GRE Requirements for Canadian Applicants to US Graduate Programs in 2026
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026 • Canadians Studying Abroad
Most US graduate programs no longer require the GRE, but policies differ by field and school, and requirements change between application cycles. Check each program's current admissions page before you decide whether to write it.
Many STEM PhD programs dropped the GRE requirement starting around 2020 and have not reinstated it.
Some competitive programs still accept GRE scores as optional evidence, especially if your GPA or coursework is thin in a required area.
Professional master's programs, including MBA and some public policy and analytics degrees, more often ask for the GMAT or GRE than research-based programs do.
📩 Confirm the policy directly on the program's own website every cycle. Aggregator lists go out of date fast.
⏱️ If you decide to write it, budget several months, since test dates fill up before December and January application deadlines.
Why GRE Policies Vary So Much
The GRE requirement is not a single US national rule. Every graduate program sets its own admissions requirements, and departments within the same university differ from each other. A biology PhD program and an economics PhD program at the same school hold opposite policies in many cases. This means a general statement about "US graduate schools" does not hold up, and you need to check field by field, and often program by program.
The General Direction Since the Pandemic
Many programs suspended the GRE requirement in 2020 and 2021 when testing centers closed, and a large share of STEM PhD programs, especially in biology, ecology, and several engineering departments, never reinstated it. Some of the most selective computer science PhD programs stopped requiring or considering GRE scores in this period as well. Where a program dropped the requirement and has not brought it back across several application cycles, treat that as a durable policy, though you should still confirm on the program's current page.
Other fields moved less. Some economics PhD programs, along with several quantitative master's programs in analytics, statistics, and public policy, kept the GRE as a required or strongly recommended part of the application. Professional master's programs lean toward the GMAT over the GRE, particularly MBA programs, though many now accept either score.
Optional Does Not Always Mean Ignored
When a program lists the GRE as optional, that means two different things in practice. Some programs genuinely do not look at scores you submit and evaluate your file the same way either way. Others review scores if you submit them and use a strong score to support an application with a lower GPA, a nontraditional academic background, or coursework gaps in quantitative subjects. Since the website alone does not always tell you which type of "optional" a program means, email the graduate admissions coordinator and ask directly how submitted scores factor into the decision.
When Writing the GRE Still Helps a Canadian Applicant
Your undergraduate GPA calculation differs from the US 4.0 scale, and a strong GRE score gives the committee an additional data point they read directly.
You are applying outside your undergraduate major and want to show quantitative or verbal ability the committee does not see from your transcript.
The specific program you want states the GRE is required, not optional, with no exception process.
You are applying to a mix of programs where some require it and some do not. Writing it once covers every application rather than leaving gaps.
General Test vs Subject Tests
The GRE General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing, and it is the version most programs mean when they say "the GRE." ETS has phased out or restricted several GRE Subject Tests since the early 2020s, so check whether a subject test is even offered before you plan to write one for a specific field like psychology or math.
What a Weak vs a Strong Score Signals
A GRE score works only in the direction that helps you. If a program treats the test as optional and your score sits below the typical range for admitted students, submitting it hurts more than skipping it. If your score sits at or above what the program's admitted cohort usually presents, and the program states it reviews submitted scores, sending it adds a positive data point. Ask the admissions office for the typical range of the last cohort's scores if the website does not publish one, so you decide with real information rather than a guess.
How to Confirm the Current Policy
Check the admissions requirements page for each specific program, not a general graduate school page, since department-level pages override university-wide statements. Look for language that distinguishes "not required," "optional," and "not accepted," since these are three different policies with different implications. If the page does not state a clear policy or looks outdated, email the admissions coordinator directly and keep the reply for your records.
Cost and Logistics of Writing the GRE From Canada
The GRE General Test is offered at test centers in major Canadian cities and also as an at-home online option through ETS. Registration involves a fee, which ETS publishes on its own site and updates periodically, so check the current fee directly rather than relying on an older figure. Book your test date well ahead of your target application deadline, since popular test centers and dates near December and January fill first, and a rescheduled test close to a deadline puts your application at risk.
Planning Ahead if You Decide to Write It
If your target programs require or recommend the GRE, register early. Test centers in Canada fill up in the months before December and January application deadlines, and scores take a couple of weeks to reach schools after your test date. Build this into your application timeline the same way you would a recommendation letter deadline, since a late score holds up an otherwise complete application.