Interested in going to graduate school in engineering? Wondering what a good score on the new GRE is for graduate programs in engineering? “It’s Not GREek!” breaks down the new GRE score ranges for US News & World Report’s top 150 graduate programs in engineering.
Top 50:
Quantitative Score Range for Admitted Students: 159 – 166
Verbal Score Range for Admitted students: 154-160
Top 51-100:
Quantitative Score Range for Admitted Students: 156 – 160
Verbal Score Range for Admitted Students: 149 – 152
Top 101 – 150:
Quantitative Score Range for Admitted Students: 155 – 159
Verbal Score Range for Admitted Students: 150 – 153
Want to continue studying engineering in graduate school? You better know your math!!
Getting a high quantitative score on the new GRE is extremely important. It’s nearly impossible to be admitted to any graduate programs in engineering without a quantitative score of at least 155. For top 50 programs, you should be aiming for a 161 or higher. Several graduate engineering programs in the top 50 boasted average new GRE scores of 170 on the quantitative section for admitted students. That means the average student who came into the program had a perfect score on the quantitative section!!
So, does that mean I can ignore the verbal score?
In short, no. Many engineering graduate programs stress that while they’re looking for very high quantitative scores, they are also seeking out well-rounded applicants with the ability to communicate. Candidates with low verbal scores will not be appealing to engineering graduate schools, no matter how high their quantitative score is. Several of the engineering programs at University of California-Berkley, for instance, say candidates who are applying should have both verbal and quantitative scores above the 85th percentile. On average, the top 50 graduate schools were looking for verbal scores at or above the 70th percentile. Ideally, you should be aiming for a verbal score no more than five points lower than your quantitative score.
Are you applying for a master’s program?
If so, you may be in luck! Verbal scores for candidates admitted to the master’s programs at engineering schools tended to be a little lower than the scores for candidates admitted to doctoral programs, however, a high quantitative score is still required for both types of programs.
Does your dream school require a higher score than the one you have currently? Check out TestMaster’s GRE preparation courses and get that high score!
Come back soon for more information about the scores you need on the new GRE to get admitted to the graduate programs of your choice.
I’m guessing these scores come from US news reports and the ETS concordance table? Do you think with the new “raised ceiling” on scores that the range for the top 50 will go up? Does the new version of US new’s report have new GRE score averages?
@Wayatt
Thank you for your question! The scores did come from US News and World Report and were converted with the concordance tables provided by ETS. The graduate programs we’ve spoken with indicated that they are still receiving approximately 50% old GRE and 50% new GRE scores. We suspect this is why US News and World Report is continuing to report old GRE score averages instead of new GRE averages, even in their newest releases.
As more students take the new GRE, the average quantitative scores for admitted students to engineering programs may increase due to the new scoring scale. ETS has indicated the new scale will show a wider range of ability at the high end of the spectrum. As more students score above the 94th percentile on the new GRE, the average quantitative scores for admitted students may increase slightly. Keep in mind though, that even on the old scale, few programs had average quantitative scores of 800! As long as you are making above a 160 on the quantitative section of the GRE, you should have a decent shot at a top 50 engineering program.
Hope this helps!
I have a Bachelor of Engineering degree in computer science from India with a GPA of 3.5(72.07%).I have a GRE score of 301(148 Verbal,153 Quant and 3.5 in AWA) with a TOEFL iBT score of 101.Also I have work experience with Fidelity Investments as a Software Engineer.
How can I proceed further.Are these scores fine?
@Siddharth,
Whether or not the scores are “fine” will depend on the programs to which you are applying. Currently, your scores are in about the 50th percentile for both the math and verbal. I would recommend contacting the programs that interest you and asking them what the average GRE and TOEFL scores are for admitted students. Remember that in addition to test scores, GPA, and work experience, schools also take into account factors such as your letters of recommendation, personal statement, and research interests. Hope this helps!
Are scores of quant-162 and verbal 151 good enough for engineering programs?
@ Usha RY,
Whether not a score is good enough depends on the program to which you are applying. We recommend contacting the specific programs to which you are applying and asking them about the average GRE scores for admitted students. They will be abl eto tell you if your scores are good enough. Hope this helps!
