GRE requirements by university (2026)
Which programs require the GRE, which made it optional, and which will not even look at a score. A sourced, dated directory that checks each status against the program's own admissions page, because that is the one thing most pages on this topic get wrong.
Every status below is checked against an official source and dated. Last full check: June 2026.
Four statuses, not one. The difference changes what you do.
"Test-optional" hides three very different situations. We label every program with one of these, so you never waste a test fee or skip a score that would have helped.
You must submit a score. No score, no application.
You may submit. A score above the admitted-student median can still help.
Scores will not be reviewed. Do not send them, and do not test for these.
The requirement is formally suspended for this cycle. Re-check next year.
GRE requirements at top universities.
Each university page shows the requirement program by program, with the official source and a last-checked date. We are adding universities in verified batches, US first, then the UK, Netherlands, Sweden and beyond.
Stanford University
Stanford, California
GRE policy at Stanford is set program by program. Its MBA requires a GMAT or GRE score with no waiver; many graduate programs are optional or do not require the GRE.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
MIT sets GRE policy by department. EECS does not use the GRE at all (except its LGO program); other departments vary, so check the one you are applying to.
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Harvard's Griffin GSAS lets each program choose Required, Optional, or Not accepted. There is no single university-wide GRE rule.
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Yale GSAS publishes a per-program table (Required / Optional / Not accepted) and dates it. Several programs require the GRE, including Economics, Chemistry, and Political Science.
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
At Duke, 12 graduate programs require the GRE and more than 50 list it as optional. Self-reported scores become a required part of the application once submitted.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
GRE policy at Berkeley is set department by department: most graduate programs no longer require it, some have stopped accepting it entirely, and a small number still require or accept it.
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
GRE policy at Princeton is set department by department, ranging from required to not accepted, with many programs in engineering and the sciences no longer requiring or accepting scores.
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, New York
GRE policy at Columbia varies sharply by school: Engineering and most Computer Science programs make the GRE optional, the Business School requires a GMAT, Executive Assessment, or GRE with no exemption, and individual GSAS departments set their own rules ranging from required to not required.
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
GRE policy at Cornell is set by each individual graduate field and program, so requirements range from required to not accepted depending on where you apply.
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
GRE policy varies widely by program at CMU, with some departments making it optional, others not accepting scores at all, and the Tepper MBA requiring a test that can be waived.
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
GRE policy at UCLA is set by each program, so it ranges from not required (Computer Science, ECE) to required (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) to optional (Anderson MBA).
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
GRE policy varies widely by program: Rackham doctoral programs no longer include the GRE, many engineering departments have made it optional or do not consider it, and some master's programs still require it.
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Caltech sets GRE policy option by option, so there is no single institute-wide rule; some divisions require it, several treat it as optional, and applicants must check their specific option's page.
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
GRE policy varies widely by program: it is optional for Computer Science and the Physical Sciences Division, not accepted at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and a GMAT or GRE score is required for the Booth MBA except for UChicago affiliates.
New York University
New York, New York
GRE policy at NYU varies widely by school and program: the Tandon engineering programs are GRE-optional, the Graduate School of Arts and Science leaves it to each department, and Stern requires a standardized test for the full-time MBA with waivers available.
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GRE policy varies by school at Penn: Engineering makes it optional, the Wharton MBA requires the GRE or GMAT, and Arts and Sciences requirements differ by individual program.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia
GRE policy varies widely by program at Georgia Tech: several engineering schools have dropped the GRE and the Scheller MBA is test-optional, while the regular MS in Computer Science still requires it.
Not on the list yet? Use the three-step check on the is the GRE required page to confirm any program in a couple of minutes.
Where the GRE still matters, and where it does not.
Masters programs
Optional and not-accepted policies are now common, especially outside the hard sciences. Engineering and CS are genuinely mixed. Funded research masters behave more like PhDs.
PhD programs
Requirements survive most often here, because admission comes with funding and committees weigh every signal. Still varies by program: many PhDs are now optional or do not accept the GRE.
MBA & business
The GRE is accepted as a GMAT alternative at most business schools. At the most selective programs a test score is usually required with no waiver, so the choice is GRE vs GMAT.
GRE requirements, answered.
Required or optional, a strong score still helps.
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