Test Optional Schools in the South

I alluded to other big rah rah football schools that are test optional last week. Many of my test prep students want to stay in the state of Florida due to the Bright Futures scholarship program. Many of them want to go to UF, FSU, or UCF (in no particular order) largely due to the football scene, Greek life, and all around big, public university vibe. For many of them, earning a 1250 or 1300 (or higher) on the SAT is very difficult.

It is worth considering out of state schools that offer very similar things. I find that many students say they want to go to one of the three schools I mentioned, but they don’t have solid reasons why. I would be surprised if they weren’t able to find similar features at some of the schools in the attached picture. These are courtesy of Judi Robinvitz at Score at the Top.

She listed SEC schools. Of those on her list, the following schools are test optional as of November, 2026: LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Kentucky, Texas A & M, Mississippi State, and Alabama. There are some other very popular universities in the south that are also test optional including NC State, Clemson, Tulane, UNC campuses other than Chapel Hill, Sewanee, and James Madison.

There are quite a few great ways to find schools to add to your college list. One of them is the Fiske Guide book. You can look up any school, and it will give you about five other schools that are similar to the original one. Another amazing idea for those who are into AI is to sit down and think about criteria that you’re looking for in a school. You can have ChatGPT create you a list of schools that meet various criteria, including being test optional.