A standardized test has been essential to admission to U.S. graduate programs for decades and is the General Graduate Record Review (GRE) test, a multiple-choice and written question that measures quantitative, verbal, and writing skills. Yet the GRE’s long reign can well come to a close. While the coronavirus pandemic disrupts Ivy League colleges and graduates worldwide, little connection between GRE scores and graduate school performance, and concern that the exam puts underrepresented groups at a disadvantage, an increasing number of programs are removing the GRE as a prerequisite to apply.

Do check out our NO GRE Universities for Master’s Programs

Updated -8/31/2020

The University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media is the latest to join the #nogre bandwagon during this COVID-19 pandemic. The school has decided to suspend the GRE requirement for fall 2020 admission to graduate programs. It also is introducing a 4+1 program designed for academically strong students who want to earn their undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism in just five years.

When the American economy stabilizes following substantial economic changes and growth, fewer Americans and foreign nationals are applying throughout the United States to attend graduate school programs. The economic recovery has barely hit business schools offering Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) degrees, and law schools. With fewer students applying for graduate programs at two Ivy League colleges, several academic departments have seen the GRE’s obligation to apply for its programs reduced. Most departments at the University have agreed to drop the GRE in the name of diversity as an admissions prerequisite.

One of the publications reviewed criteria for Ph.D. qualifications for eight disciplines at 50 top-ranking research universities in the United States. 44 percent of Ph.D. programs in molecular biology stopped needing GRE scores in 2018. In the 2019-2020 implementation period, the figure will grow to at least 50 percent. Roughly one-third of programs in neuroscience and ecology lowered the GRE criterion between 2016 and 2018 and more plans to do so this year. More than 90 percent of chemistry, physics, geology, computer science, and psychology Ph.D. programs evaluated by Science required general GRE scores in 2018 have yet to take hold in several disciplines.

The Educational Testing Service unveiled a GRE and a TOEFL which can be taken at home due to the CoronaVirus effect. This is similar to what Amazon and other companies have done to their test exams. The TOEFL and GRE tests were conceived to be conducted on a live human proctoring machine.



Here are some Universities that waived off GRE and GMAT testing requirements for graduate school applicants

The University of New Mexico

The University of New Mexico has suspended the GRE criteria for the 2020 entry period of the Physician Assistant Program due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online labs have taken as prerequisites for a letter grade in Biology, Chemistry, and Human Anatomy and Physiology will only be considered for this admission period.

Purdue University

Purdue University temporarily changes admission requirements for the Food Science Graduate Program due to COVID-19. For admissions, the GRE requirements are temporarily waived from 15 April 2020-15 July 2021.

During COVID-19, the university also made the temporary adjustment to admission criteria for English proficiency, the graduate school temporarily approves the following English proficiency tests in response to the short-term closures of English proficiency test centers in COVID-19 pandemic countries.

TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition: This is provided by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) which is available at all locations where the TOEFL iBT test exists. It is a standardized online version of the test which is provided to the students as they can take a test from home.

IELTS Indicator: An on-line, at-home test is also provided by IELTS.

An exception of GRE the other requirements like GPA, resume and statement of purpose, 3 letters of recommendation, official transcripts, English proficiency marks are required.

St. Mary’s University

In terms of the problems arising from COVID-19 for standardized testing, St. Mary’s University briefly administered optional assessments for most of its graduate programs for the GRE and GMAT graduate school entry exams. If all files have been submitted by a graduate applicant in qualifying programs except for a GRE or GMAT test score, then their file will be considered complete. Highly qualified applicants for the Fall 2020 Ph.D. program may get a conditional acceptance and submit their GRE test scores at a later date.

The exclusion extends to candidates for graduate programs in Summer 2020 and Fall 2020, with the exception of candidates for the Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision, and the Juris Doctorate programs.

Cornell University

Throughout the fall 2020 term, Cornell’s graduate programs have indefinitely suspended the criteria throughout Graduate Record Examination (GRE) review and graduate management admissions exams. The resolution recognized that applicants did not automatically have access to resources that would allow them, specifically reliable internet access, to succeed on the exam.

