This past summer, the University of Chicago made waves when they announced that they would not longer be requiring the SAT. This was remarkable because they were one of the first “elite” colleges to eliminate this requirement.

As most of us know, the SAT (or ACT) is one of the most terrifying parts of the admissions process for students. With that in mind, we decided to write this guide to help you tackle the admissions process if your test scores don’t accurately reflect you!

Even though testing is important, there are a number of things you can do to have a successful college admissions process:

Step 1:

Retake the SAT or ACT. This is the best option to start with. Most students see a nice jump after retaking the tests (after all, you are able to become more comfortable with the format). Here is a quick post that shows you some of the best FREE ways to prepare for the SAT and ACT.

Step 2:

It is important to understand that test scores are used differently by each college: some colleges count them more, some count them less. For most schools, the primary parts of the application review process are the high school transcript and the test scores. Tools like Naviance and Cappex Scattergrams can help you understand how your grades and test scores will stack up in a specific college’s applicant pool. We would also recommend checking out our Basics of Building Your College List guide.

Step 3:

As mentioned at the top of the post, there are some FANTASTIC schools that do not require the SAT or ACT. Here are some of the best schools that do not require standardized testing:

Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)

American University (Washington, D.C.)

Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson)

Bates College (Lewiston, ME)

Beloit College (Beloit, WI)

Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME)

Brandeis University (Waltham, MA)

Bryant University (Smithfield, RI)

Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)

Clark University (Worcester, MA)

Colby College (Waterville, ME)

College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA)

Connecticut College (New London, CT)

Denison University (Granville, OH)

DePaul University (Chicago, IL)

Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA)

Furman University (Greenville, SC)

George Washington University (Washington, D.C.)

Gettysburg College (Gettysburg, PA)

Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN)

Hampshire College (Amherst, MA)

High Point University (High Point, NC)

Hobart and William Smith Colleges (Geneva, NY)

James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA)

Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, MI)

Lake Forest College (Lake Forest, IL)

Lawrence University (Appleton, WI)

Lewis and Clark College (Portland, OR)

Manhattanville College (Purchase, NY)

Minerva Schools at KGI (San Fransisco, CA) 

Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA)

Pitzer College (Claremont, CA)

University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)

Roger Williams University (Bristol, RI)

Rollins College (Winter Park, FL)

St. Michael’s College (Colchester, VT)

Sewanee – The University of the South (Sewanee, TN)

Smith College (Northampton, MA)

St. Lawrence University (Canton, NY)

Stonehill College, (Easton, MA)

Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)

Trinity College (Hartford, CT)

Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC)

Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)

Whitman College (Walla Walla, WA)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)