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Have you heard of the CLT exam and are wondering which schools accept it? The CLT has been growing in popularity every year since it was launched, and currently it is accepted by nearly 200 colleges. What colleges accept the CLT test? This guide lists every school that accepts the CLT, and we also give an overview of what the CLT is and why certain schools accept scores from it, while others don't.

What Is the CLT?

The Classical Learning Test (CLT) is an online college entrance exam for 11th and 12th graders. It was created in 2015 as an alternative to the SAT and ACT. Some students prefer to take the CLT because it is online, you get your scores quickly, and it has more of a focus on classic literature. 

The CLT consists of three sections:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Grammar/Writing
• Quantitative Reasoning

Each of these sections consists of 40 questions. There is also an optional essay portion of the exam students can choose to take. Without the essay, the CLT takes a total of two hours to complete:

• 40 minutes for Verbal Reasoning
• 35 minutes for Grammar/Writing
• 45 minutes for Quantitative Reasoning
• (optional) 30 minutes for essay

The CLT is scored on a scale of 0-120. If you choose to take the essay, you will receive a separate score for it. 

After you take the CLT, you'll receive your scores within 24 hours, and you can then send those scores to an unlimited number of colleges, for no additional fee (it costs $54 to take the CLT). You can learn more about the CLT by reading our complete guide to the Classical Learning Test.

What Kinds of Schools Accept the CLT?

The CLT is accepted by nearly 200 colleges. The schools that accept the CLT tend to be small, private, religious colleges, and located in the Midwest or the South. Why are these types of schools the ones who accept the CLT?

First, small private schools often have the hardest time recruiting students because they don't have big name recognition and sometimes can't offer as generous of financial aid packages as more well-known schools. So, they will use other avenues to make applying easier, such as by accepting a new standardized test like the CLT. Large public schools already know they'll receive many more applicants than they have space for without making any additional accommodations, so they don't have as much of an incentive to add the CLT to their admissions review process.

Second, the design of the CLT often appeals to private religious schools. The CLT focuses on classic literature, often heavily focused on Western culture, and it can include religious components, such as a speech by a pope students will be asked questions on. This type of curricula is more closely aligned with the curricula at private Christian schools than standard public school curricula, which focuses more on the Common Core. Therefore, many of the students who take the CLT are homeschooled or attend private religious high schools and then apply to private religious colleges.

Complete List of Schools That Accept the CLT Test

What colleges accept the CLT test? Below is a list of every school that accepts the CLT. The schools are organized in alphabetical order, by state. Some of these schools also offer CLT scholarships to students who submit especially high CLT scores. If a state isn't listed, then no schools from it currently accept the CLT. There are also four international schools that accept the CLT; they're listed at the end. This information comes from the official CLT website.

Alabama

• Faulkner University
• Judson College
• Kingdom College

Arkansas

• Ecclesia College
• Harding University
• John Brown University
• University of the Ozarks
• Williams Baptist College

California

• Biola University
• California Baptist University
• Christian Life College
• John Paul the Great Catholic University
• Providence Christian College
• The Master's University
• Thomas Aquinas College
• University of Saint Katherine
• Zaytuna College

Colorado 

• Colorado Christian University

Connecticut

• Holy Apostles College

Florida

• Ave Maria University
• Florida College
• Palm Beach Atlantic
• Pensacola Christian College
• Reformation Bible College
• Saint Leo University
• Southeastern University
• Stetson University
• Trinity Baptist College

Georgia

• Brewton-Parker College
• Covenant College
• Emmanuel College
• Global U
• Holy Spirit College
• Shorter University
• Toccoa Falls College
• Truett McConnell University

Idaho

• New Saint Andrews College
• Northwest Nazarene University

Illinois

• Concordia University Chicago
• Greenville University
• Lincoln Christian University
• North Central College
• Olivet Nazarene University
• Trinity Christian College
• Trinity International University
• Wheaton College

