Massachusetts Institute of Technology GRE requirements (2026)
MIT sets GRE policy department by department. The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) does not use the GRE at all for its main graduate admissions, which makes it the clearest example of a top program that has fully dropped the test. Other departments range from not requiring to still recommending scores, and MIT Sloan accepts either the GMAT or the GRE for the MBA. Check the specific department or program page before applying.
About Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1861 and known worldwide for engineering, computer science, physical sciences, economics, and management. Graduate admissions run through the Office of Graduate Education together with each academic department, and the MIT Sloan School of Management runs its own professional admissions. GRE policy is decided by each department rather than centrally.
GRE requirement by program
Massachusetts Institute of Technology sets its GRE policy by program, so there is rarely a single university-wide answer. Below is each program we have checked, with its status, a link to the program's own admissions page, and the date we last confirmed it.
| Program | Status | Official source | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) PhD and Masters | Not accepted EECS states it does not use GRE scores in its graduate admissions process, regardless of citizenship, and asks applicants not to submit them. The Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program is administered separately and has its own testing rules, so confirm there if applying to LGO. | eecs.mit.edu | Jul 2026 |
MIT Sloan School of Management (MBA) MBA | Optional MIT Sloan accepts either the GMAT or the GRE for the MBA and states no preference between the two tests. Confirm score-submission details and any waiver options on the Sloan MBA admissions page for the current cycle. | mitsloan.mit.edu | Jul 2026 |
Department of Mechanical Engineering (graduate) PhD and Masters | Unconfirmed for 2026 MIT Mechanical Engineering has listed the GRE as not required in recent graduate admission cycles, in line with the broader shift across MIT engineering departments. Because the department reviews this each cycle, confirm the current requirement on its graduate admissions page. | meche.mit.edu | Jul 2026 |
Department of Physics (graduate) PhD | Unconfirmed for 2026 MIT Physics has not required the general GRE or the physics subject GRE in recent cycles, consistent with a wider trend among top physics PhD programs. Verify the current policy on the department's graduate admissions page before submitting scores. | physics.mit.edu | Jul 2026 |
Office of Graduate Education (central GRE guidance) All departments | Varies by program MIT's Office of Graduate Education states that GRE requirements are set by each department, not centrally, and directs applicants to the department's own page. Use this as the starting point, then confirm the specific department's requirement. | oge.mit.edu | Jul 2026 |
Each status was read from the program's own admissions page (last checked 02 07 2026). Policies change between cycles; always confirm on the linked official page before you apply.
Not the program you need? The status is set department by department. Use the three-step check on the is the GRE required page to confirm any program in a couple of minutes.
What GRE score do you need for Massachusetts Institute of Technology?
There is no single Massachusetts Institute of Technology GRE cutoff, because programs admit on the whole application and most do not publish a hard minimum. In practice, aim for a score at or above the admitted-student median for your specific program, which some departments share in a class profile or on request. A percentile around the 80th or higher on the section that matters most to your field, Quant for STEM and economics or Verbal for the humanities, is a safe target wherever a score is worth submitting.
Where Massachusetts Institute of Technology marks a program Optional, a score comfortably above that median can strengthen a borderline application, especially for funded or international applicants. Below it, your effort is usually better spent on the required parts of the file. Where a program is Not accepted, do not send a score, it will not be reviewed.
Unsure where you would land? Sit a free full-length mock and convert your scaled score to its exact official percentile before you decide.
GRE requirements at other universities
Compare Massachusetts Institute of Technologywith the GRE policies at other top programs. Each page is sourced from the university's own admissions pages and dated.