What's a Good GRE Score for Top Universities? Percentiles 2026

GRE Scoring and Percentile Basics

The GRE Quantitative and Verbal sections are each scored 130–170 in 1-point increments, for a combined 260–340. Analytical Writing is scored 0–6 in half-point steps. Your percentile rank shows how you compare to recent test-takers — for example, a Quant score of 160 is roughly the mid-80s percentile. Percentiles shift slightly year to year as cohorts change; check current ETS tables.

Competitive Scores for Top-50 Universities

Top-50 universities typically look for around 155–162 in each section (combined 310–320+) for competitive applicants, roughly the 65th–80th percentile. STEM fields emphasise Quant; humanities emphasise Verbal; business and social sciences want balance. These are general guidelines — confirm the specific expectations with your target programme's website.

Elite (Top-10) University Requirements

At top-10 universities, admitted students often have 162–170 Quant and 160–170 Verbal (combined ~320–340). However, admission is holistic; the GRE is one factor among research experience, recommendations, and statement of purpose. A 330+ signals strong ability but never guarantees admission. Check each programme's published middle-50% accepted score range.

Score Differences by Field (STEM vs Humanities)

STEM fields (engineering, physics, computer science) average roughly 160+ Quant and 155+ Verbal — Quant strength is essential. Humanities fields (literature, history, philosophy) average about 155 Quant and 160+ Verbal — Verbal skill is prioritised. Business and social sciences sit in the middle. Confirm your field's norms on programme pages and graduate forums.

GRE Scores for PhD vs Master's Programs

PhD programmes are usually more competitive and weigh research potential heavily alongside scores (often 315+ combined for strong applicants). Master's programmes vary widely — selective STEM or top-university programmes may want 310+, while others accept lower. Funded PhD positions often correlate with stronger scores. Always check your specific programme's historical data.

Strategy to Reach Your Target Score

Set a target based on your field and target universities (often 310–320 for competitive programmes). Take a baseline practice test to find weak areas — STEM students often start weaker on Verbal, humanities on Quant — and give your weaker section more prep time. Take full practice tests regularly to track percentile gains. Practise free GRE questions on LandingPrep to build familiarity with question types and pacing.

What the top-ranked universities actually say about the GRE

The figures above are percentiles, which tell you where you sit against other test-takers but not what any particular university wants. Below are the 12 highest-ranked universities in our dataset that publish a GRE position, so you can see the pattern rather than a generic "top-10" claim.

Across the 157 ranked universities we hold GRE data for, 134 list it as optional or waived and 23 still expect or accept it. That split is the single most useful fact on this page, and it is the one most guides skip: since the pandemic-era waivers, "what GRE score do I need" is frequently the wrong question, and "does this programme want a GRE at all" is the right one. Check that first — it can save you the test fee entirely.

Where a score still matters even when it is optional. Optional does not mean ignored. Where a programme is oversubscribed, a strong quant score is one of the few directly comparable signals across applicants from different countries and grading systems, and it can offset a transcript an admissions committee cannot easily read. The reverse is also true: submitting a weak optional score puts a number on a page that would otherwise not have been there. If it is optional and your score is below the programme's published median, not submitting is usually the stronger move.

Read the programme page, not the university page. GRE policy is set per department and often per intake. Within a single university, one department may require it, another may waive it, and a third may require it only for applicants from certain backgrounds. The institution-level position in the table above is a starting point for your shortlist, not the answer for your application.

GRE positions here are compiled for comparison and change between admission cycles. Confirm on each programme's own admissions page before deciding whether to sit the test.