List of GRE Waived off Universities in 2024 – The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a formal and standard examination commonly required for admission into international university graduate programs; also, due to the increase in the number of universities recognizing that the GRE may not be the primary indicator of checking applicants’ success in studies.

Therefore, the universities are offering the GRE waivers to applicants, and they are having an alternate evaluation of it. This article is a comprehensive guide providing valuable insights regarding the GRE waivers, why universities offer it, how it works, and a list of universities without the GRE.

What is GRE Waiver?

The GRE waiver is an exemption allowing graduate program applicants to enrol in the university without the GRE.

The GRE waiver’s main purpose is to give applicants an alternate route to show their academic potential to enrol in the university. This also recognises the factors of whether the student enrols can perform well and succeed in their studies.

One can obtain the GRE fee waiver with exceptional academic achievement, professional experience, research and publication experiences, or exceptional academic performance. The specific of obtaining and GRE waiver differs among universities. The best is to research all the universities’ policies you plan to apply.

Why do Universities offer GRE waivers?

The GRE waivers are given for several reasons, including the flexible admission process. Below we are sharing some of the reasons why Universities offer GRE waivers. Let’s look at the reasons of gre waived off universities.

1. Diverse Evaluation Criteria

A standardised test limits the evaluation factors. In contrast, the GRE waivers can broaden the assessment criteria and include factors like qualifications, academic achievements, work experience, research, and publication experience, allowing individuals to develop holistically.

2. Diversity and Accessibility

A GRE waiver will allow us to enhance accessibility and promote diversity in graduate programs. If a standardised test comes into the picture, it will filter the students having underrepresented backgrounds, non-traditional educational backgrounds and financial constraints too.
Thus, by offering GRE waivers, universities can attract more applicants to promote pathways to success.

3. Practicality

Some programs require professional or practical experience over theoretical knowledge. Also, it requires a lot of professional experience in some professions, such as business, healthcare, social work, medical field, etc.  The GRE may not be an accurate way to measure an applicant’s efficiency. Therefore, giving weightage to professional and practical knowledge becomes more important.

4. Streamlining the Application Process

GRE can be a time-consuming and costly system, and by offering GRE waivers, the universities streamline the application process for eligible candidates for higher education, saving effort and expenses.

Therefore, in this way, more applicants will be motivated to apply for education without the burden of the GRE.

5. Program Goals Aligning

In some cases, the graduate programs have various aims and objectives that might not align with the GRE’s focus and syllabus. For example, the programs with strong research emphasise the candidate with research and publication experience.

Therefore, by offering GRE waivers, Universities can align with the course and student’s objective for specific programs.

Factors on Universities Accepts Admissions without GRE

The universities accepting admission without GRE have other checklists for the admission process instead of standardised test scores.

1. New Admission Policies

As per the new admission policies in some universities, they do not require GRE and will state this in their admission policies or prospectus. However,  you can find alternative qualification options for further admission without GRE. Also, every university has different criteria for admission, so you must carefully review each one’s admission policies.

2. Overall Evaluation

In place of GRE scores, Universities will implement holistic approaches to evaluate the applications. The University will consider the combination of academic scores, achievements, GPA, SOP, LOR, professional experience, and other accomplishments.

3. Academic Performance

It is necessary to have good academic performance to get admission without GRE. The University will evaluate the GPA, history of previous institution, coursework, etc. Therefore, a strong academic record can help students to pave their way through Universities without GRE.

4. Letter of Recommendation

Universities ask for Letters of Recommendation, written by teachers, professors, and employers, for the professional or academic achievements of the individual. The Letter of recommendation can provide insight into the applicant’s character, punctuality, and behaviour towards studies and professional work.

5. Statement of Purpose

The SOP is a personal statement in which the applicant can explain their whys and how’s related to opting for the specialization in the University. Here the applicant has to show their passion for working.

6. Some Evaluative Measures

For some working professionals, the university may ask for more information, such as portfolios, resumes, and specific tests, to help them understand their potential and knowledge for the program.

7. Program Requirements

Some programs within the University have GRE waivers. For certain STEM programs, you may need to submit your quantitative proficiency test or coursework in mathematics subjects.

List of GMAT and GRE Universities Waived Off For Spring Admissions 2025

For 2025, many colleges in the US, Canada, and a few other nations have eliminated the GRE and GMAT requirements. This is good news for those who intend to apply to graduate school in the coming months because it will allow them to devote more time to completing their other application materials.

