Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., is a nationally recognized institution with a liberal arts foundation. Opened in 1834, the school has an enrollment of 4,500 students, small enough to provide personal instruction, but diverse enough to boast a student population from all 50 states and 22 foreign countries. In 2009, Wake Forest changed its policies and made the SAT optional for all applicants. High school performance, community involvement and writing ability are the criteria used to determine admission.
Founded by abolitionists in 1855, Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, is a liberal arts college with a rich tradition that offers 30 majors in such areas of study as anthropology, biology, Chinese, geology, theater and gender studies. While Bates requires all non-English speaking applicants to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, the submission of the SAT is optional for all students applying to Bates. Those who do choose to submit their SAT scores should be aware that the median score of Bates' students is 1,340.
Smith College, founded in 1875, is a liberal arts school for women in Northampton, Mass., that is one of the biggest women's colleges in the country. With an enrollment of 2,600 students and an average need-based grant of $27,114, Smith College offers more than 1,000 courses in 50 study areas. SAT scores are optional for U.S. citizens and permanent residents but required for international applicants.
Arizona State University on the main campus in Tempe was named by "The Princeton Review" as one of the country's 50 best value public colleges for 2011. Its criteria included academics, cost of attendance and financial aid. With a total enrollment of more than 68,000 students, ASU is one of the largest public universities in the world and provides four satellite campuses for students' convenience. ASU doesn't require prospective applicants to take the SAT but does require applicants to either finish in the top 25 percent of their graduating class or possess a 3.0 grade point average in competency courses. If an applicant cannot meet one of those criteria, the SAT or ACT would then become a requirement.