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Last Updated: March 20, 2021

Programs with No GRE Requirement

The Graduate Record Examination is conducted to assess the candidate’s skill in Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing which are the three sections in the General Test. This exam has become widely accepted in over 160 countries with even business schools and law schools considering the GRE score report.

At the same time, there are colleges and universities that do not list GRE in their requirements list and enlist TOEFL or IELTS as part of their requirements. There are also colleges that offer an option between the three and let the student choose according to the skill they want to present. Some colleges also consider only the GPA and the application form and let other examinations like GRE be the extra credit that students can choose to submit along with their application or not.

Why Universities Require GRE?

The GRE exam is conducted for students who have completed their undergraduate courses and want to further continue their education. This brings students from different disciplines of education into their field of choice which could either be a continuation of their undergraduate course or an entirely different discipline altogether. In this scenario, colleges demand that students attempt standardized tests to even the ground between all applicants.

In this way, colleges and universities will be able to use the standardized test as a marker more than the GPA to assess the abilities of the student on equal parameters with other applicants. While considering International students, colleges may also have a hard time deciphering the different grading systems they have had. Standardized tests offer a solution to this dilemma as well. Students also choose to take such tests to even out their GPA if they have scored a below-average grade.

Applying Without the GRE Score Report

International applicants often consider not taking the GRE General Test while applying to colleges due to various reasons. The reasons include the cost for the test which is at least $205 depending on the country they are applying from. The other factors include the necessity of students to clear either the TOEFL or IELTS exam for their visa clearance.

Students are also given the option of giving either GRE or GMAT according to the college and course they are applying to. All of these factors along with the availability of colleges that do not require GRE lets students choose which exam they have to focus on for their better future.

List of Universities/programs not requiring GRE

These are some of the Universities which do not require GRE for admission even for international students.

Universities/ CollegesCourses
MITElectrical Engineering and Computer Science
Washington State UniversityDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Drexel UniversityMS in Data Science
MS in Information Systems
MS in Software Engineering
Boston UniversityMS in Advertising
Purdue UniversityMS in Computer Science
Johns Hopkins UniversityMS in Computer Science
MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Clarkson UniversityMS in Engineering and Management Systems
University of DaytonEngineering
Stevens Institute of TechnologyEngineering
George Mason UniversityMS in Applied Information Technology
MS in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
MS in Computer Forensics
University of WashingtonMS in Civil Engineering
University of MarylandEngineering: Professional Master of Engineering
Iowa State UniversityME in Chemical and Biological Engineering
ME in Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
ME in Systems Engineering
University of MinnesotaMS in Civil Engineering
Brown UniversityBiomedical Engineering
South Dakota State UniversityMS in Mechanical Engineering
MS in Computer Science
North Carolina State UniversityLandscape Architecture
Tufts UniversityEngineering Management
Brandeis UniversityMA/ MS in Computer Science
Portland State UniversityMechanical and Materials Engineering
New Mexico State UniversityEconomics, Applied Statistics, and International Business
University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyMS in Geographic Information Systems
Applied Sociology
University of ArizonaEconomic Geology
University of Nebraska-LincolnIndustrial and Management Systems Engineering
University of PittsburghMaterial Science and Engineering
University of MichiganInterPro-Integrated Microsystems
American UniversityMS in International Relations and Business
Florida International UniversityMS in Criminal Justice

Fields that do not Require GRE Generally

While most Engineering and Business programs require GRE, there are some disciplines that generally do not require GRE for their application process. These programs include-
Most online courses offered by universities do not require GRE or GMAT but will require a certain GPA. There are offline courses that waive their GRE requirement if their GPA requirement has been met.

GRE Waived during 2020-2021 Academic Year

Most universities in the U.S. have waived off their GRE requirements after the pandemic canceled a few many exams and did not let students leave the confines of their homes to take the few tests that were conducted. It also became evident that most students did not have the necessary requirements ready to take the GRE test at home.

Keeping GRE as a requirement then seemed to make the test an unfair advantage to the privileged while other students wouldn’t even stand a chance despite being skilled enough. Colleges then decided to waive off their GRE requirements for the academic year of 2020-2021. But this is not the case of all the universities in the U.S.

The following universities still require a GRE score report for students to get admission in the courses that previously required GRE.

Taking GRE when it is an Optional Requirement

There are colleges that do not explicitly state whether the GRE exam is a necessary requirement or if it has been waived off for other tests. These colleges often state GRE to be optional and leave it to the students to decide whether they should take the test or not.

In this case, the best course of action is to attempt the test and provide the score report. But if the student has other exams to attend like the TOEFL or IELTS for visa procedures, the student can focus on the rest of the application rather than dividing their energy by preparing for all the competitive exams at once.

It should be understood that having a strong application along with the required GPA can provide the candidate with admission even if they do not attempt the exam. At the same time, being unable to score their best in the standardized tests and sending a bad score report can diminish their chances of getting admission. In short, candidates must play to their strengths and attempt only the exams they are confident they can clear with high scores and leave out the rest.



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