Test Optional Colleges

We’ve got the rankings on the top test optional liberal arts colleges and national universities (photo credit: PenelopeIsMe).

The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, FairTest, has compiled a ranking of the most prestigious test optional colleges in the nation. If you don’t know about test optional colleges, check out our newsletters on test optional universities and colleges with optional SAT policies. Also, check out our opinion piece on the rise of test optional colleges.

Based on the “US News & World Report” rankings (the # that precedes the name of the college in the below list), here is FairTest’s ranking of test optional colleges as reported by Daniel de Vise of “The Washington Post.”

Top Test Optional Liberal Arts Colleges:

6. Bowdoin College

14. Smith College

18. Hamilton College (Test Flexible)

21. Bates College

23. Colby College (Test Flexible)

26. Colorado College (Test Flexible)

26. Mount Holyoke College

30. Bryn Mawr (Test Flexible)

32. College of the Holy Cross

32. Sewanee—The University of the South

38. Bard College

41. Connecticut College

41. Franklin and Marshall College

41. Union College

41. Furman University

46. Pitzer College

47. Dickinson College

47. Gettysburg College

51. Denison University

55. St. Lawrence University

59. Wheaton College

67. Agnes Scott College

67. Hobart and William Smith Colleges

67. Lawrence University

71. Ursinus College

75. Knox College

75. Lewis and Clark

75. Muhlenberg College

79. Drew University

79. Gustavus Adolphus

81. Juniata College

88. Augustana College

93. St. Michael’s College

93. Washington College

Top Test Optional National Universities:

25. Wake Forest University

64. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

79. American University

120. University of Arizona

132. Kansas State University

136. DePaul University

139. New School

143. George Mason University

143. University of Mississippi