The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the most prestigious and competitive universities in the world. So, it’s no surprise that the GRE scores of accepted students in MIT’s graduate programs are also impressive.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what we know about MIT GRE scores and how to determine what score you need for MIT. First, let’s discuss the GRE requirements for MIT programs.


MIT offers a range of graduate programs and likewise has a range of GRE requirements. In fact, different departments at MIT require different test scores from applicants. For instance, each of MIT’s Engineering programs has its own test requirements. So, to find out whether the GRE is required for a master’s in Engineering from MIT, you must look at the application requirements for the specific Engineering program you’re interested in. If you’re interested, say, in the Civil and Environmental Engineering program, you will need to submit a GRE score. On the other hand, if you’re interested in the Chemical Engineering program, there is no GRE score currently required.

It’s not just the School of Engineering that has differing GRE requirements; test requirements may differ for the various programs in all five of MIT’s schools. Many of the departments at MIT either require or don’t require the GRE, while others list the GRE as optional. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to find out whether the program you’re interested in requires a GRE score. MIT lists all of its graduate programs on one page. So, simply visit that page and click on the specific program you’re interested in to be taken to the application requirements for that program. You will also be able to see on those individual pages whether a particular program requires a GRE Subject Test score, as opposed to (or in addition to) a GRE General Test score.


Currently, MIT graduate programs do not publically list minimum GRE scores required for admittance. So, various departments will simply tell you whether a GRE test score is required, not required, or optional, rather than tell you a specific score you must earn to gain entry.

Nor are there any GRE score requirements to submit an application to MIT. So, you can apply to an MIT graduate program with any GRE score. Of course, you may not be a competitive applicant with just any GRE score. For instance, the master’s program in Political Science states, “There is no minimum score for the GRE, but admission is very competitive and low GRE scores may weaken an application.” It’s a safe bet that other MIT programs requiring the GRE have similar outlooks.

So, let’s discuss how to determine what GRE scores are generally competitive for MIT.


The first thing to know about what are considered competitive GRE scores for MIT grad school programs is that it’s all relative. Just as different programs have different testing requirements, different programs will consider different GRE scores competitive. This makes sense since different fields of study place greater emphasis on different skills.

For instance, you may need a higher Quantitative score to be competitive in MIT’s Master of Finance program than you need to be competitive in the Political Science program. On the other hand, the Political Science program may look more closely at your GRE Verbal section score than the Master of Finance program will. So, MIT GRE scores vary from program to program.

Thus, it’s smart to consider the average GRE scores of students in the particular program you’re interested in to get an indication of what may be expected of competitive applicants in your field. Unfortunately, most MIT grad programs do not publish average GRE scores in their class profiles. Once again, you should check the individual program website to see whether such information is provided.

The MIT Sloan MBA program, for instance, published the middle 80% GRE score ranges for the class of 2023, which are as follows:

• Verbal Score: 157-168
• Quantitative Score: 158-169

Keep in mind that since those ranges are for the middle 80% of accepted students, they do not include the bottom 10% scores or the top 10% scores. Although, as we can see, the top of those middle 80% ranges is pretty close to the maximum possible GRE section scores (170).

The Master of Finance program also posts some GRE stats for the class of 2023:

• Verbal Score (middle 80%): 157-166
• Quantitative Score (middle 80%): 166-170
• Median Quantitative Score: 170

Once again, the scores are top-notch. Notice that the Quant scores are particularly high — we are, after all, looking at the scores of students in the Finance program.