Colleges Accepting GRE Scores in USA, UK and Canada : What You Need to Know

The GRE has had an interesting few years. During the pandemic, many universities made it optional.

Post-pandemic, some made that option permanent while others quietly reinstated requirements. In 2024 and 2025,

ETS introduced the GRE Focus Edition – a shorter, updated version of the test.

All of this means that “does this university require GRE” is genuinely a question worth re-checking on each institution’s current admissions page rather than assuming the answer from something you read twelve months ago.

That said, this article gives you the reliable picture of which major institutions accept GRE and how it works across the three most popular study destinations for Indian postgraduate students.

What the GRE Tests

The GRE General Test measures Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. Scores run from 130 to 170 in Verbal and Quantitative sections, with half-point increments. Analytical Writing is scored from 0 to 6 in half-point increments.

The GRE Subject Tests – available in Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, and Chemistry – are separate from the General Test and less commonly required. Most programs that require GRE ask for the General Test unless they specifically mention a Subject Test.

The GRE Focus Edition launched in 2023 is shorter than the original exam (about 1 hour 58 minutes versus nearly 4 hours previously) and is accepted by universities that accept the standard GRE. If you’re preparing to take the GRE, the Focus Edition is the current format.

GRE in the USA

The US is where GRE matters most. Graduate programs across engineering, computer science, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, and some business programs have traditionally required it.

The shift to optional status during the pandemic reduced that, but several competitive programs have moved back to requiring or strongly recommending it.

Programs that commonly require GRE in the USA:

Computer science and data science master’s programs at Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Columbia, Stanford, and Georgia Tech either require GRE or have reinstated it as strongly recommended. MIT’s MS and PhD programs in most STEM disciplines expect GRE scores.

Programs at University of Michigan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Purdue, and Texas A&M widely accept and often require GRE.

Engineering programs across most US research universities use GRE as part of the evaluation – electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, and aerospace engineering master’s programs at leading state universities typically ask for it.

Social sciences PhD programs – economics, political science, sociology, psychology – continue to use GRE broadly. Law schools in the US have increasingly accepted GRE alongside LSAT since major institutions like Harvard Law and Columbia Law began accepting it. Medical schools and dental schools use the MCAT and DAT respectively, not GRE.

MBA programs in the US broadly accept GRE alongside GMAT – Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, Columbia, Tuck, and Yale SOM all accept GRE scores for their MBA programs.

Programs that went test-optional and stayed that way : Princeton’s graduate school, Yale’s graduate programs, and several Ivy League departments removed GRE requirements permanently post-pandemic. Some public universities followed. Always check the specific department’s requirements for your target program on the current admissions page.

Top US Universities That Accept GRE

Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepts GRE for most graduate STEM programs. Stanford University accepts GRE for nearly all graduate programs, with some departments making it optional.

Harvard University accepts GRE for most graduate and professional schools – including through Harvard Business School’s MBA application. Carnegie Mellon University requires GRE for most of its CS, engineering, and policy programs.

Cornell University, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania all accept GRE across graduate programs.

University of California Berkeley accepts GRE for many graduate programs though some departments have gone optional. UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, and UC Santa Barbara follow similar patterns.

University of Michigan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Georgia Institute of Technology, Purdue University, and Texas A&M University all actively use GRE in their engineering and science graduate admissions.

Johns Hopkins, Duke, Northwestern, Rice, Vanderbilt, and Notre Dame all accept GRE for most programs.

New York University, Boston University, Northeastern, and Tufts are well-known for accepting GRE across their graduate programs and are popular destinations for Indian students.

For Indian students, a competitive GRE score in the US context typically means 320 or above combined (Verbal plus Quantitative) for most programs, with 325 or above for the most competitive programs in CS and engineering at top-ranked institutions.

GRE in the UK

The UK’s relationship with GRE is more selective. Unlike the US where GRE is near-universal for STEM graduate programs, UK universities use it differently.

UK universities don’t require GRE in the same systematic way US universities do. Most UK master’s programs base admission decisions on undergraduate academic record, reference letters, and personal statement.

