GRE Exam Cutoff 2026

The GRE score range runs from 130 to 170 for Verbal and for Quantitative. Every score in it is valid. The GRE cutoff does not exist at ETS level. There is no pass mark, qualifying score or merit list. Each school decides how much weight to give your score. So your minimum score is whatever your target school expects.

ETS tells schools not to use a GRE cutoff at all. This page shows what ETS says, what each school publishes and how to read your score against the percentile table. See the GRE results page for your own scorecard. The GRE colleges page lists the schools that accept the score.

The GRE cutoff 2027 is the same as in earlier years: ETS publishes none. The 2026-27 testing year covers tests taken from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.

What is a good GRE score for admission?

A good GRE score is one that sits near or above the score range your target school reports. Since there is no GRE cutoff, check the class profile of each school. A Verbal 164 and Quantitative 164 pair matches the Harvard Business School Class of 2027 medians.

Does ETS recommend a GRE cutoff to schools?

No. ETS asks schools not to use one. Its Guide to the Use of Scores says cut scores are contradictory to a holistic admissions process. It stresses this for scores used as the sole criterion. It also says a minimum score as the only reason to deny admission or a fellowship is not good practice.

GRE Cutoff: Frequently Asked Questions

No official body sets a GRE cutoff or minimum score. The table below shows the GRE cutoff position of each school. It is read from the school's own admission page on 20 October 2026.

What is the GRE cutoff for ISB?

The GRE cutoff for ISB does not exist. Its PGP in Management page says no minimum GRE or GMAT score is needed to apply. It has no preference for either test. The GRE must be dated within the ISB window for the round. For the 2027-28 cycle, Round 1 accepts tests from 21 September 2021 to 20 September 2026. Round 2 accepts tests from 7 December 2021 to 6 December 2026. Round 3 accepts tests from 18 January 2022 to 17 January 2027.

What is the GRE cutoff for IIM?

The GRE cutoff for IIM programmes is not published. IIM Ahmedabad's PGPX asks for a valid GMAT or GRE score taken within the last five years. Its 2026-27 brochure reports an average GRE of 322 for the batch. IIM Bangalore's EPGP asks for a valid score on the last date of application. Both say online scores taken at home are not accepted.

What is the GRE cutoff for XLRI and SP Jain?

The GRE cutoff for XLRI is not stated. The XLRI admission overview does not mention GRE or GMAT. The GRE cutoff for SP Jain is not stated either. ETS lists S.P. Jain and XLRI as GRE-accepting. But the SPJIMR PGDM admissions pages say the programme accepts CAT and GMAT scores. Confirm GRE use with the school for your programme before you book the test.

There is no category-wise GRE cutoff. ETS reports one score scale for every candidate, with no separate bar by category, gender or country. Schools publish class-profile ranges instead of a GRE cutoff.

Read each score range as an average of students who were admitted. They are not entry bars. A candidate below the range can be admitted, and a candidate above it can be refused.

The 322 figure is the sum of Verbal and Quantitative. It is shorthand, since ETS reports no combined score on its scale.

What are the GRE cutoff scores for universities in the US, Switzerland and Germany?

This page found no single number for GRE cutoff scores for universities in the US, Switzerland or Germany. Texas A&M University accepts a GRE Verbal score of at least 146 as proof of English proficiency. This needs departmental approval and a test date within five years. ETH Zurich requires the GRE from many Master's applicants whose Bachelor's is not from an EU-27 or EFTA country. Its page states no score. The ETS list shows Germany has 116 approved score recipients. This page collected no German university score figure, so check the programme page.

Which schools may set a GRE target?

Any department can. A department can set a higher bar than its university, and a programme page may state it. Check the programme page for your course, not only the university page. Read the GRE colleges page for the list of school types.

There is no sectional GRE cutoff. Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing are scored on three separate scales, and none of them has a pass mark.

A school can still look at one section more closely. Texas A&M asks for Verbal 146 as one proof of English proficiency. That is a Verbal target set by the school. The school decides, so a GRE cutoff differs by course. Ask each department for its minimum score, if it has one.

Do I need a minimum in each GRE section?

No official body requires it. Each school decides which section to read first. Read the programme page, then match your section scores to its class profile. The GRE exam pattern page explains how the three sections are scored.

The percentile tells you what share of test takers scored lower than you. Use it to read any school's GRE cutoff or target. The table below is the official ETS table for all test takers from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025. ETS says these percentiles are the ones used on score reports.

Scores below 140 are rarer. A Verbal 139 is the 8th percentile and a Quantitative 139 is the 4th. These come from the same ETS table.

What does a GRE score of 320 mean in percentile?

A 320 total has no single percentile, because ETS gives no percentile for the sum. Read each section. A Verbal 160 is the 82nd percentile and a Quantitative 160 is the 50th. Together they total 320.

How is the MBA-aspirant table different?

It includes only test takers who chose MBA as their objective, from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2023. MBA aspirants scored lower on Quantitative and higher on Verbal on average. So a Quantitative 165 is the 82nd percentile there but the 67th in the all-test-taker table. Quote the period whenever you quote a table.

The class profiles of top business schools show the scores of admitted students. They are not a GRE cutoff, because every school here says it has no minimum. They show the range that schools actually admit. The GRE cutoff 2027 for these schools is therefore a class-profile range, not a bar.

🎓Harvard Business School, Class of 2027943 students. 44% submitted the GRE. Middle 80% Verbal 158-168 and Quantitative 159-169. Median 164 and 164.HBS class profile📊Wharton, Class of 2027Average GRE Verbal 163 and Quantitative 162. Average GMAT 732.Wharton class profile🏛IIM Ahmedabad PGPX, 2026-27157 students. Average GRE 322, average GMAT 692 and GMAT Focus 642. Average age 31.PGPX brochure

What GRE percentile do top MBA schools admit?

Using the all-test-taker table, the HBS median of Verbal 164 is the 93rd percentile and Quantitative 164 is the 63rd. The Wharton averages of Verbal 163 and Quantitative 162 are the 90th and 57th. These percentiles use all test takers. The MBA-aspirant table above gives a second view for MBA applicants.

Which top schools in India accept the GRE?

ETS lists 37 India entries among 1,332 MBA programmes that accept the GRE. They include the Indian School of Business, IIM Ahmedabad (ePGP) and IIM Bangalore (ePGP). IIM Kozhikode, IIM Udaipur, BITS School of Management and Ahmedabad University are also listed. These are list entries, so a campus or programme can repeat. For any one school, read its own admission page. The GRE colleges page covers the details.

What do HBS and Wharton say about GRE and GMAT?

Both say they have no preference between the two tests. HBS says nearly 30% of its current first-year students submitted GRE scores in its FAQ. The dated Class of 2027 profile gives 44%. Use the profile figure, since the two figures describe different groups of students.

There is no GRE cutoff trend, because there has never been an ETS cutoff. The trend you can track is the average score. ETS publishes the all-test-taker averages and the averages for Indian citizens.

The first column covers 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025. The second column covers 34,477 Indian citizens who tested in 2024-25. A Quantitative 158 is near the Indian average of 158.6. A Verbal 158 is well above the Indian average of 151.0.

The scoring scale did not change in 2023. ETS shortened the test to 1 hour 58 minutes from 22 September 2023, and it kept the 130-170 scales. So scores from before and after the change use the same scale. The GRE dates page lists what stayed the same since 2023.

Has the GRE cutoff changed for 2027?

No. There was no GRE cutoff in earlier years, and ETS has announced none for 2027. The 2027-28 Information Bulletin is not published yet, so its content is unknown. The GRE cutoff 2027 position is the 2026-27 position.