GRE Scores For Engineering Programs (Average and Good) Required

Students who wish to attend the best engineering schools should know what GRE scores they must have. The average GRE scores for engineering vary widely across universities, so the candidate’s GRE target score should depend on the requirements of the particular engineering school or program they’re applying for.

Do all schools offering engineering programs require the GRE?

Do all schools offering engineering programs require the GRE?

No, not all schools that offer engineering programs require the GRE. There are universities such as Harvard and MIT that do not require GRE scores for some of their Mechanical Engineering Master programs.

What schools offer engineering programs?

What schools offer engineering programs?

The following list of schools and universities offers engineering programs:

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Stanford University
  • University of California—Berkeley
  • California Institute of Technology
  • University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
  • Cornell University
  • Princeton University
  • Purdue University—West Lafayette
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • University of Texas—Austin (Cockrell)
  • Johns Hopkins University (Whiting)
  • Northwestern University (McCormick)
  • Harvard University
  • Pennsylvania State University—University Park
  • Texas A&M University—College Station
  • University of California—Los Angeles (Samueli)
  • University of Maryland—College Park (Clark)
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Wisconsin—Madison
  • University of California—San Diego (Jacobs)
  • Virginia Tech
  • Brown University
  • Columbia University (Fu Foundation)
  • Ohio State University
  • University of California—Santa Barbara
  • University of Florida
  • University of Minnesota—Twin Cities
  • University of Southern California (Viterbi)

Students who wish to get into an engineering program for grad school can apply to the schools in the list above.

What are the benefits of the GRE for aspiring engineers?

What are the benefits of the GRE for aspiring engineers?

The list of benefits of the GRE for aspiring engineers can be found below:

  • The GRE is the most widely used admissions test for engineering programs. Taking the GRE test can give aspiring engineers the chance to gain admission to some of the best engineering schools in the world. Top universities such as MIT and Stanford require GRE scores for admission to their engineering programs.
  • GRE is a big application factor. An application for graduate admission typically includes various components, including the GRE scores, GPA, work experience, etc. GRE scores play a significant role in the whole application, with a weighting of more than 20%.
  • High GRE scores can compensate for other weak application areas. GRE scores that are competitive with a cumulative score of at least 300 can make up for a weak Grade Point Average (GPA).

Taking the GRE test opens many doors for aspiring engineers, since the test is the most widely used admissions test for engineering graduate programs.

How hard is the GRE for an engineer?

How hard is the GRE for an engineer?

The math section is relatively easy if the candidate already has a technical background. The Verbal and Analytical Writing sections are what they should focus on because these portions of the GRE are usually harder than their counterpart sections in other admissions tests such as the SAT or ACT.

What section is the most important for GRE score admission?

What section is the most important for GRE score admission?

The quantitative scores are more important than the verbal scores for admission to engineering programs. Math-based fields such as engineering emphasize quantitative scores more than verbal scores.

Is the GRE Verbal Reasoning score important for masters or doctorates in engineering?

Is the GRE Verbal Reasoning score important for masters or doctorates in engineering?

Yes, the verbal scores are essential for a master's or doctorate program in engineering. Most universities do not consider verbal scores unless they are for humanities-related majors. However, the cut-offs in top universities are determined by the percentile scores based on the overall GRE scores. If candidates receive low scores in Verbal, there's a chance that the overall strength of their GRE scores will also be reduced.

What GRE score do you need for engineering program admission?

What GRE score do you need for engineering program admission?

161-166 in Quantitative is the GRE score a candidate must have for better chances of admission to the best engineering programs.

What GRE score do test takers need for admission to a top engineering school?

What GRE score do test takers need for admission to a top engineering school?

The following is a list of GRE scores test-takers need for admission to top engineering schools:

GRE Scores Test-takers Need for Admission to Top Engineering Schools
Verbal Reasoning 158 or more than
Quantitative Reasoning 162 or more than

Students with GRE scores above the 80th percentile are more likely to be accepted. According to ETS data tables for 2019-2020, an 80th percentile means a verbal score of 158 and a quantitative score of 162.

List of Average GRE Quantitative Reasoning Scores for Engineering Programs

List of Average GRE Quantitative Reasoning Scores for Engineering Programs

The list of average GRE Quantitative Reasoning scores for the various Engineering programs can be found below.

Average GRE Quantitative Reasoning Scores for Engineering Programs
School Average GRE Quantitative Reasoning Score of Admitted Students
MIT 166
Stanford 167
University of California - Berkeley 166
California Institute of Technology 168
Carnegie Mellon University 166
Purdue University 164
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor 166
Georgia Institute of Technology 164
University of California--San Diego 165
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign 165

The average quant score of the top ten engineering programs according to US News & World is 166, while the average quant score for the 11 to 50 engineering programs is 164.

