Which colleges consider an SAT or ACT score but do not require one?

First is Stanford University at 3.6%. The 50 colleges listed are ranked on the figure the college reported to the US Department of Education, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. The last place shown, number 50, is Babson College at 17.1%.

Does this say anything about how good these colleges are?

No. This page orders colleges on one number a college reported to the federal government. It is not a quality ranking, it carries no survey, no reputation score and no weighting, and it says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit. A cheaper college is not a better college and a more selective one is not either. It also states no admission probability, because none can be derived from public data.

Can I see what essays these colleges ask for?

47 of the 50 colleges in this table have a NudgeEssay requirements page carrying their 2026-27 essay prompts word for word, with word limits, application deadlines and the date each was read on the college's own admissions site. Those college names in the table are links. The rest are in the federal file but not in our prompt dataset, so each of their names links to its federal record instead.

Colleges that consider an SAT or ACT score but do not require one

972 of the 1,564 four-year US colleges in this set told the federal admissions survey that an admission test score is considered but not required. Every one of them also reports an admit rate, and the table below is the 50 most selective, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. These colleges answered "considered but not required" on the federal admissions survey. That is the survey answer most test-optional colleges give. It means a score you send will be looked at, and that you are not turned away for not sending one.

The ordering on this page is the federal figure and not our opinion. No college paid to appear here and nothing is weighted. Every figure on this page is computed from the federal file when the page is built. See the method below for which colleges are counted and what each number is.

Updated 17 September 2026. Written and maintained by NudgeEssay; how facts on this site are sourced and corrected is on the about page.

The 50 colleges

Ranked on admit rate, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. 47 of the 50 have a NudgeEssay page carrying their essay prompts word for word, and those names are links. A dash means the federal file carries no figure for that college, not a zero.

Colleges that consider an SAT or ACT score but do not require one
#	College	Where	Admit rate	Average SAT
1	Stanford University	Stanford, CAPrivate nonprofit	3.6%	1,553
2	Yale University	New Haven, CTPrivate nonprofit	3.9%	1,534
3	Columbia University in the City of New York	New York, NYPrivate nonprofit	4.0%	1,553
4	University of Chicago	Chicago, ILPrivate nonprofit	4.5%	1,554
5	Princeton University	Princeton, NJPrivate nonprofit	4.6%	1,553
6	Northeastern University	Boston, MAPrivate nonprofit	5.2%	1,497
7	Brown University	Providence, RIPrivate nonprofit	5.4%	1,546
8	Dartmouth College	Hanover, NHPrivate nonprofit	5.4%	1,534
9	University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia, PAPrivate nonprofit	5.4%	1,553
10	Duke University	Durham, NCPrivate nonprofit	5.7%	1,548
11	Vanderbilt University	Nashville, TNPrivate nonprofit	5.9%	1,549
12	Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore, MDPrivate nonprofit	6.4%	1,553
13	Colby College	Waterville, MEPrivate nonprofit	7.1%	1,501
14	Pomona College	Claremont, CAPrivate nonprofit	7.1%	1,534
15	Bowdoin College	Brunswick, MEPrivate nonprofit	7.1%	1,520
16	Swarthmore College	Swarthmore, PAPrivate nonprofit	7.5%	1,534
17	Northwestern University	Evanston, ILPrivate nonprofit	7.7%	1,533
18	Rice University	Houston, TXPrivate nonprofit	8.0%	1,553
19	Williams College	Williamstown, MAPrivate nonprofit	8.3%	1,533
20	Cornell University	Ithaca, NYPrivate nonprofit	8.8%	1,535
21	Barnard College	New York, NYPrivate nonprofit	8.8%	1,520
22	Amherst College	Amherst, MAPrivate nonprofit	9.0%	1,533
23	New York University	New York, NYPrivate nonprofit	9.2%	1,520
24	United States Naval Academy	Annapolis, MDPublic	9.3%	1,307
25	Claremont McKenna College	Claremont, CAPrivate nonprofit	9.6%	1,527
26	University of Southern California	Los Angeles, CAPrivate nonprofit	9.8%	1,495
27	Emory University	Atlanta, GAPrivate nonprofit	10.7%	1,520
28	Middlebury College	Middlebury, VTPrivate nonprofit	10.8%	1,508
29	Boston University	Boston, MAPrivate nonprofit	11.1%	1,480
30	University of Notre Dame	Notre Dame, INPrivate nonprofit	11.3%	1,520
31	Tufts University	Medford, MAPrivate nonprofit	11.5%	1,513
32	Carnegie Mellon University	Pittsburgh, PAPrivate nonprofit	11.7%	1,546
33	Washington University in St Louis	St. Louis, MOPrivate nonprofit	12.1%	1,530
34	Haverford College	Haverford, PAPrivate nonprofit	12.4%	1,513
35	Harvey Mudd College	Claremont, CAPrivate nonprofit	12.7%	1,545
36	Bates College	Lewiston, MEPrivate nonprofit	13.3%	1,468
37	Davidson College	Davidson, NCPrivate nonprofit	13.4%	1,469
38	Hamilton College	Clinton, NYPrivate nonprofit	13.6%	1,506
39	Colgate University	Hamilton, NYPrivate nonprofit	13.9%	1,508
40	Washington and Lee University	Lexington, VAPrivate nonprofit	14.0%	1,498
41	Tulane University of Louisiana	New Orleans, LAPrivate nonprofit	14.0%	1,448
42	Wellesley College	Wellesley, MAPrivate nonprofit	14.1%	1,520
43	Grinnell College	Grinnell, IAPrivate nonprofit	14.5%	1,486
44	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill, NCPublic	15.3%	1,439
45	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	Ann Arbor, MIPublic	15.6%	1,465
46	Boston College	Chestnut Hill, MAPrivate nonprofit	16.4%	1,507
47	Wesleyan University	Middletown, CTPrivate nonprofit	16.5%	1,501
48	Northeastern University Oakland	Oakland, CAPrivate nonprofit	16.7%	1,472
49	University of Virginia-Main Campus	Charlottesville, VAPublic	16.8%	1,480
50	Babson College	Wellesley, MAPrivate nonprofit	17.1%	1,457

