GRE fee waiver: how to take the test for $100
A GRE fee waiver cuts the General Test fee from about US$220 to $100 through the ETS Fee Reduction Program, a saving of roughly $120. ETS calls it a “fee reduction”, most applicants call it a fee waiver, and it is the same thing. This page covers who qualifies, exactly how to apply, and what it does not cover. It also separates that from the other waiver people search for, a program dropping its GRE requirement, which is a completely different process run by the school rather than ETS.
The two things people call a “GRE waiver”
Before you go looking for a waiver, be clear which one you actually need:
- A fee waiver means you still take the GRE, but you pay less for it. ETS officially names this the GRE Fee Reduction Program. It is set by ETS, based on financial need, and it is what most people mean by “GRE fee waiver”.
- A requirement waiver means a program is not requiring the GRE from you, so you do not submit a score at all. This is set by the school or program, not by ETS.
They are unrelated, and you can have one without the other. Searching for “fee waiver” and reading about requirement waivers is the most common way to waste an afternoon here, so this page takes the fee waiver first and keeps the two clearly apart.
GRE fee waiver: what it is worth and who qualifies
A GRE fee waiver is a voucher from the ETS GRE Fee Reduction Program that brings General Test registration down to $100. Against a standard fee of about US$220 in most countries, that is a saving of roughly $120 on a single sitting.
| Item | Standard | With a fee waiver |
|---|---|---|
| General Test registration | about US$220 | $100 |
| Score reports on test day | 4 free | 4 free |
| Additional score reports | about US$35 each | about US$35 each |
| Rescheduling | about US$50 | about US$50 |
Read that table as the honest limit of the waiver: it discounts the registration fee and nothing else. Reschedules, extra score reports, and test-center changes stay at full price, which is worth knowing before you book a date you are not sure about. The full breakdown is on our GRE exam fees page.
According to ETS, the program is available to people who fall into categories including:
- Financial need: US citizens or resident aliens who are college seniors or unenrolled graduates, receiving financial aid through a US undergraduate college, with a FAFSA Submission Summary showing a Student Aid Index of zero or less.
- Unemployment: individuals receiving unemployment compensation, who can provide a recent Unemployment Benefits Statement.
- Peace Corps volunteers, and certain national programs serving underrepresented groups.
Eligibility is need-based rather than merit-based, so a strong application or a high target score has no bearing on it. Amounts and criteria can change between cycles; confirm the current rules on ETS before you apply. (Last checked June 2026.)
How to apply for a GRE fee waiver, step by step
- Check which category you fall into first. The three routes above need different evidence, and the documentation is what the request turns on. Applying under the wrong category is the usual reason for a rejection.
- Gather the supporting document. For financial need that is your FAFSA Submission Summary showing a Student Aid Index of zero or less, plus confirmation of aid through a US undergraduate college. For unemployment it is a recent Unemployment Benefits Statement.
- Complete the GRE Fee Reduction Request form and submit it with the documents it lists.
- Wait for the voucher before you register. This is the step people get wrong. The waiver arrives as a voucher you redeem at registration, so if you book and pay first there is nothing to apply it to and no refund of the difference.
- Redeem it inside its validity window. Vouchers expire, so plan the test date around the voucher rather than requesting one for a date you have not chosen yet.
While the request is processing, the sensible use of the time is free preparation. Sit a full-length GRE mock test to get a baseline, then check what it converts to on the percentile calculator. Both are free, so nothing about your budget has to wait on the voucher.
Requirement waivers: when you do not need a GRE score
A requirement waiver lives on the program's side. It is worth being precise here, because a program can land in one of several places, and they are not the same:
- Required You must submit a score. No waiver on offer.
- Optional You may submit. A strong score can still help, but it is not required.
- Waived The requirement is formally suspended for this cycle. Treat it like optional, and re-check next year.
- Not accepted Scores will not be reviewed at all. Do not send one.
A waiver is the third case. Some programs waive the GRE for everyone in a given cycle; others grant waivers case by case, on criteria like a strong undergraduate GPA, an existing graduate degree, substantial work experience, or completed quantitative coursework. The only way to know your program's stance is its own admissions page, which is exactly what our is the GRE required guide and our requirements directory track, with sources and dates.
How to request a requirement waiver
If a program grants waivers on request rather than automatically, the process is usually short:
- Check the program's page for a waiver policy. Many that offer waivers list the exact criteria and a request form or email address. If there is a form, use it; do not improvise.
- If you have to email, keep it brief and specific. State the program you are applying to, ask whether a GRE waiver is available, and give the one or two reasons you believe you qualify (for example, a relevant graduate degree or several years of quantitative work).
- Ask before the deadline, not at it. Waiver decisions can take days, and you want time to study and test if the answer is no.
If you are not sure whether a score would help even when it is optional, the fastest way to decide is to sit a free full-length mock and see your estimated percentile before you commit to the real exam.
Which programs waive or do not require the GRE?
There is no single master list, because the policy is set program by program and can change every cycle. But the pattern since 2020 is clear: a large share of US graduate programs have dropped or waived the GRE, most heavily in public health, education, social work, nursing, and many humanities and social-science PhDs. The programs most likely to still require it are quantitative and economics-heavy: economics PhDs, some engineering and statistics programs, and a few funded research tracks.
Rather than guess, check the current status for your target programs. We keep a sourced, dated, data-backed list of graduate schools that do not require the GRE, track each program's status in the requirements directory, and answer the broader question on the is the GRE required in 2026 guide. Confirm whether your programs waive it before you decide to sit the test.
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