What are the required GRE Quantitative Scores at the Top Engineering Schools?

What are the required GRE Quantitative Scores at the Top Engineering Schools?

164-168 are the required GRE quantitative scores at the top engineering schools.

What are the Average GRE Verbal Scores for Top Engineering Schools?

What are the Average GRE Verbal Scores for Top Engineering Schools?

The list of average GRE Verbal scores for top engineering schools is as follows:

Average GRE Verbal Scores for Top Engineering Schools
University Course Average GRE Verbal Score
MIT Civil & Environmental Engineering 80th percentile (158)
Stanford University Management Science & Engineering 162
UT- Austin Petroleum Engineering 154
Georgia Institute of Technology ECE 146
University of Wisconsin Chemical and Biological Engineering 158
University of Washington Computer Science and Engineering 153
University of Virginia Engineering 156
University of Virginia MS in Computer Science 156
UC Davis Civil & Environmental Engineering 157
University of California Davis ECE 153
San Jose State University MS EE 150
University of Buffalo MS Civil Structural and Environmental 80th percentile (158)
Columbia University Engineering 64th percentile

Even though engineering is a subject that is heavily quant-focused, the verbal score of a candidate is still important to the overall strength of their application. If a candidate wants to get into a top engineering program, they need to consider the strength of their verbal scores.

List of Average GRE Scores for Different Engineering Tracks

List of Average GRE Scores for Different Engineering Tracks

The list of the average GRE scores for the different engineering tracks can be found below:

Average GRE Scores For Different Engineering Tracks
Engineering Track Average GRE Quant Score Of Students Intending To Study This Track
Chemical Engineering 161
Civil Engineering 158
Electrical Engineering 159
Industrial Engineering 159
Materials Engineering 162
Mechanical Engineering 159
Other Tracks 160

The graph above displays the average GRE scores for engineering students admitted by track.

List of Average GRE scores for MS Engineering programs

List of Average GRE scores for MS Engineering programs

The following is a list of average GRE scores for the different MS Engineering programs:

Average GRE scores for MS Engineering programs
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Verbal - 160 (85ᵗʰ percentile)

Quantitative - 164 (87ᵗʰ percentile)
University of Michigan Verbal - Not available

Quantitative - 167

The table illustrates the average GRE Verbal and Quant Scores of the MS Engineering programs at MIT and the University of Michigan.

List of Average GRE Scores for Mechanical Engineering

List of Average GRE Scores for Mechanical Engineering

The list of average GRE scores for Mechanical Engineering programs is as follows:

List of Average GRE Scores for Mechanical Engineering
School Name Average GRE Quant Score
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 166
Stanford University 167
University of California—​Berkeley 165
California Institute of Technology 169
University of Illinois—​Urbana-​Champaign 166
Georgia Institute of Technology 164
University of Michigan—​Ann Arbor 166
Cornell University 165
Princeton University 167
Purdue University—​West Lafayette 164
Carnegie Mellon University 166
University of Texas—​Austin (Cockrell) 165
Johns Hopkins University (Whiting) 166
Northwestern University (McCormick) 166
Harvard University 166
Pennsylvania State University—​University Park 163
Texas A&M University—​College Station 164
University of California—​Los Angeles (Samueli) 166
University of Maryland—​College Park (Clark) 164
University of Pennsylvania 165
University of Wisconsin—​Madison 164
University of California—​San Diego (Jacobs) 166
Virginia Tech 162
Brown University 165
Columbia University (Fu Foundation) 167
Ohio State University 164
University of California—​Santa Barbara 165
University of Florida 163
University of Minnesota—​Twin Cities 164
University of Southern California (Viterbi) 166

Students who are trying to improve their chances of getting into a good Mechanical Engineering program should work hard to get 165 on Quant and 150 on Verbal.

How do you get a good GRE score to successfully apply to an engineering program?

How do you get a good GRE score to successfully apply to an engineering program?

Here are some tips that candidates can follow in order to obtain a good GRE score for engineering programs:

  • Study Plan. As a guide and accountability tool, study schedules can be used by test takers. Study plans that are realistic increase a student's chances of scoring better on the GRE test.
  • Utilize high-quality practice materials. The best study materials for the GRE are official ETS materials. They offer practice tests that are the most similar to those candidates will encounter on GRE test day.
  • Stay motivated. A candidate should think about their target scores while studying for the GRE and use that as the motivation for challenging prep times.

For a good score on the GRE, test-takers should have a study plan suited for their needs, use high-quality practice materials, and stay motivated.

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