I’m preparing to take the GRE in case I end up going to grad school for some form of Aerospace of Mechanical Engineering Masters, possible PHD but most likely just Masters.
I’ve been practicing mainly for the quant section and on all my recent practice exams I’ve been getting around 163 quant and 158 verbal. As this score has become pretty consistent I’m confident that I’ll make something very similar to that when I do take the real exam.
I’m still not sure exactly which graduate school or program I would be going to, but I’d like your opinion of how solid those scores are for USA engineering schools in general. Based on the numbers above I think I’m ok… but I’d still like your opinion.
Also, what’s your opinion on the written section?
Sounds like you have some scores to be proud of! To be extra sure, you should really narrow down your list of schools and contact their admissions offices to find out how you compare to other applicants past and present. The top ten schools will probably expect a perfect or near perfect math score, for instance. As for the written section, it really depends on the school. The written section clearly will not be a top priority for Engineering schools, but the more prestigious the programs you apply to are, the more picky they can (and must) be, so remember that when faced with two students who have the same quantitative score but different non-quantitative scores, they are going to pick the one with the higher non-quantitative score, all other things being equal. Remember, if you discover you need to raise your score a little more to be a competitive applicant for your dream program, you can always study the GRE with the experts at Test Masters (www.testmasters.com).
my gre score is 284 is that a good score math 148 and verbal 139
Ideally, the GRE distribution will likely be a general bell curve in which the majority of test takers score around 150 on the verbal and quantitative reasoning sections, so a “good” score would be in the upper 50%, about 150 or above. Additionally, it’s important to keep in mind that a “good” score always depends on what score you need to get into your desired program. To be sure that your scores are competitive, you should research what kinds of scores admitted students got last year and in years before. This information is usually available on graduate programs’ websites, although you can also call their admissions offices if you can’t find an answer to one of your questions online. If you want to compare your scores with the scores of students who took the old GRE, focus on comparing the percentiles instead of the numerical scores. If you decide you want extra help preparing for the GRE, you can always study with the experts at Test Masters, of course (www.testmasters.com).
Is gre score quant 160, verbal 155, analytical 5.0, & academic GPA 4 (82%) is good for masters/ Phd admission in engineering?
Ideally, the GRE distribution will likely be a general bell curve in which the majority of test takers score around 150 on the verbal and quantitative reasoning sections, so a “good” score would be in the upper 50%, about 150 or above. Additionally, it’s important to keep in mind that a “good” score always depends on what score you need to get into your desired program. For an engineering program, the quantitative section is clearly going to be the most important. To be sure that your scores are competitive, you should research what kinds of scores admitted students got last year and in years before. This information is usually available on graduate programs’ websites, although you can also call their admissions offices if you can’t find an answer to one of your questions online. If you want to compare your scores with the scores of students who took the old GRE, focus on comparing the percentiles instead of the numerical scores. If you decide you want extra help preparing for the GRE, you can always study with the experts at Test Masters, of course.
Looking for a PhD program in biomedical eng.
I took the new GRE a month ago, 165 quant and 157 verbal, no news on the AW yet, but I’m confident in my writing. I did a dual degree in college in electrical eng. and biomedical eng, but just made a 3.0, so I was hoping to make up for that with a really good GRE score. My score is ‘good’ but is it enough to make up for my bad GPA? (On the upside, you’d be hard-pressed to find a non-technical course in my college curriculum)
I’m also working in medical research right now at a university, so I’ll have work experience on my resume and hopefully papers, might that help counter the GPA? Thanks so much for your help.
Natalie, a lot of programs focus more on the last 60 hours (or upper class credit hours) of your GPA so hopefully that part is better than the cumulative 3.0 GPA. For sure working and the fact that you did a dual degree will be helpful (as well that there are not that many PhD women candidates out there) I would try to apply to a school where you can get an interview as part of the process to advocate your case. Nothing is wrong with calling up the school and simply asking the question you are looking to answer here. PhD programs are more about your interests and research than pitting you against classmates for the purposes of getting a grade so lead with your passion and interests in the field shaped by your work history. Be glad you, unlike some others, can communicate your thoughts and leverage that ability to make them see beyond a number.
