Colleges in North Carolina With No SAT Requirement

Although most colleges and universities continue to ask students to provide SAT or ACT scores on admissions applications, many colleges in North Carolina—especially small liberal arts colleges—are moving towards admissions decisions that de-emphasize standardized test scores and instead examine the applicant’s other merits. Even these colleges, however, usually use test scores to place students in courses and to allocate financial aid, so ask the admissions and financial aid offices for details about how test scores are used.

Belmont Abbey College

Belmont Abbey College in Belmont is one of the colleges and universities in North Carolina that does not place emphasis on the SAT or ACT for admissions decisions. While the SAT or ACT is required as part of the application, admissions counselors only consider the score if the applicant does not meet the minimum GPA requirement established for that matriculation year. Belmont Abbey College is a Catholic college with enrollment under 1,500 students, with a student-faculty ratio of 16 to 1. Over 80 percent of students at Belmont Abbey also receive financial aid.

Belmont Abbey College 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Road Belmont, NC 28012 888-222-0110 belmontabbeycollege.edu

Bennett College for Women

Bennett College for Women in Greensboro was founded in 1873, but reorganized in 1926 as a liberal arts college for women. Applicants to Bennett College are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores for admission, but scores are required for financial aid consideration. Bennett College is a Methodist institution with enrollment under 1,000 students. The faculty-student ratio at Bennett is 12 to 1, and the majority of students come from out of state. A large proportion of Bennett College students have financial assistance, with 90 percent of enrolled students receiving aid.

Bennett College 900 East Washington St. Greensboro, NC 27401 336-517-2100 bennett.edu

Johnson and Wales University, Charlotte

Johnson and Wales University campus in Charlotte offers undergraduate and continuing education courses in business, hospitality and culinary arts. Although students are required to submit SAT scores with their application for admission, scores are not emphasized in the admission process and are considered primarily for scholarship decisions.

Johnson and Wales University 801 West Trade St. Charlotte, NC 28202 866-598-2427 jwu.edu

Shaw University

At Shaw University, the first historically black college in the South, the SAT or ACT is used only for advising and placement into different levels of undergraduate coursework. Shaw University has enrollment under 3,000 and a faculty-student ratio of 16 to 1, and over 90 percent of the students enrolled receive financial aid. Shaw University is a private, Baptist-affiliated institution and provides a liberal arts education to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Shaw University 224 East Lenoir St. Raleigh, NC 27601 800-214-6683 shawuniversity.edu

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a liberal arts college enrolling under 5,000 undergraduate students and a total of just over 7,000 students in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Wake Forest has a faculty-student ratio of 10 to 1, and maintains a focus on educating the whole person. Because of this strong focus on personal attention, Wake Forest was the first university nationally ranked in the top 30 higher education institutions to make the SAT or ACT optional for admissions decisions. Students who wish to have their scores considered as part of their admissions decision may include them in the application, but students who do not wish to have their scores considered may submit them to the testing center for placement purposes after they have been admitted.

Wake Forest University 1834 Wake Forest Road Winston-Salem, NC 27109 336-758-5201 wfu.edu