Method

Source: the US Dept of Education College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data, pulled on 2026-09-17 from the bulk download. Every college in it reports these figures to the US Department of Education itself.

ADMCON7 is the IPEDS admissions survey field recording whether a college requires admission test scores. This page reports the answer the college gave, not a policy we have verified. The admit rate is admitted divided by applied for one entering class, as the college reported it to the US Department of Education. It is a count, not a judgment: a small admit rate says a college turned most applicants away, and says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit.

Counted: the federal file carries 1,944 institutions under the filter PREDDEG=3 (bachelor-predominant) AND CURROPER=1 (operating). 1,564 are used on this page family. 144 private for-profit institutions are excluded, and 236 reporting fewer than 250 undergraduates are excluded, because at that size a reported admit rate describes a small specialised applicant pool rather than selectivity. 972 met this page’s criteria and the table shows the top 50.

147 colleges in the pool left this survey field blank in the federal file and appear on none of the three survey pages.

The ordering on this page is the federal figure and not our opinion. No college paid to appear here and nothing is weighted. No admission probability is stated anywhere on this site, because none can be derived from public data: colleges do not publish admit rates conditional on a score, so any single percentage would be invented. The free chance me tool and college finder sort a list into reaches, targets and likelies from the same federal figures and give no percentage either.

The federal file behind this family carries no earnings column, so no list here says anything about what graduates are paid. Rather than estimate one, this site says what is missing. What one named college costs after aid, income band by income band, is on its own page in the cost family. Our own essay dataset, which is a different source, is described on the supplemental essay data page.

Questions

Which colleges consider an SAT or ACT score but do not require one?: First is Stanford University at 3.6%. The 50 colleges listed are ranked on the figure the college reported to the US Department of Education, from the College Scorecard file pulled on 2026-09-17. The last place shown, number 50, is Babson College at 17.1%.
Where does this ranking come from?: From the US Dept of Education College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data, pulled on 2026-09-17. ADMCON7 is the IPEDS admissions survey field recording whether a college requires admission test scores. This page reports the answer the college gave, not a policy we have verified. The admit rate is admitted divided by applied for one entering class, as the college reported it to the US Department of Education. It is a count, not a judgment: a small admit rate says a college turned most applicants away, and says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit. The ordering on this page is the federal figure and not our opinion. No college paid to appear here and nothing is weighted.
Which colleges are counted and which are left out?: The federal file carries 1,944 institutions under the filter PREDDEG=3 (bachelor-predominant) AND CURROPER=1 (operating). 1,564 are used here: 144 private for-profit institutions and 236 with fewer than 250 undergraduates are excluded, because at that size a reported admit rate describes a small specialised applicant pool rather than selectivity. 972 of those met this page's criteria and the table shows the top 50. 147 colleges in the pool left this survey field blank in the federal file and appear on none of the three survey pages.
Does this say anything about how good these colleges are?: No. This page orders colleges on one number a college reported to the federal government. It is not a quality ranking, it carries no survey, no reputation score and no weighting, and it says nothing about teaching, outcomes or fit. A cheaper college is not a better college and a more selective one is not either. It also states no admission probability, because none can be derived from public data.
Can I see what essays these colleges ask for?: 47 of the 50 colleges in this table have a NudgeEssay requirements page carrying their 2026-27 essay prompts word for word, with word limits, application deadlines and the date each was read on the college's own admissions site. Those college names in the table are links. The rest are in the federal file but not in our prompt dataset, so each of their names links to its federal record instead.

The other rankings in this set

All computed from the same federal file, pulled on 2026-09-17, with the same pool and the same exclusions.

Review your essay free