Hi I scored 310. qaunt – 163 , verbal – 147
I want to apply for MIS/CS.
Can you tell me which univ I should aim for??
I have my retake in few days and will try to shoot 320+ this time.
GRE VERBAL : 380 , GRE QUANT : 800
TOEFL : 94 ( R : 19, L:27, S:23, W:25 )
I am applying for MS Computer Science Fall 2013
Please suggest me few good universities which don’t give importance to GRE verbal score.
Because you speak English as a second language, many universities will be more lenient with regard to your GRE verbal score. They will, however, generally require a minimum TOEFL score. Harvard’s minimum TOEFL score for Computer Science graduate students, for instance, is 80:
http://www.seas.harvard.edu/audiences/prospective-graduates/faqs
http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/prospective_students/application_instructions_and_information.php
Considering that Harvard is one of the most selective universities in the US, it would seem that you are in good shape, at least with respect to your TOEFL and GRE scores. Of course, if they have to choose between you and someone else who got a 120 on TOEFL, then they may choose the other guy (all other things being equal). If you want to raise your TOEFL or GRE Verbal scores, Test Masters offers courses in both. Also, keep in mind that your scores expire after a certain amount of time. Harvard, for instance, states that “Applicants who took the TOEFL more than two years ago must repeat the test,” so make sure your scores are up to date. Hope this helps!
I have got a GRE
V:153 Q:168 A:4.0
I have applied to the Top 30 colleges for Masters in Computer Science in the field of machine learning
i have 89%GPA and decent research experience
what are my chances
Your near perfect quantitative score should be competitive, and I would think that score would be the most important to machine learning programs. As to the other scores, it depends on the specific programs to which you are applying. I recommend calling the admissions offices of each program to which you are applying and asking them what the average Verbal and Analytical Writing scores of admitted students are. If after that you still feel insecure, you can always retake the GRE. Indeed, it is usually wise to take the test twice, since most universities will consider only the highest score for each section, regardless of which test it comes from. If you want help preparing for the GRE in the future, Test Masters offers personalized GRE tutoring and classes. I teach GRE Verbal myself. Best of luck!
not all 30 btw..iv applied to like 10..2 from 1-10 5 from 10-20 and another 2 from 20-30
Took my GRE today. Did my verbal terribly bad. (:(). One awful day and it had to been on the test day. Split being Q:166 V:149 (T:315) (I was never that bad in verbal really! :\, always did better than 155 in almost all nondescript mock tests). All i wanted to ask is before the exam, which unfortunately went wrong, i had few colleges above top 25. Is there any chance of a top 50 in US now? , considering that i have such an ignominious 14X in one column. As far as my acads are concerned, i have 3.6 in 4 point sc in Electrical Engg, few projects in my field, probably 1 internship(i’m yet to receive an ‘assured’ call-up) before i can apply and thats all. Any response much appreciated
Forgot to add that i’m an Indian.
If you are from India and plan to take the TOEFL in addition to the GRE, then graduate programs may be more forgiving of lower GRE Verbal scores as long as you have a high enough TOEFL score. Otherwise, it depends on the specific programs to which you are applying. I recommend calling the admissions offices of each program to which you are applying and asking them what the average Verbal scores of admitted students are. If after that you still feel insecure, you can always retake the GRE. Indeed, it is usually wise to take the test twice, since most universities will consider only the highest score for each section, regardless of which test it comes from. If you want help preparing for the GRE in the future, Test Masters offers personalized GRE tutoring and classes. I teach GRE Verbal myself. Best of luck!
I made an IELTS appointment for Jan 5th ’13. I do have an inclination to re-write, but i’m afraid i’ll be late on deadlines if i do that. Thank you for the reply btw
Hi
I have a GRE score of verbal 145 and quant 167. I want to apply for financial engineering/ mathematics program.
Please advice if this is okay score to go with.