However, a growing number of programs, particularly at research-intensive universities, accept GRE as additional supporting evidence or as an alternative proof of academic ability.

Programs and institutions that commonly accept or require GRE in the UK include:

The London School of Economics accepts GRE scores for its master’s programs in economics, statistics, and data science. The GRE Quantitative score is particularly relevant for quantitative programs here.

University of Oxford accepts GRE for specific programs including the MSc in Financial Economics and the MSc in Economics. Individual departments specify their requirements.

University College London accepts GRE scores for several programs, particularly in computer science, engineering, and economics-related disciplines.

Imperial College London accepts GRE for some postgraduate programs, particularly in business analytics and quantitative finance.

King’s College London, University of Edinburgh, and University of Manchester also accept GRE scores for relevant programs, though it’s not universally required.

For Indian students applying to UK programs, GRE is most relevant if you’re applying to quantitative programs in economics, finance, data science, or computer science where a strong Quant score can strengthen your profile. It’s generally not needed for arts, humanities, or most non-quantitative social science programs.

GRE in Canada

Canada follows a pattern similar to the UK – GRE is not universally required but is accepted and sometimes expected at research-intensive universities, particularly for research master’s (thesis-based) and PhD programs in STEM fields.

University of Toronto accepts GRE for research programs in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and the sciences. Specific department requirements vary.

University of British Columbia accepts GRE for graduate programs across science, engineering, and business programs at UBC Sauder.

McGill University accepts GRE for several programs including engineering, computer science, and quantitative social sciences. Some departments require it for PhD applications.

University of Waterloo, which has a strong reputation in computer science and engineering, accepts GRE and it’s commonly submitted by applicants even where not strictly required.

University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and Simon Fraser University accept GRE for relevant programs.

York University’s Schulich School of Business accepts GRE alongside GMAT for its MBA program.

For Canadian programs, a GRE score of 310 or above is generally considered adequate, with 320 or above being competitive for leading programs in computer science and engineering.

GRE vs GMAT : Which One to Take

For most pure STEM programs (engineering, computer science, data science, mathematics, natural sciences), GRE is the relevant test – GMAT is not accepted at these programs.

For MBA and business school programs, both GRE and GMAT are now widely accepted. The choice of which to take depends on which test format plays to your strengths. GMAT’s data sufficiency and critical reasoning questions are different from GRE’s format. GMAT scores may still carry slightly more traditional weight at some established MBA programs, though most schools state explicitly that they have no preference.

For economics programs, both GRE and GMAT may be accepted depending on the institution, with a strong Quantitative GRE score being particularly relevant.

For law programs in the US that accept GRE (Harvard, Columbia, Stanford Law, and many others), GRE is a genuine alternative to LSAT. Check each law school’s specific acceptance policy.

How Long Is a GRE Score Valid

GRE scores are valid for five years from the test date. This is considerably longer than IELTS (two years) and PTE (two years), which gives more flexibility if you’re planning applications across multiple admission cycles.

You can retake the GRE. There’s no limit on the number of attempts. You must wait 21 days between attempts.

ETS’s ScoreSelect feature lets you choose which GRE scores to send to institutions – your most recent scores, your highest scores, or all scores from the past five years. Not all institutions accept ScoreSelect however – some require all scores to be sent. Check each institution’s policy.

GRE Preparation : What Score to Target

Target score depends entirely on where you’re applying. For competitive US CS and engineering programs at Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Stanford, or Cornell, targeting 165 or above in Quantitative (out of 170) is realistic for a competitive application.

For most solid mid-ranked US programs, 155 or above in Quantitative and 150 or above in Verbal is a workable benchmark, with 320 combined being a commonly cited threshold.

For UK and Canadian programs where GRE is supplementary rather than central to the decision, a strong Quant score in the 160 to 165 range demonstrates mathematical ability without needing to be perfect.

Preparation time: four to eight weeks of focused preparation is realistic for students starting from a reasonable base. The Quantitative section covers high school mathematics – algebra, geometry, data analysis – at a level that most Indian engineering graduates find manageable with practice. The Verbal section is where most Indian test takers need more work.