Colleges that neither require nor recommend an SAT or ACT score
371 of the 1,564 four-year US colleges in this set told the federal admissions survey that an admission test score is neither required nor recommended. 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 "neither required nor recommended" on the federal admissions survey. That is not the same as test blind, and this page does not call it that. The same answer is on record for colleges that have since reinstated testing and for colleges that are test-optional rather than test-blind. It is what each college told the survey, nothing more, so read the college's own admissions page for what it actually does with a score.
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 . 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. 7 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.
| # | College | Where | Admit rate | Average SAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CAPrivate nonprofit | 2.6% | – |
| 2 | Minerva University | San Francisco, CAPrivate nonprofit | 3.0% | – |
| 3 | University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CAPublic | 9.0% | – |
| 4 | The Juilliard School | New York, NYPrivate nonprofit | 9.2% | – |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, CAPublic | 11.0% | – |
| 6 | Crown College | Saint Bonifacius, MNPrivate nonprofit | 22.8% | – |
| 7 | Pitzer College | Claremont, CAPrivate nonprofit | 25.2% | – |
| 8 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Fajardo | Fajardo, PRPrivate nonprofit | 26.5% | – |
| 9 | University of California-San Diego | La Jolla, CAPublic | 26.7% | – |
| 10 | University of California-Irvine | Irvine, CAPublic | 28.6% | – |
| 11 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CAPublic | 31.3% | – |
| 12 | California Institute of the Arts | Valencia, CAPrivate nonprofit | 32.3% | – |
| 13 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CAPublic | 33.0% | – |
| 14 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce | Mercedita, PRPrivate nonprofit | 33.7% | – |
| 15 | Brescia University | Owensboro, KYPrivate nonprofit | 35.2% | – |
| 16 | University of Puerto Rico | Bayamon, PRPublic | 35.3% | – |
| 17 | Baptist University of Florida | Graceville, FLPrivate nonprofit | 36.0% | – |
| 18 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CAPublic | 36.2% | – |
| 19 | Dickinson State University | Dickinson, NDPublic | 37.0% | – |
| 20 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo | Arecibo, PRPrivate nonprofit | 38.2% | – |
| 21 | Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science | Los Angeles, CAPrivate nonprofit | 38.7% | – |
| 22 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Seattle, WAPublic | 39.1% | – |
| 23 | Carolina University | Winston-Salem, NCPrivate nonprofit | 39.5% | – |
| 24 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon | Bayamon, PRPrivate nonprofit | 39.6% | – |
| 25 | Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses | Angola, INPrivate nonprofit | 39.9% | – |
| 26 | Paul Quinn College | Dallas, TXPrivate nonprofit | 40.3% | – |
| 27 | The University of Tampa | Tampa, FLPrivate nonprofit | 40.3% | – |
| 28 | Manhattan School of Music | New York, NYPrivate nonprofit | 40.8% | – |
| 29 | The New England Conservatory of Music | Boston, MAPrivate nonprofit | 41.1% | – |
| 30 | Ave Maria University | Ave Maria, FLPrivate nonprofit | 41.4% | – |
| 31 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla | Aguadilla, PRPrivate nonprofit | 41.8% | – |
| 32 | University of California-Davis | Davis, CAPublic | 41.8% | – |
| 33 | Inter American University of Puerto Rico-San German | San German, PRPrivate nonprofit | 42.5% | – |
| 34 | Chicago State University | Chicago, ILPublic | 43.3% | – |
| 35 | Beacon College | Leesburg, FLPrivate nonprofit | 43.5% | – |
| 36 | Berklee College of Music | Boston, MAPrivate nonprofit | 43.5% | – |
| 37 | Point University | West Point, GAPrivate nonprofit | 44.3% | – |
| 38 | Johnson C Smith University | Charlotte, NCPrivate nonprofit | 45.2% | – |
| 39 | Oakwood University | Huntsville, ALPrivate nonprofit | 45.2% | – |
| 40 | California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach, CAPublic | 46.3% | – |
| 41 | Defiance College | Defiance, OHPrivate nonprofit | 47.5% | – |
| 42 | Rust College | Holly Springs, MSPrivate nonprofit | 48.7% | – |
| 43 | University of San Diego | San Diego, CAPrivate nonprofit | 52.4% | – |
| 44 | University of Puerto Rico at Ponce | Ponce, PRPublic | 52.4% | – |
| 45 | Central Christian College of Kansas | McPherson, KSPrivate nonprofit | 52.7% | – |
| 46 | Southeastern University | Lakeland, FLPrivate nonprofit | 53.0% | – |
| 47 | Russell Sage College | Troy, NYPrivate nonprofit | 53.3% | – |
| 48 | University of Montevallo | Montevallo, ALPublic | 53.8% | – |
| 49 | University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras | San Juan, PRPublic | 54.6% | – |
| 50 | Kansas City Art Institute | Kansas City, MOPrivate nonprofit | 54.8% | – |
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. 371 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 neither require nor recommend an SAT or ACT score?
- First is California Institute of Technology at 2.6%. 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 Kansas City Art Institute at 54.8%.
- 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. 371 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?
- 7 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.
- 50 Most Selective Colleges by Admit Rate
- 50 Least Selective Four-Year Colleges
- 50 Colleges With the Highest Average SAT
- 50 Colleges With the Highest ACT Midpoint
- 50 Largest US Colleges by Undergraduates
- 50 Smallest Four-Year US Colleges
- 50 Colleges With the Lowest Net Price
- 50 Cheapest Colleges for Low Income Families
- 50 Most Selective Public Colleges
- 50 Most Selective Private Colleges
- Most Selective Colleges in New York
- Most Selective Colleges in Pennsylvania
- Most Selective Colleges in California
- Most Selective Colleges in Texas
- Most Selective Colleges in Ohio
- Most Selective Colleges in Massachusetts
- Most Selective Colleges in Illinois
- Most Selective Colleges in North Carolina
- Most Selective Colleges in Florida
- Most Selective Colleges in Georgia
- Colleges That Require SAT or ACT Scores
- Colleges That Consider but Do Not Require Scores