Many students, after enduring painful GRE preparation and practice, finally achieve a good score. Is that the end after taking the GRE? The answer is: NO!
After taking the GRE, you still need to check your scores and send satisfactory GRE scores to the institutions you are applying to. Only after the schools successfully receive the scores does the entire GRE exam process come to an end.
The official scores from the first exam after the GRE reform are coming out one after another! Today, CheersYou（清柚教育） GRE Essentials will explain in detail the GRE reform’s score check, score sending process, and key points. You can also add the CheersYou（清柚教育） advisor below to consult.
GRE Score Check Process
After the GRE reform, approximately 8 to 10 calendar days after the exam, test-takers can check their final scores.
Test-takers who took the exam outside mainland China can check their scores directly on the ETS website. Those who took the exam in mainland China, although registered through the NEEA Education Exam Authority, also need to check their scores on the ETS GRE website.
Step 1: Register an ETS account linked to your NEEA account
Log in to the NEEA GRE registration website
Click ETS Account on the right to create an account
After the redirect, fill in the required information and click Verify. Then continue to set a username and password to complete the creation.
Step 2: Log in to the GRE official website using your ETS account and password
Step 3: View Score Report
After logging in, click View Scores and Score Recipients to view all exam scores from the past five years. In addition to specific scores, it also displays the corresponding percentile, allowing test-takers to clearly understand their score levels and rankings.
GRE Score Sending Methods
01 Score Sending Directly at the Test Center (Free)
The GRE exam registration fee includes the cost of sending scores on the test day.
On the test day, after completing the exam and viewing your unofficial Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores, you will be asked whether to send your scores to designated schools.
This free score sending must be completed at the test center after the exam. If you do not fill it out at that time, you will need to pay a fee later to submit an additional score report request.
If you choose yes, you can send either the most recent (the exam you just took) or all scores (from the past 5 years) for free to up to four institutions.
If you are applying to more than four institutions, wish to send scores to other recipients, or decide to send scores after test day, you can also order additional score reports. However, this incurs an extra cost of $30 per additional recipient.
Of course, you may also choose not to send any scores on the test day. Many test-takers prefer to decide carefully after the exam before sending scores.
02 Score Sending via Mail or Fax
You can download a score sending request form from the official website, complete it, and send it by mail or fax to the ETS center.
The fee is $30 per school. If you choose to send scores via fax, you must pay by credit card. ETS will process the application within ten days after receiving your request form and fee.
03 Online Score Sending (Most Convenient)
This method is relatively easy to operate and the most convenient. The fee is $30 per school.
Detailed process as follows:
1. Open the ETS official website and log in to your account.
2. Go to My GRE Home and click 【Send Additional Score Reports】
3. Verify your personal information. After confirming it is correct, click 【NEXT】 to enter the score sending page.
4. Select the institution to send scores to. You can look up the school in the provided PDF file or search directly in the box. Pay attention to your application requirements: do you need to send scores to a specific department?
Click 【select】 to choose the score to send.
5. Add more recipients. If you want to send to multiple schools at once, click 【Add Score Recipient】 and repeat this step.
6. Pay and confirm. Click 【Proceed to Checkout】 to enter the payment page. You can still modify your selections on this page.
After confirming everything is correct, click 【Pay Now】 to complete the payment.
*Note: Since online score sending is directly linked to foreign schools, you need to prepare a credit card with a Master or Visa logo to pay the application fee and score sending fee in foreign currency. Many students use China UnionPay cards for applications but fail because UnionPay cannot handle dual-currency payments.
Score Sending Codes for Different Institutions
Before sending scores, prepare the score sending codes for the schools and departments you are applying to, to avoid sending to the wrong institution. You can check the specific codes for universities and departments on the ETS website:
GRE Score Sending FAQ
01 Do scores sent have an expiration date?
It is common to take the GRE multiple times and then send the best scores, but note that GRE scores have a validity period:
- For exams taken on or after July 1, 2016, scores are valid for five years from the test date. For example, scores from a test on July 3, 2019, are valid for sending until July 2, 2024.
- GRE scores obtained before October 2018 are no longer valid.
Note: The request to send GRE scores takes about 5 business days to process, and delivery also takes time. If you plan to send scores and the validity period is about to end, allow sufficient time for processing; otherwise, your scores may not be sent out.
02 When is the best time to send scores?
ETS processes score sending applications and sends out scores within 2 to 3 weeks after receiving the request. However, in some cases, it may take up to a month to complete the process.
The GRE score submission deadline provided by the school generally means that the school must receive the score report by that date, not that you send it out by that date.
Therefore, we need to pay close attention to the deadlines listed on school websites. It is recommended to complete score sending at least half a month before the application deadline to avoid missing it.
03 Can GRE scores be superscored?
GRE superscoring is different from TOEFL superscoring. GRE superscoring means that if you send scores from multiple GRE exams, the admissions committee will consider the highest score from each section across all sent exam scores.
Currently, some graduate programs at prestigious universities such as Duke University and the University of Southern California accept GRE superscoring, considering the uncertainty of performance on a single test day. However, if there is a large discrepancy between two GRE scores, there may be a risk of score cancellation by ETS.
Source: USC official website
Source: Duke University official website
For graduate applications, different universities, colleges, and even programs may have varying review standards for GRE scores, and their acceptance of superscoring is also flexible.
It is recommended to verify information on the official website and then contact the admissions office to confirm whether superscoring is accepted and any score preferences.
04 What if scores cannot be sent before the application deadline?
If you have not received your GRE score report by the application deadline, you must contact the school in advance. Some schools may have flexible policies and allow a grace period.
If there is an opportunity to submit additional materials, you must upload and send the remaining required documents within the given time frame. After submitting all materials, contact the school again to explain the situation and inform the admissions office of the estimated arrival time of your documents.
Punctuality is valued by schools, so it is advisable to complete score sending before the deadline whenever possible.
05 Can a screenshot from the score check system be used as a substitute for the official score report?
Generally, official documents are required for application. Scans or PDFs are preferred, but in special cases, screenshots may be provided to prove that the GRE exam has been taken or that the score report has been sent.
Whether a screenshot can be used depends on the specific requirements of each school's admissions office. Graduate program requirements vary, so it is again recommended that applicants contact the relevant admissions office for verification.
