Which MS abroad programs actually waive the GRE in 2026?

Where the GRE is genuinely optional

Carnegie Mellon University, Arizona State University, Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, plus University of Waterloo in Canada, all list the GRE as optional or not required. That's a real trend since the pandemic - most US CS/DS admissions committees now say a strong GPA, relevant projects, and good recommendation letters can substitute for a test score.

"Optional" is not the same as "doesn't matter." Committees at reach-tier programs (a Carnegie Mellon-tier admit, for instance) still see a strong GRE from applicants with a borderline GPA or an unfamiliar university's grading scale - it's a lever you can pull if your transcript needs help, not one you're required to pull.

Where it's still mandatory

Both German programs in our set require it: Technical University of Munich requires GRE/GATE specifically for applicants from India, and RWTH Aachen University requires a GRE Quant score in the 75th percentile or higher - unusual for a German university, and easy to miss if you're assuming "Germany is GRE-free" from older advice.

The UK and Australian programs in our set (UCL, Manchester, Melbourne, UNSW) don't ask for the GRE at all - their admissions bar runs entirely on GPA and English-proficiency scores instead.

What this means for your prep

Don't default to "skip the GRE" or "definitely take it" as a blanket strategy - check the specific program's grePolicy first, since it varies by country and even within the same country. If your shortlist includes RWTH or TUM, GRE prep is non-negotiable regardless of what you decide for your US applications.

Verify these numbers yourself

• GRE policy per program: official admissions pages for each of the 14 verified programs at truthpathms.com

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.