GRE Scores for Top US Universities

GRE is inarguably one of the most important elements for graduate admission at US universities.If you are eyeing some of the best universities in the USA, it is imperative that you understand their admission process including the GRE scores accepted by them. One thing to keep in mind here is that the required GRE score varies within departments of the same university.

For example, the University of California, Berkeley requires GRE score within the range of 154-159 for MS in Physics but requires a massive 167 GRE score in English. Same is the case with other universities as well.

So, while a majority of the universities and departments accept GRE score, the quality of students they admit differ depending on their intake capacity and their own world ranking.

Before we bring you the required GRE Scores for Top US Universities, let us first take a look at the GRE pattern.

The GRE General Test measures an aspirant’s verbal, quantitative, critical thinking and analytical writing skills which are covered in three sections — Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing. GRE is scored on a scale of 130-170.

Here, we bring you the average or minimum GRE score required by top US universities across four subjects- Computer Science, English, Economics and Physics. The GRE scores mentioned here pertain to the Verbal and Quantitative sections. The score reflects that you would have to get at least between the mentioned relatives  in both the sections. For example, if your score against a subject says 165-170, it means in both the sections you need to score between 165-170.

Harvard:

Ranked among the top universities in the world, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States. The University has more than 100 research centres and has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and offers over 8000 courses. An interesting point about Harvard is that International students receive exactly the same financial aid as Americans.

As reflected in the table below, Harvard demands very high scores in GRE across all fields. Most of the departments require above 95 percentile or 165 points on the scale.

Stanford

Founded in 1885, Stanford is recognized as one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions. The seven schools of Stanford- Business, Earth Sciences, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Sciences, Law and Medicine offer over 18 degrees. Same as Harvard, Stanford too follows a high standard when it comes to accepting GRE scores.

Princeton:

One of the most popular ivy league institutes in the United States There are three schools within the Princeton campus -School of Architecture, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. The University also has 34 departments offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT):

Established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on April 10, 1861, MIT has five schools offering over 30 courses. The schools include School of Architecture and Planning, School of Engineering, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, MIT Sloan School of Management and School of Science.

University of California, Berkeley:

The university famous for the identification of vitamin E and many such pioneering researches, The University of California, Berkeley has been ranked among the top ten universities in the world by almost all the reputed ranking agencies. Constituting 14 colleges and schools, the university offers around 350 degree programs.

Yale University:

Yale University is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and has three major academic components-Yale College for pursuing undergraduate program, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the professional schools.  Founded in 1701, the university has around 15 schools and offers around 146 programs.

University of Chicago: A private research University, the University of Chicago was established in 1890 and focuses on across fields relating to arts, engineering, medicine and education. University of Chicago’s graduate studies department has 5 divisions and 6 professional schools

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA):

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a private research university which offers over 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. It offers 150 graduate programmes which includes both management and health sciences subjects.

Columbia University:

Established in 1754, Columbia is the fifth oldest institution in the USA. Columbia University has 21 schools, which include the Columbia school of Journalism- the administrator of the famous Pulitzer prize. The 96 departments of the university offer courses in over thousand courses.

Johns Hopkins University: One of the best known research universities in USA, Johns Hopkins was founded in 1876 and is also the first research university in USA. The university has 10 schools, namely, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Engineering, School of Nursing, School of Medicine, School of Public Health, Peabody Institute, School of Business, School of Advanced International Studies and Applied Physics Laboratory.