580-670 26-30
Temple University 2014 76% 17% 550-660 570-660 24-30
Texas A&M University - College Station 2020 62% 38% 580-710 580-680 26-31
Texas Christian University 2020 41% 58% 570-680 580-670 25-31
Texas Tech University 2020 61% 39% 530-630 540-630 22-27
The College of New Jersey 2020 90% 19% 580-690 580-670 25-30
Transylvania University 2014 10% 80% 530-670 550-680 23-30
Trinity College 2015 31% 23% 670-750 630-710 29-32
Trinity University 2020 55% 45% 640-730 650-720 29-32
Truman State University 2020 10% 92% 570-670 580-680 24-31
Tufts University 2020 56% 44% 710-790 680-750 32-34
Tulane University 2020 26% 72% 700-770 660-750 31-33
Union College (NY) 2006 59% 23% 620-740 600-680 27-32
University at Buffalo (SUNY) 2020 76% 20% 590-690 570-650 24-29
University of Arizona 51% 50% 550-690 560-670 21-29
University of California, Berkeley 2020 81% 41% 670-790 640-740 28-34
University of California, Davis 2020 71% 29% 580-740 570-670 25-31
University of California, Irvine 2020 100% Not Reported 600-750 580-690 Not Reported
University of California, Los Angeles 2020 80% 44% 640-790 640-740 27-34
University of California, Merced 2020 92% 42% 490-590 490-590 17-22
University of California, Riverside 2020 94% 34% 550-690 560-650 24-30
University of California, San Diego 2020 88% 37% 620-780 610-710 24-33
University of California, Santa Barbara 2020 86% 36% 620-770 620-720 25-33
University of California, Santa Cruz 2020 86% 33% 600-710 590-680 24-30
University of Chicago 2018 54% 51% 770-800 730-770 33-35
University of Cincinnati 2020 22% 89% 560-690 560-660 23-29
University of Colorado Boulder 2020 72% 47% 560-690 580-670 25-31
University of Connecticut 2020 87% 27% 610-730 600-690 26-31
University of Delaware 2020 72% 27% 580-680 590-670 25-30
University of Denver 2019 55% 55% 580-680 590-670 26-31
University of Hawaii 2020 70% 42% 530-640 540-630 21-26
University of Iowa 2020 29% 87% 570-680 560-660 22-29
University of Illinois at Chicago 2020 76% 41% 510-610 510-610 21-27
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2020 79% 55% 620-780 600-700 27-33
University of Louisville 2020 Not Reported 100% Not Reported Not Reported 22-29
University of Maine 2020 94% 11% 520-630 530-630 21-27
University of Mary Washington 2015 87% 21% 510-620 540-650 22-29
University of Maryland, Baltimore County 2020 92% 20% 590-690 590-670 24-29
University of Maryland, College Park 2020 82% 31% 650-760 630-720 29-33
University of Massachusetts – Boston 2015 84% 7% 510-610 500-610 20-27
University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth 2020 96% 6% 500-600 490-600 19-26
University of Massachusetts – Lowell 2015 79% 9% 580-670 570-650 24-29
University of Miami 2020 57% 38% 640-740 630-700 29-32
University of Michigan 2020 63% 48% 680-790 660-740 31-34
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities 2020 18% 89% 660-770 600-710 26-31
University of Missouri 2020
University of Nebraska – Lincoln 2020 12% 92% 560-690 560-670 22-28
University of New Hampshire 2019 93% 13% 530-630 540-640 22-28
University of North Carolina at Asheville 2020 63% 60% 530-620 560-650 22-27
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2020 52% 69% 650-760 650-730 27-33
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 2020 71% 61% 560-650 560-640 22-26
University of North Carolina at Greensboro 2020 65% 62% 500-570 500-590 19-24
University of North Carolina at Wilmington 2020 46% 63% 580-660 590-660 22-27
University of North Carolina School of the Arts 2020 66% 43% 530-620 560-660 22-28
University of Notre Dame 2020 47% 53% 720-790 680-760 32-35
University of Oregon 2020 70% 33% 540-650 560-660 22-28
University of Pennsylvania 2020 62% 38% 750-800 700-760 33-35
University of Pittsburgh 2020 83% 34% 630-740 630-700 28-33
University of Puget Sound 2015 59% 37% 560-680 590-690 25-30
University of Redlands 2020 71% 28% 530-620 550-640 23-28
University of Richmond 2020 64% 36% 650-750 640-710 30-33
University of Rochester 2019 72% 31% 670-780 640-720 30-34
University of San Diego 2020 69% 43% 590-690 600-680 26-31
University of San Francisco 2019 72% 36% 560-670 570-660 23-29
University of South Carolina 2020 65% 35% 580-690 600-680 25-31
University of Southern California 2020 61% 52% 690-790 660-740 30-34
University of Tennessee - Knoxville 2020 23% 88% 570-670 580-660 24-30
University of Texas at Austin 2020 79% 54% 610-760 620-720 27-33
University of Tulsa 2020 39% 82% 540-690 550-670 24-31
University of Utah 2020 26% 79% 570-700 570-680 22-29
University of Vermont 2020 79% 31% 580-680 600-680 26-31
University of Virginia 2020 79% 34% 670-780 670-740 30-34
University of Washington - Seattle 2020 81% 30% 620-770 600-700 27-33
University of Wisconsin - Madison 2020 28% 79% 680-780 630-710 27-32
Ursinus College 2009 72% 17% 570-680 580-670 24-30
Vanderbilt University 2020 49% 52% 750-800 710-760 33-35
Vassar College 2020 69% 40% 690-780 680-750 31-34
Villanova University 2020 61% 39% 670-760 650-710 31-34
Virginia Commonwealth University 2014 77% 18% 520-620 550-640 21-28
Virginia Military Institute 2020 93% 33% 540-630 550-640 21-28
Virginia Tech 2020 87% 25% 590-710 590-680 25-31
Wake Forest University 2008 44% 45% 670-770 650-720 30-33
Warren Wilson College 2015 Not Reported Not Reported 530-620 610-670 Not Reported
Washington & Jefferson College 2009 60% 21% 540-640 550-640 22-28
Washington and Lee University 2020 45% 55% 680-760 670-730 31-34
Washington College 2007 74% 21% 530-640 560-660 20-29
Washington University in St. Louis 2020 33% 71% 760-800 710-770 32-35
Wellesley College 2020 72% 38% 680-780 680-750 31-34
Wesleyan University 2014 63% 39% 670-770 650-740 31-34
Western Carolina University 2020 49% 59% 510-590 510-590 20-25
Wheaton College (MA) 1992 49% 8% 550-660 600-680 27-32
Whitman College 2016 62% 55% 600-720 620-720 26-32
Whittier College 2016 79% 29% 510-600 530-620 20-26
Whitworth University 2006 76% 28% 520-640 530-650 21-29
Willamette University 2016 73% 34% 560-660 580-680 31-35
Williams College 2020 66% 47% 710-790 700-760 32-35
Wofford College 2017 43% 35% 590-670 600-680 26-30
Worcester Polytechnic Institute 2007 71% 24% 680-760 630-710 29-33
Yale University 2020 68% 50% 740-800 720-770 33-35
Colleges Worth Your Money
2022 Edition
A Guide to What America's Top Schools Can Do for You
“Innovative and invaluable...use this book as your college lifeline.”
-Lynn O'Shaughnessy, Nationally Recognized College Expert