The University of Texas at San Antonio

To assist graduate candidates, the Graduate School has indefinitely postponed evaluation of the GRE, GMAT, official TOEFL test scores, and approved transcripts for admission to its graduate programs until further notice, in coordination with all UTSA colleges and with the approval of the University of Texas System.

UTSA became Texas’ first institution to relinquish test scores and accept unofficial transcripts. Absent test scores and official transcripts, graduate admission committees must review each application in a comprehensive way and temporarily adjust the weights applied to the remaining admission requirements.

University of Alabama

UA News has announced that the UA Graduate School will temporarily waive the requirements for admission and language test scores for the summer and fall 2020 semesters and the spring 2021 semester. The goal is to accommodate applicants better during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reform is immediately effective and will impact all applicants, both on-campus and online, whose scores have not been obtained by March 15. When the situation in COVID-19 progresses, programs can choose to reinstitute test score requirements.

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

The UTPB criminal justice department has agreed to abolish the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) because it is cost-prohibitive and does not demonstrate a student’s ability to successfully complete the department.

Louisiana Tech University

In response to the current difficulties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the College of Business at Louisiana Tech University has announced that several steps will be taken to accommodate applicants to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Accountancy (MAcc) programs.

The College will temporarily waive the GMAT and/or GRE requirement for MBA and MAcc applications for the Summer and Fall 2020 terms due to the closing of several academic testing sites. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 will be required for those seeking a GMAT / GRE waiver before consideration of the application.

In addition, the Louisiana Tech Graduate School will extend the domestic application deadline for Summer 2020 to May 10, and for Fall 2020 to Aug. 1. The amended policy remains in place through the submission deadline of August 1. All College of Business classes will remain online during the Summer 2020 quarter due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal that all classes will be delivered in their expected fashion during the Fall quarter.

The University of Mississippi

The University of Mississippi School of Journalism and Social Media has two new programs, intended to make things a little easier for graduate students. The school has agreed to suspend the GRE admission criteria for graduate programs in Fall 2020. The school is also launching, on a different note, a 4 + 1 curriculum tailored for academically strong students who want to receive their degree in journalism in just five years.

Professor Robert Magee, Ph.D., M.S. principal. According to the Integrated Marketing Communication Program, in April, the Graduate School granted permission to suspend the GRE prerequisite for entry to graduate programs by fall 2020. The suspension is indefinite and is set to expire 31 July 2020.

Fairmont State University

Fairmont State University has announced that it will continue to take steps to temporarily adjust the admission requirements for graduate studies in an effort to alleviate stress for graduate students dealing with the COVID-19 impact. The release noted that these revisions will not lower the admission threshold, but rather remove possible obstacles for students who wish to enroll in the semester of Fall 2020.

A university release announced that it is lifting the most rigorous entrance exams for admissions to the graduate degree program for the fall 2020 semester. According to the report, exams include a Graduate Record Analysis (GRE), Miller Analogies Test (MAT), or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).

Middle Tennessee State University

As of Covid-19, many of the MTSU programs temporarily waive Graduate Research Examinations, or GRE, Graduate Management Admissions Test, or GMAT, as well as other admission examination criteria for summer 2020 and fall 2020.

The University Of Southern Mississippi

In response to the emerging challenges faced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) will continue to be waived as conditions for admission to graduate programs at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) through the summer and fall of 2021 semesters.

To international candidates, an English proficiency exam score will also be required; USM International Admissions will continue to accept the international Test of English Proficiency (iTEP), which currently provides at-home testing. Scores of 4.0 are approved to fulfill the criteria of USM English proficiency.

The GRE and GMAT waiver does not apply when certain test scores are needed to accredit the program.

Kansas State University

In reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, all criteria of Kansas State University the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for a Food Science Master Degree program is suspended.

Bowling Green State University

Regardless of the novel coronavirus global effect, BGSU temporarily waives the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) criteria for students applying to all the university’s graduate certificate and Master’s degree programs for summer 2020 and fall 2020.

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