Top Universities that Do Not Require GRE

GRE or Graduate Record Examinations is a standardized test required for getting into many graduate schools in the world. Scores of GRE exam play a significant role in getting admission into thousands of graduate programs across the globe. Is there any university in the world which offers admission without GRE exam?

GRE is one of the most important standardized tests for studying abroad. It can significantly increase or decrease your chances of getting admission into top universities around the world. The GRE Exam is owned and administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service) and is accepted by many graduate schools. There are multiple reputed universities in the world that don't even require GRE score to offer admission. However, you need to fulfil other eligibility criteria for this. 

Universities waive off the requirements of GRE to open doors for more qualified students around the world. In this article, we are going to discuss the top-ranked universities worldwide which don't require GRE scores for admission in PG programs.

Top Universities Which Don't Require GRE

Here, we have mentioned the list of top universities in the world, which do not accept scores of Graduate Record Examination for offering admission:

Even top universities offer programs without the GRE test. Apart from this, students can apply to various programs where GRE is optional.

Universities in US which don't require GRE for Masters

The table displays a list of universities in the US, with their QS World University Rankings, 2025, where GRE is not mandatory for a master's programme.

Universities in UK which don't require GRE for Masters

The table displays a list of universities in the UK, with their QS World University Rankings, 2025, where GRE is not mandatory for a master's programme.

Universities in Canada Which Don't GRE for Masters

The table displays a list of universities in Canada, with their QS World University Rankings, 2025, where GRE is not mandatory for a master's programme.

List of Study Abroad programs where GRE is optional

GRE General Test

The GRE general test measures your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills – skills that have been developed over a long period of time and are not related to any particular field of study but have very high significance.

• Verbal Reasoning: The verbal reasoning section measures your ability to analyze, reason from incomplete data, select important points, summarize text, understand the meaning of individual words and understand the relationship among concepts.
• Quantitative Reasoning: The quantitative reasoning section measures your ability to understand and interpret given information, solve problems using mathematical models, and apply basic elementary concepts such as arithmetic, algebra and geometry.
• Analytical Writing: The analytical writing section measures your ability to articulate complex ideas, support ideas with relevant reasons, examine claims, sustain a coherent discussion and control the elements of standard written English.

GRE Subject Test

The GRE subject test measures the student’s knowledge and skills in a particular field of study. This test is for students having an undergraduate degree or extensive background in one of the following subjects:

• Mathematics
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Psychology

The GRE subject test scores are widely used by universities all over the world for admission or fellowships by respective panels. GRE subject test scores supplement students’ undergraduate records, recommendation letters and other qualifications for graduate-level study.

Why is GRE Exam Important?

Students from across the world apply for admission for programs, now colleges need to know about the candidates before giving them admission. While giving admission Universities assess students based on their performance in the standardized test. Even if the candidates have scored above average in their previous degrees, universities do not know about the quality of the education provided in different countries. Therefore, a standardized test brings everyone on the same page and assess them on equal parameters. So the scores of the test become important criteria for getting admission. It becomes important for the candidate whether they will be selected or rejected by their dream school.

Study Abroad Without GRE

Studying abroad is a long and often complex process and expensive too. Clearing the GRE exam is not easy for everyone. Students work hard to score well in the GRE exam but still not able to make it to their dream college. Also, for giving this exam an aspirant has to shell US $205 every time registering for it. Apart from this, many students submit their applications at the last moment, so, they focus on the application process and don't go for the GRE Exam. Apart from the GRE/GMAT, students have to give English Language Proficiency Tests like IELTS, TOEFL or PTE. So, they focus their energy on all other aspects of the application. Universities also understand that students did not get high scores in standardized tests like GRE. Therefore, there are various universities offering different programs without GRE/GMAT.

Also, experts argue that this exam is quite expensive and students need to give a great amount of time for preparing for this exam, so, they should have the choice of giving it. As many aspirants possess a sufficient amount of work experience in their domain and a good GPA or an advanced degree in their field, so, they should be exempted from giving the GRE test.

Top Master's Courses Which Don't Need GRE

The following master's programmes can be done without GRE.

Criteria for waiving off GRE Scores

• Some universities also waive off the GRE score if the candidate's GPA is above average and has an overall strong profile.
• Various universities waive off the GRE score if the candidate has gained relevant work experience in a similar field he is looking to study further.
• Apart from this, in very few cases, universities waive off the GRE score if the candidate has an excellent undergraduate research project. In these cases, universities assess the candidate's potential from his work.