Regards
Prashant
Your high quantitative score should be competitive (although it might be worth trying for a perfect 170, since a perfect score is very impressive and it seems within your reach), and I would think that score would be the most important to financial engineering/mathematics programs. As to the other scores, it depends on the specific programs to which you are applying. I recommend calling the admissions offices of each program to which you are applying and asking them what the average Verbal and Analytical Writing scores of admitted students are. If after that you still feel insecure, you can always retake the GRE. Indeed, it is usually wise to take the test twice, since most universities will consider only the highest score for each section, regardless of which test it comes from. If you want help preparing for the GRE in the future, Test Masters offers personalized GRE tutoring and classes. I teach GRE Verbal myself. Best of luck!
Hello,
I have a GRE score of 296 (Q-158 V-138 AWA-3.5). It was a bad day for me, generally i was about 150 in verbal in my mock exams that i took before appearing for GRE but somehow my bad luck got an extremely low score in verbal.
I have a TOEFL score of 105 (speaking-24).
My academic score is 72% in my BE.
I am currently planning to apply for Master in Computer science at
University of Texas-Arlington
Wright State university
University of North Texas
North Dakota State University
are these good choices for CS and will i be able to get admission in this universities. Apart from these which are good choices for me??
105 is a very decent TOEFL score, and should make up somewhat for lower Verbal and Analytical Writing scores on the GRE. However, if you normally score higher it would be a shame not to take the test again to try to show what you’ve got – it is usually wise to take the test twice, anyway, since most universities will consider only the highest score for each section, regardless of which test it comes from. As you know, there are many factors that go into a university’s admission decision, such as GPA, class rank, recommendations, experience in the field, and (of course) GRE scores, among other things. Each university will have its own distinct requirements for admission into their masters and doctoral programs, and those requirements are generally available on your preferred university’s admissions page. You can also call the admissions departments of the programs you’re looking at and just ask! Admissions officers are usually very friendly and willing to help prospective grad students research their programs. You should be proud of the work you’ve done to get the scores you have, but there is certainly still room for improvement. If GRE prep is an option, be sure to check out GRE course options here!
As for CS programs, you have some very respectable choices, although I would always recommend talking to current students at your prospective schools in order to find out what they like and dislike about their programs. For other ideas, try reading our blog post dedicated to the top computer science programs in the country. Best of luck!
well all the other aspects apart from my GRE verbal score is very good.. i have extremely good and well written recomm letters from my tutors and HOD and my class rank is pretty much at the top 6% in my class(60 students)..and i have a consistent and good score in my undergraduate study as well,the universities i have listed are the only good univ that are within my affordable budget when it comes to tuition fee… i failed to mention that am from ‘India’ so its really expensive for us to apply for other univ…
My main choice of college is Texas -Arlington as many of my classmates are currently studying there and they gave a positive remark regarding the CS program there..the others are back up colleges… so is there a considerably high change of me getting admission in Arlington?? based on the current credentials that is.. my primary goal is to get an admission, ltr i plan to transfer if i can get a high gpa in my first graduate year..
and also would it be possible for you to tell me 1 or 2 top universities that i can apply to and have a change of getting in to.. even if that chance is minimal i would like to know which those universities are.
As I said in my previous response, much of this information can be found on the university’s website, specifically this easy to find page about Computer Science Admissions: http://grad.pci.uta.edu/about/catalog/current/schools/engineering/computer/
The scores listed there are on the old scale, in which each section was scored out of 800. You can convert these scores to the new scale using the chart released by the test makers, available here: http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/concordance_information.pdf
Doing proper research is an important part of applying to graduate school. You must take advantage of the information offered to you by the schools to which you are applying. I would recommend calling or emailing admissions officers at those schools with school-specific questions in the future, as establishing contact them is an important way of letting them know that you are seriously considering them, which increases your chances of admission. I cannot tell you what schools you will or will not get into; for better or worse, university admissions in the United States is not an exact science. There is no magic number that guarantees admission. This is the only answer I can give you. Best of luck!
Hello,
I have a GRE score of 321 (Q-164 & V-157) and Writing – 3.
I also have around 7 years of experience in Software Development.
I am applying for fall 2013 for Masters in Computer Science.
