Honest answer
Is the GRE still worth taking in 2026?
Numbers last checked: 2026-08-02
Short answer
It depends on where you are applying, and the split in our verified set is stark. 2 of the 14 programmes require it — both German entries, where RWTH Aachen University asks for Quant at the 75th percentile or above and Technical University of Munich requires GRE or GATE for applicants from India. Most US programmes in our set list it as optional. "Optional" is not the same as "ignored": for an applicant near a GPA bar, a strong quantitative score is one of the few remaining levers.
Where it is still mandatory
The counterintuitive finding is that Germany — a destination often sold as the low-friction option — is where the GRE is hardest to avoid in our set. RWTH Aachen University requires GRE Quant at the 75th percentile or better for its MSc Data Science, and Technical University of Munich requires GRE or GATE from Indian applicants. If you were planning a German application on the assumption that no standardised test is needed, check that assumption first.
On the US side, Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign does not mandate it but a 320+ is typical among competitive applicants — which is the practical meaning of "optional" at a selective programme.
How to decide
If any programme on your list requires it, take it — the decision is made. If none do, the question is whether your profile has a weakness a quantitative score could offset: a GPA at or below the bar, a non-CS background applying to CS, or a long gap since your degree. If none of those apply, the hours are usually better spent on projects and the statement of purpose.
What a test score cannot do is substitute for the transcript. Treat it as a lever at the margin, not a repair.
Verify these numbers yourself
- Cost, admission-bar and salary-basis figures for all 14 verified programs: truthpathms.com/data (CC BY 4.0, each row carries its own sources and check date)
- Per-programme GRE policy: official admissions pages, recorded in the published dataset's gre_policy column
Costs, salaries, and visa rules change - always confirm against the official program page before making a real decision. TruthPathMS aggregates and cites; it does not originate tuition, salary, or visa data.
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