The following list of colleges has decided to waive the GRE and GMAT requirements for admission in the spring of 2025:

Note: Most universities have a master’s program specialisation in Computer Science, Data Analytics, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, etc. You have to check the respective universities to confirm the programs.

Although the GMAT and GRE are no longer required, a strong performance on these tests might help you gain admission to prestigious colleges and earn scholarships. A test such as the GRE enables you to stand out from the competition and demonstrates your abilities. While applying to study abroad programs, check out SMS Plus, which offers several advantages if you intend to take the GRE.

List of GRE Waived Off Universities for Fall 2024

For admission in the fall of 2024, many US institutions are dropping the GRE and GMAT requirements. This means that you can apply to graduate programs without having to take these expensive and time-consuming standardised tests, which are required to be taken.

The following list of colleges has declared that it will waive the GRE and GMAT in the fall of 2024:

Factor Making Your Application Strong to Universities Offering GRE Waivers

While you apply for universities, they give you GRE waivers depending on various factors after evaluating your application. Below are some common factors influencing your application to universities offering GRE waivers.

1. Academic Performance

Your academic performance matters greatly when getting admission to international universities because the admissions are merit-based. The admission panel checks your Academic Performance from your schooling education to analyze your capability.

2. Specific Coursework

The coursework you want to enrol in matters greatly because your academic performance, SOP, and other interests can help you choose the specific coursework. The admission selectors will also examine your academic preferences and refer you to the courses suitable for your growth. Therefore, for some specific courses gre waived off universities.

3. Professional Experience

Evaluating your professional experience will help you get admission without GRE if you are a working professional. Universities value experiences as they allow you to demonstrate your relevant skills in the real world. You can share your resume with all the experiences listed and your case studies, which may give insightful ideas on the project you worked on. Therefore, being from a great professional background, you can expect to get into gre waived off universities.

4. Research

Being engaged in research will help you understand and perform dynamics in the practical scenario, and what so ever university prefers, students with some research experience. You can share your journals and articles written on specific ideas, it will showcase your point of view related to any topic.

5. Letter of recommendation

Your letter of recommendation plays a very important role in your selection. You must try to submit a relevant letter of recommendation, especially with the people you have worked with, like your employers and professors, who can genuinely assess your performance. The recommendations must speak to your skills and experiences in the field or course you are applying for.

6. Statement of Purpose

SOP is another important part of your selection process; here, you can submit your aspirations for the course and university you will enrol in. An impressive statement of purpose that speaks about your skills, passion and urge for the course can help you get admission to the university.

Want to Study Abroad?

While exploring GRE waived off universities in US, it is giving tremendous opportunities to graduate students. By referring to this article, we hope you get all the information for the waiving GRE and all the factors that can help you get admission to your desired university. At SecureMyScholarship, we focus on making education accessible and affordable. Our admission counsellors can guide you through the entire admission process. Contact us today and get enrol in your dream university.

FAQs Related to GRE Waived Off Universities

Q1. What documents are required for admission to MS programs for GRE waived off universities?

You must submit additional application materials, such as your academic transcripts, degree certificates, resume, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, admission essays, results from your English language test, etc. if you are applying to a university where the GRE has been waived. Given that one of the requirements for your application is being waived, it is predicted that you will encounter fierce competition in this situation. You cannot quickly change your academic background, but with careful preparation, you can perform well on the GRE. Therefore, it is recommended that candidates take the GRE to increase their chances of being chosen.

Q2. Can I do MS Abroad without GRE?

Without a GRE score, you are still able to pursue an MS. Even a few of the best universities, like MIT, have chosen to exclude the GRE. Universities in the US provide MS degrees in Computer Science, Data Science, Power Engineering, and other fields. The University of Pittsburgh, Oklahoma University, Florida International University, California State University, Missouri Western State University, Oklahoma University, and others are a few more universities.

Q3. Do rank universities waive off GRE?

This is untrue in the extreme. Even highly regarded universities like MIT, California State University Long Beach, and the University of Texas at Austin have dropped the GRE requirement. Furthermore, the universities’ admission requirements have not changed even with a GRE waiver. Universities shortlist candidates using additional admission documents such as academic transcripts, statements of purpose, reference letters, interviews, etc. The competition has intensified since the GRE was eliminated since people with average academic backgrounds could have raised their profile if the GRE had been required.