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GRE Requirements for Top U.S. Graduate Programs in Fall 2026: Required, Optional, and Not Required

发布时间：2025-10-18

The Fall 2026 U.S. graduate application season is in full swing, and changes in standardized test policies are a major focus for many families. CheersYou（清柚教育） has thoroughly reviewed the latest GRE requirements at top institutions such as Princeton University and MIT, finding significant policy differences across schools and programs. Core fields like Princeton’s Economics and Politics and MIT’s research-oriented Management programs still require GRE scores as a crucial measure of academic ability, while Computer Science, Financial Engineering, and some STEM fields are moving toward optional or no-GRE policies, reflecting a shift in admissions offices toward a more diverse evaluation of applicants’ backgrounds.

Facing this complex landscape, precisely understanding the specific thresholds of target programs is key to improving your application’s success rate. CheersYou（清柚教育） advises applicants to consult the latest official lists to confirm whether their intended programs fall into the Required, Optional, or Not Required category, avoiding missing materials or misallocating effort due to outdated information. For programs that require the GRE, start planning and preparation early to secure a high score advantage; for optional programs, strategically decide whether to submit based on your overall profile, so that you can maximize your core competencies in the intense competition and achieve an efficient, targeted graduate application.

The Fall 2026 application season is heating up. What are the changes in graduate standardized test requirements at top U.S. universities this year, and is the GRE still a key component of the application review?

Today, CheersYou（清柚教育） rounds up the latest GRE requirements at top U.S. universities for the Fall 2026 application season!

GRE Requirements for U.S. Graduate Programs

Princeton University

Required

· Economics

· Politics

· Sociology

· Applied and Computational Math

· Princeton School of Public and International Affairs - MPA, MPA/JD and MPA/MBA, etc.

Economics requires GRE scores

Optional/Not Required/Not Accepted

· School of Architecture

· Bioengineering

· Biophysics

· Chemical & Biological Engineering

· Civil and Environmental Engineering

· Finance

· Computer Science, etc.

Finance GRE scores are optional

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Required

· Supply Chain Management Residential

· MIT Sloan Master of Science in Management Studies

· MIT Sloan MBA Program

· MIT Sloan Fellows MBA Program

· Transportation

· Leaders for Global Operations, etc.

Management Studies requires GRE scores

Optional/Not Required/Not Accepted

· MIT Sloan Master of Business Analytics

· MIT Sloan Master of Finance

· System Design and Management

· Materials Science and Engineering

· Data, Economics, and Design of Policy

· Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

· Center for Real Estate

· Integrated Design and Management

· Political Science, etc.

Business Analytics encourages submission of GRE scores

Harvard University

Required

· Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning

· Biostatistics

· Business Economics

· Chemistry and Chemical Biology

· Economics

· Epidemiology

· Health Data Science

· MBA, etc.

Most programs at the School of Public Health require GRE scores

Optional/Not Required/Not Accepted

· Applied Mathematics

· Bioengineering

· Biomedical Informatics

· Computer Science

· Data Science

· Electrical Engineering

· Ed.M. and Ed.L.D.

· Health Care Management, etc.

Ed.M. and Ed.L.D. at the Graduate School of Education allow optional submission of GRE scores

Yale University

Required

· Applied and Computational Mathematics

· Biomedical Engineering (MS)

· Chemistry

· Computer Science (MS)

· Economics

· Management

· Biostatistics

· Asset Management, etc.

SOM requires GRE scores

Optional/Not Required/Not Accepted

· Applied Physics

· Biochemistry

· Chemical & Environmental Engineering

· Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics

· Electrical & Computer Engineering

· Materials Science

· Psychology

· Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, etc.

Psychology strongly recommends submission of GRE scores

Stanford University

Required

· Statistics

· Sociology

· Public Policy

· Management Science and Engineering

· Health Policy

· Economics, etc.

MS&E requires GRE scores, regardless of educational or work background

Optional/Not Required/Not Considered

· Bioengineering

· Biomedical Data Science

· Mechanical Engineering

· Materials Science and Engineering

· Electrical Engineering

· Computer Science, etc.

CS does not require or consider GRE scores

University of Chicago

Required

· Quantitative Methods and Social Analysis

· Economics

· MBA

· Finance

· Management, etc.

Finance requires GRE scores; only UChicago undergraduates can waive

Optional/Not Required/Not Accepted

· Psychology

· International Relations

· Computer Science

· Computational Social Science

· Public Health Sciences, etc.

If lacking relevant background or experience, CS strongly recommends submitting GRE scores

University of Pennsylvania

Required

· MBA

· Political Science, etc.

MBA requires GRE scores

Optional/Not Required/Not Considered

· Penn Engineering

· Graduate School of Education

· School of Social Policy & Practice, etc.

All programs in the School of Engineering allow optional submission of GRE scores

Duke University

Required

· MMS: Foundations of Business

· East Asian Studies

· Computer Science

· Economics and Computation

· Statistical Science

· Business, Climate, and Sustainability, etc.

Statistical Science requires GRE scores, with an average score of 325+

Optional/Not Required/Not Considered

· Biomedical Engineering

· Civil and Environmental Engineering

· Electrical and Computer Engineering

· Global Health

· Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, etc.

Global Health allows optional submission of GRE scores

Johns Hopkins University

Required

· Economics

· Sociology

· Political Science, etc.

Some programs in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences require GRE scores

Optional/Not Required

· Carey Business School

· Mathematics

· Chemical Biology

· Whiting School of Engineering

· Bloomberg School of Public Health, etc.

Carey Business School master's programs allow optional submission of GRE scores

Cornell University

Required

· MPS in Management

· MPS in Management – Accounting Specialization

· MBA

· Economics, etc.

Management requires GRE scores

Optional/Not Required/Not Accepted

· Materials Science and Engineering

· Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

· Cornell Tech Master of Engineering

· Weill Cornell Graduate School, etc.

Cornell Tech Master of Engineering does not require and does not accept GRE scores

Columbia University

Required

· Columbia Business School

· Bioethics

· Applied Statistics

· Education Leadership, etc.

Business School master's programs require GRE scores

Optional/Not Required

· Columbia Engineering

· Mailman School of Public Health

· Applied Analytics

· Mathematics of Finance, etc.

Columbia Engineering allows optional submission of GRE scores for Fall 2026

New York University

Required

· Mathematics in Finance

· Accounting

· Politics

· Quantitative Economics

· Economics, etc.

Mathematics in Finance requires GRE scores

Optional/Not Required

· Tandon School of Engineering

· Master of Public Administration

· Business Analytics and AI

· Media, Culture, and Communication, etc.

Computer Science encourages some students to submit GRE scores

GRE is a good stepping stone for graduate applications to top schools. A strong score will help expand your school selection range and enhance your application advantage; if you run out of time to prepare, there are still many optional programs to choose from this year.

The Fall 2026 application season is about to enter its most intense phase. We recommend planning your time and energy for test prep and application submission wisely to achieve the best balance in your application materials. We wish all students the best of luck in receiving offers from their dream schools!

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