Eliminating the use of an objective measure in graduate school admissions can have serious consequences for prospective students and programs.
Hurts Student Choice and Diversity
as it deprives prospective students of the opportunity to present themselves to admissions committees in the way they feel will best showcase their qualifications
Limits Program Freedom
as it prohibits faculty from setting the admissions policies they feel will best help them achieve their program mission and goals
Enables Bias
as it forces admissions committees to rely solely upon subjective information to make admissions decisions, making it unlikely, if not impossible, to prevent bias
Get a compelling, evidence-based rationale for the continued use of the GRE® General Test as part of a thoughtful and holistic admissions process.
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Explore the benefits of including GRE scores compared to the drawbacks of making them optional with this side-by-side infographic.
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Discover key reporting on the value of the GRE General Tests by reputable news sources such as Inside Higher Ed and Poets&Quants.
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Find answers to frequently asked questions about the validity and reliability of the GRE General Test.
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“Banning the GRE in graduate admissions is wrong and, further, eliminates the opportunity for many talented, diverse students to demonstrate what they know and can do to admissions committees and program decision-makers.”
– Michael Cunningham, Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Research and Professor of Psychology and Africana Studies at Tulane University
“A complete assessment of each applicant is important to identifying the best graduate students for your program. Banning the use of GRE scores in admissions removes an essential component for programs to have a full understanding of the potential of each applicant”
– Maureen Grasso, Professor of Textile Sciences and Former Graduate Dean at North Carolina State University and ETS Strategic Advisor
Learn more about how this ban can hurt the graduate community.
Inside Higher Ed
Removing barriers for applicants is a priority, but eliminating the GRE test does the opposite.
Higher Ed Dive
An associate dean believes students should be empowered to present their qualifications to admissions committees however they think best.
Daily Bruin
A doctoral student at UCLA shares numerous ways that students from very different backgrounds have benefitted from GRE score use.
Poets & Quants
At Yale School of Management, holistic admissions includes evaluating inter- and intrapersonal competencies in addition to traditional measures.
ETS Insights
Some fear standardized testing hurts equity. The problem is actually rooted in human psychology and faculty culture.
Inside Higher Ed
Eliminating the GRE as a requirement will hurt the very students in whose name some programs are doing so, write six scholars.
Contact ETS to learn more about how to protect choice and transparency in graduate admissions.