Best test-optional colleges in Ohio
Colleges that don't require the SAT or ACT for admission, ranked by Compass Score.
Best test-optional colleges in Ohio68 schools
68 schools qualify, ranked by the Compass Score. The top 25 are shown.
How this list is made
- Schools in Ohio.
- Accredited four-year undergraduate colleges.
- Admission test policy: considered but not required, or neither required nor recommended (federal admissions data).
- Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
- Ordered by Compass Score, highest first. Schools with the same score share a rank.
Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.
- 1
Denison University
Granville, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 79% graduate
- 2Tie
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#2 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 87% graduate
- 2Tie
Kenyon College
Gambier, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#2 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 82% graduate
- 4
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#4 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 81% graduate
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Felbry College
Columbus, OH · Private for-profitTop 4% for graduation
- SAT or ACT not required
- 91% graduate
- 10
Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit#10 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 73% graduate
- 11
Cedarville University
Cedarville, OH · Private nonprofit#11 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 73% graduate
- 12
Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit#12 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 72% graduate
- 13
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville, OH · Private nonprofit#13 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 75% graduate
- 14
John Carroll University
University Heights, OH · Private nonprofitTop 12% for graduation
- SAT or ACT not required
- 79% graduate
- 15
Ohio Northern University
Ada, OH · Private nonprofitTop 8% for earnings
- SAT or ACT not required
- 75% graduate
- 16
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH · PublicTop 15% for graduation
- SAT or ACT not required
- 75% graduate
- 17Tie
Otterbein University
Westerville, OH · Private nonprofit#18 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 68% graduate
- 17Tie
- 19
- 20
Baldwin Wallace University
Berea, OH · Private nonprofit#22 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 67% graduate
- 21
The Modern College of Design
Kettering, OH · Private for-profitTop 11% for low debt
- SAT or ACT not required
- 69% graduate
- 22
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit#25 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 58% graduate
- 23
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH · Private nonprofit#26 in Ohio
- SAT or ACT not required
- 59% graduate
- 24
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Mount Vernon, OH · Private nonprofitTop 24% for graduation
- SAT or ACT not required
- 68% graduate
- 25
Compare cost and outcomes
| School | Net price a year | Median debt | Earnings 10 years out | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denison University | $40,007 | $26,000 | $67,753 | 79% |
| Case Western Reserve University | $41,190 | $24,000 | $87,989 | 87% |
| Kenyon College | $38,512 | $18,527 | $71,830 | 82% |
| Oberlin College | $38,645 | $26,000 | $58,343 | 81% |
| Ohio State University | $17,339 | $19,976 | $60,409 | 88% |
| University of Dayton | $29,533 | $23,250 | $75,537 | 80% |
| The College of Wooster | $23,458 | $26,500 | $59,629 | 74% |
| Miami University-Oxford | $28,384 | $23,000 | $55,076 | 80% |
| Felbry College | $57,632 | $17,000 | — | 91% |
| Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science | $19,622 | $20,625 | $66,111 | 73% |
| Cedarville University | $24,468 | $20,937 | $55,443 | 73% |
| Cleveland Institute of Music | $28,226 | $24,968 | $32,641 | 72% |
| Franciscan University of Steubenville | $23,589 | $23,384 | $50,030 | 75% |
| John Carroll University | $28,746 | $26,000 | $62,860 | 79% |
| Ohio Northern University | $24,478 | $27,000 | $80,928 | 75% |
| University of Cincinnati | $25,648 | $21,250 | $54,810 | 75% |
| Otterbein University | $19,237 | $26,000 | $53,313 | 68% |
| Xavier University | $32,997 | $23,250 | $64,873 | 69% |
| Ohio University | $21,637 | $21,056 | $52,581 | 65% |
| Baldwin Wallace University | $27,603 | $27,000 | $54,122 | 67% |
| The Modern College of Design | $39,359 | $12,000 | $42,187 | 69% |
| Cleveland Institute of Art | $29,208 | $27,000 | $42,509 | 58% |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | $20,897 | $27,000 | $55,624 | 59% |
| Mount Vernon Nazarene University | $22,421 | $25,000 | $49,555 | 68% |
| Ursuline College | $16,164 | $26,250 | $56,878 | 67% |
Net price is the average yearly cost after grants. Federal data (College Scorecard). “—” means the school reports no figure.
This list in other states
- Alabama 23
- Arizona 12
- Arkansas 10
- California 100
- Colorado 16
- Connecticut 18
- Delaware 3
- District of Columbia 5
- Florida 35
- Georgia 42
- Hawaii 5
- Idaho 6
- Illinois 56
- Indiana 40
- Iowa 29
- Kansas 24
- Kentucky 25
- Louisiana 21
- Maine 15
- Maryland 25
- Massachusetts 59
- Michigan 40
- Minnesota 35
- Mississippi 10
- Missouri 42
- Montana 7
- Nebraska 14
- Nevada 5
- New Hampshire 11
- New Jersey 33
- New Mexico 5
- New York 125
- North Carolina 54
- North Dakota 7
- Oklahoma 14
- Oregon 21
- Pennsylvania 113
- Puerto Rico 32
- Rhode Island 11
- South Carolina 30
- South Dakota 10
- Tennessee 28
- Texas 65
- Utah 8
- Vermont 9
- Virginia 43
- Washington 20
- West Virginia 13
- Wisconsin 34