Indiana

• Anderson University
• Grace College
• Taylor University
• Union Bible College

Iowa

• Briar Cliff University
• Dordt University
• Emmaus Bible College
• Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary
• Loras College
• Northwestern College

Kansas

• Barclay College
• Benedictine College
• Central Christian College of Kansas
• Manhattan Christian College

Kentucky

• Asbury University
• Boyce College
• Georgetown College
• Kentucky Mountain Bible College
• Thomas More University

Louisiana

• Louisiana College
• The Classical College

Maryland

• Collegium Sanctorum Angelorum
• Mount St. Mary's University
• St. John’s College

Massachusetts

• Fisher College
• Gordon College
• Sattler College

Michigan

• Adrian College
• Calvin University
• Cornerstone University
• Hillsdale College
• Hope College
• Kuyper College
• Spring Arbor University

Minnesota

• Bethel University
• Bethlehem College and Seminary
• Crown College
• Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
• St. Olaf College
• University of Northwestern, St. Paul

Mississippi

• Belhaven University
• Blue Mountain College
• Mississippi College

Missouri 

• Central Christian College of the Bible
• Evangel University
• Hannibal-Lagrange University
• Missouri Baptist University
• Ozark Christian College
• Southwest Baptist University
• Spurgeon College
• St. Louis Christian College

Nebraska

• Concordia University Nebraska

New Hampshire

• Magdalen College
• Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts

New York

• Houghton College
• Keuka College
• Nyack College
• Roberts Wesleyan College
• The King’s College
• Wells College

North Carolina

• Belmont Abbey College
• Carolina Christian College
• Chowan University
• High Point University
• Montreat College
• Native American Bible College
• Thales College
• The College at Southeastern
• Wingate University

North Dakota 

• University of Mary

Ohio

• Ashland University
• Cedarville University
• Franciscan University
• Hiram College
• Ohio Christian University
• Walsh University

Oklahoma 

• Oklahoma Baptist University
• Oklahoma Christian University
• Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Oregon

• Corban University
• George Fox University
• Gutenberg College
• Northwest Christian University

Pennsylvania

• Cairn University
• Carlow University
• Clarks Summit University
• Eastern University
• Geneva College
• Grove City College
• Lancaster Bible College
• Messiah College
• Mount Aloysius College
• Neumann University
• Penn View Bible Institute
• Saint Vincent College
• Templeton Honors College
• University of Valley Forge

South Carolina

• Anderson University
• Bob Jones University
• Columbia International University
• Erskine College
• Lyceum Program at Clemson University

South Dakota

• John Witherspoon College

Tennessee

• Aquinas College
• Bryan College
• Freed-Hardeman University
• Johnson University
• King University
• Lee University
• Lipscomb University
• Maryville College
• Milligan College
• New College Franklin
• Union University
• Welch College

Texas

• Abilene Christian University
• Baylor University
• Dallas Baptist University
• Dallas International University
• East Texas Baptist University
• Hardin-Simmons University
• Houston Baptist University
• Howard Payne University
• LeTourneau University
• Lumerit Education
• Scarborough College
• The College at Saint Constantine
• The King's University
• University of Dallas
• University of St. Thomas
• Wayland Baptist University

Utah

• Mount Liberty College

Virginia

• Bluefield College
• Christendom College
• Christopher Newport University
• Liberty University
• Regent University
• Sweet Briar College

Washington

• Saint Martin’s University
• Whitworth University

West Virginia

• Appalachian Bible College

Wyoming

• Wyoming Catholic College

International

• Excelsia College (Australia)
• Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College (Canada)
• Redeemer University (Canada)
• Universidad de Navarra (Spain)

Summary: What Colleges Accept the CLT Test?

The CLT (Classical Learning Test) was launched as an alternative to the SAT and ACT in 2015. Although far fewer students take this exam than the SAT or ACT, the CLT has grown in popularity each year since it was created. Today, nearly 200 colleges accept CLT scores. These schools tend to be small, private religious schools because the CLT fits most closely with their curriculum.

What's Next?

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