Vanderbilt University GRE requirements (2026)
Vanderbilt sets GRE policy at the program level, and its Graduate School publishes a per-program requirement table listing required, optional, and exempt statuses. The School of Engineering is not requiring the GRE for 2026-2027, while quantitative PhD programs such as Economics and Biostatistics still require scores.
About Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Most academic graduate programs are administered through the Graduate School, which publishes GRE requirements on a per-program basis.
GRE requirement by program
Vanderbilt University 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Graduate School / central policy PhD and masters | Varies by program The Graduate School's application requirements pages direct applicants to their program of interest for GRE requirements and publish an "Application Requirements by Program" table with per-program GRE Requirement Status values of Required, Optional, and Exempt. There is no single university-wide GRE rule. | gradschool.vanderbilt.edu | Jun 2026 |
School of Engineering (incl. Computer Science, Biomedical, Civil) MS and PhD | Optional The School of Engineering graduate admissions page states it is not requiring GRE scores for consideration for admission in the 2026-2027 cycle, applied across its engineering graduate programs. | engineering.vanderbilt.edu | Jun 2026 |
Economics (PhD) PhD | Required The Department of Economics PhD admissions page lists official GRE scores as a base requirement. The department notes scores below roughly 155 verbal and 161 quantitative tend to indicate problems, but emphasizes a holistic review. | as.vanderbilt.edu | Jun 2026 |
Biostatistics (MS, PhD) MS and PhD | Required The Biostatistics Graduate Program application process page states that GRE scores are required for all applicants and must be from within the past five years, submitted to institution code 1871. There is no minimum score, but the program notes scores below the 70th percentile are often not competitive. | vanderbilt.edu | Jun 2026 |
Health Policy (PhD/MS) PhD and masters | Optional The Department of Health Policy admission requirements page lists the GRE score as optional, so applicants may submit scores but they are not required. | vumc.org | Jun 2026 |
Psychological Sciences (PhD) PhD | Varies by program The Psychological Sciences graduate apply page states GRE scores are required for applicants to the Clinical Science, Developmental Science, and Quantitative Methods divisions, optional for the Neuroscience division, and mixed for Cognition & Cognitive Neuroscience depending on the faculty member's department. | vanderbilt.edu | Jun 2026 |
Each status was read from the program's own admissions page (last checked 20 06 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.
Should you submit a GRE score?
Where Vanderbilt University marks a program Optional, a score comfortably above the program's admitted-student median can strengthen a borderline application, especially for funded or international applicants. Below that median, 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.