Though my gre score is in the range of most of the Universities average GRE score, I am a bit skeptical about my writing sore. Could you please suggest how much my writing score will affect my Masters Admissions.
Thanks!!
Dear praj_k,
The writing score probably won’t matter that much to Computer Science programs; however, it does depend on the program. If the program is fairly competitive, admissions officers may use it to choose between otherwise equal applicants, since all things being equal, a higher score is better. The best way to know for sure is to contact the individual programs and ask. And remember, if you want extra help getting your writing score up (or any of your scores), you can study with GRE experts like me at Test Masters. Hope this helps!
-Calvin
Hey; i got a 133 verbal and 155 quantitative scores in the GRE
I have been told that its low score to get into graduate schools for masters programe while am seeking to a construction engineering and project planing programme its related to tge civil engineering studies ! But at the same time arabic is my native language so i found it pretty hard to get an over 150 score in the verbal section ! Please advice !!
Thanks
Dear Yazan,
If you are a non-native English speaker applying to a graduate school in the United States, you will be required to submit a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Some schools will require a minimum TOEFL score to even consider your application; other schools, while not necessarily requiring a minimum TOEFL score, will have an average or standard TOEFL score by which they judge your grade. The required or standard scores vary from school to school and department to department. This information is usually readily available on the admissions webpage of whatever college or university you are applying to.
A good TOEFL score won’t necessarily balance out a bad GRE Verbal score; however, for the purposes of admission, when considering an applicant who is a non-native English speaker, admissions officers want to be reassured that the applicant will be able to communicate effectively in an academic environment. Therefore, even if you are unable to demonstrate an absolute mastery of English on your GRE Verbal, so long as you can demonstrate effective competency in the language (through a good TOEFL score) you should be all right. This is especially true for Engineering students (as opposed to departments or programs that require a greater fluency in English).
Essentially, as a non-native English speaking Engineering graduate school applicant, it is more important to demonstrate competency in the English language rather than perfect fluency. This can be done with a good TOEFL score. As an Engineering applicant your chances of being admitted won’t be diminished too much by a less than perfect GRE Verbal score. All that said, however, a 133 is less than a less than perfect score. If at all possible, I would recommend GRE preparation prior to your next GRE exam. It will not be necessary for you to get a perfect score to be admitted to your school of choice, but keep in mind there are many competitive international students and a high GRE Verbal score is an excellent way to distinguish yourself.
Hope this helps!
Bill
hi jason,
my score is
gre-304
verbal-149 and quant – 155
toefl not given and awa – not yet recieved.
I wish to pursue my masters in electrical engineering / telecommunications.
What are the prospects of getting into top 50 university.
And how does ranking matter in terms of quality of course provided in college.
Sucheta,
Admission to a top tier graduate school is not determined entirely by your GRE score; in fact, there are a number of other criteria (including GPA, class rank, work experience, personal statement, recommendations, and finances, among other things) that go into an admission decision. That said, your GRE score does play a significant role in any graduate school admission decision. A single point can make a huge difference on the new GRE; let’s look at a few examples to see how your score compares. Harvard’s avg. GRE score is 321, the University of Texas at Austin’s is 318, and the University of Florida’s is 307. As you can see, your score doesn’t put you far off of some of the less competitive graduate schools. A general rule of thumb as far as graduate school admissions are concerned is this: an average score is a 150 on both sections of the GRE, and a good score can be considered anything above a 155 on the GRE Verbal and above a 160 on the GRE Quantitative section. Whatever constitutes a good score may vary from department to department and from school to school, but these are good guidelines to follow. If you have an excellent GPA and resume, then your score might not hinder your acceptance into a top 50 university; however, if you are middle-of-the-road in these other areas, then you absolutely need to boost your GRE score to help you chances of being accepted into your university of choice.
Ranking is useful and indicative of the quality of a program, but you do not necessarily need to attend a top tier university to receive a top tier education. Research different universities, investigate the publications and work of the professors who teach there and what their specific niches are; if you find a university or faculty staff that you can be excited about, then you have found the school for you.
Hope this helps!
Bill