Last Updated on April 26, 2023
GRE-related fees can pile up pretty quickly if you don’t plan ahead, but there are ways to keep costs relatively low. In this article, we’ll go over the various costs associated with the GRE and how you can reduce the amount of cash you spend.
For the purposes of our overview, we’ll focus on the most common fees, in USD, for the computer-based GRE General Test in the United States (GRE fees in the U.S. match those in most other countries). Note that ETS, which creates and administers the GRE, generally accepts payments made by credit card, debit card, PayPal, money order, certified check, voucher, and, if you have a U.S. bank account, personal check or e-check. However, payment options differ if you’re taking the GRE in China or Nigeria, or if you take the paper-based GRE instead of the computer-based exam, so check this payment information page to confirm accepted forms of payment in your location.
To start, here is a rundown of the GRE costs we’ll discuss:
GRE® SERVICE FEES AND PRICES
Register for the GRE
Reschedule
Cancel Test
Cancel Score
Reinstate Score
View Scores Online
Send Additional Score Report
Let’s take a closer look.
Register for the GRE: $220
NOTE: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ETS is offering an online GRE General Test in all countries where the in-person test was available, except Mainland China and Iran. Online GRE Subject Tests are not available. The cost of the online GRE is the same as that of the in-person test. You can check your eligibility and register for the online GRE here.
The largest GRE fee you’ll incur is for registration, which costs $220. This fee varies slightly in China and India, so if you’ll be taking the exam in one of those countries, check this page to see the GRE exam fee in your country.
The good news is that ETS provides some students who are strapped for cash with an opportunity to be charged only $100 for the test fee, through the GRE Fee Reduction Voucher program. ETS offers a limited number of financial aid vouchers on a first-come, first-served basis to test-takers who demonstrate financial need or participate in certain programs serving underrepresented groups, such as Management Leadership for Tomorrow. And a voucher can be used for either a GRE General Test or a Subject Test.
Unfortunately, the GRE fee reduction program is available to U.S. test-takers only, but it does represent significant savings, so if you think you may qualify, you can check the eligibility requirements and download the application form here. Note that there is currently no full GRE fee waiver, so no matter what, you will have to pay at least part of the GRE exam fee.
The voucher application process is pretty basic, but you will need to send ETS a few forms in order to apply, so just be sure to give yourself a nice cushion of time, so you’re not scrambling to obtain a fee reduction right before you register for the exam.
TTP PRO TIP:
If you’re a U.S. test-taker who can demonstrate financial need, you may be able to reduce your GRE registration cost through ETS’s voucher program.
Reschedule Your GRE: $50 ($53.90 in China)
If you need to reschedule your GRE, you can do so online through your free account on the ETS website, using your appointment confirmation number and the full name you used to make your test appointment. In the U.S., you also have the option to reschedule by phone. Rescheduling your GRE costs $50, and this fee applies even if you want to reschedule just the time of your exam and not the date. For instance, let’s say your test is scheduled for July 1 at 9:30 a.m., and you want to keep the test date of July 1 but take the test starting at 2:30 p.m. instead — you’ll still need to pay the $50 rescheduling fee. (But don’t worry; you won’t pay double the fee to change both the date and time of your test.)
Keep in mind that you must reschedule your GRE no later than four days before your appointment (or 10 days in Mainland China), or you’ll forfeit your test fee. Additionally, you can’t choose a new test date that is more than a year from your original test date.
You also can’t swap a General Test registration for a Subject Test one; in other words, if you decide that you want to take a Subject Test instead of the General Test, you can’t simply switch your existing registration over to the Subject Test. You’ll need to cancel your General Test and register separately (and pay a separate registration fee) for the Subject Test.
As you can see, it pays to have a solid plan in place for scheduling your GRE, so you can avoid shelling out extra cash to reschedule down the line. Of course, no one can predict every circumstance that may arise, but hopefully you’ll have a realistic timeline and an organized study plan in place from the beginning of your GRE prep, so you don’t end up with a test date that doesn’t make sense for your needs.
TTP PRO TIP:
Have a realistic timeline and an organized study plan in place from the beginning of your GRE prep, so you can avoid spending extra to reschedule your exam.
Change Your Test Center: $50
As with other changes to your test appointment, changing the location where you’ll take your test costs $50. This fee is separate from the $50 fee for rescheduling when you’ll take your test. So, for example, if you want to change your test appointment from July 1 at 12 p.m. to August 1 at 10 a.m. AND ALSO change your test location from Test Center A to Test Center B, you’ll pay $100 in total to make those changes.
There are a number of scenarios in which changing your test center may be a worthwhile expense. For instance, if you’ve had to make an unexpected move in the time since you initially scheduled your GRE exam, and your new home is much closer to a different test center, switching to the more conveniently located test center could make your commute on test day far less stressful. Or perhaps when you initially scheduled your exam, there were no seats available at the test center closest to you, but space has opened up since then, and switching test centers could save you a lengthy drive on the morning of your test. Or maybe there were only afternoon appointments available at the test centers in your area, but you would much rather take your GRE in the morning, and a morning slot at a location other than the one where you’re scheduled to take your exam just opened up.
Of course, you want to plan to avoid having to change your test center, but you also won’t have control over what is available in your area when you schedule your exam. While scheduling well in advance of your targeted test date may give you a better chance at having your pick of time slots at the test center closest to you, say, if you live in a busy metropolitan area, you don’t want to schedule so far in advance that you’re not actually sure whether you’ll be able to keep the date. In that case, you’ll end up paying $50 anyway to reschedule your test. Just remember, between checking in at the test center and actually completing the exam, the entire experience of sitting for your GRE could take about four to five hours, so if changing your test center will shave additional time off your commute and reduce your test-day stress, the price tag may be well worth it.
TTP PRO TIP:
If changing your test center will shave additional time off your commute and reduce your test-day stress, $50 may be a worthwhile price to pay.
Cancel Your GRE: $110 refund
If you cancel your GRE registration no later than four days before your test date, you will be refunded half of your test fee. So, if you were scheduled to take your GRE in the U.S., that means you’ll get $110 back when you cancel. Remember, the test fee varies in China and India, so the refund amount in those countries will be slightly different.
As with rescheduling your GRE, if you wait until less than four days before your test date to cancel, you’ll forfeit the entirety of your test fee. Also, as with rescheduling, if your test is scheduled in Mainland China, you must cancel at least 10 days before your test date, or you’ll forfeit the entire test amount. Note that Korea has its own refund policies, so test-takers there should check this page to see refund deadlines and amounts. No matter what country you’re in, if you simply don’t show up for your scheduled test appointment, you’ll forfeit the entire test amount.
Of course, no one can plan for every event, but doing your best to not wait until the last minute to cancel your GRE could save you a significant amount of cash.
TTP PRO TIP:
Waiting until the last minute to cancel a GRE will forfeit your entire test fee, so cancel no later than 4 days before your scheduled exam if you want to receive a partial refund.
View Your GRE Score Online: FREE
Immediately after you complete your GRE, your Quant and Verbal scores will be shown to you on the computer, but you also can view your GRE scores online for free by logging into your account on the ETS website. Your newest test score (if you’re taking the GRE for the first time) won’t be posted to your account instantaneously, but you’ll receive an email notification from ETS when your official scores are available on your ETS account, about 10 to 15 days after your exam date. Note that because the Analytical Writing section is not scored by the computer, score review for that section is not available at the test center. However, your Writing score will be available when your official scores post to your online account.
Additionally, ETS offers a variety of score-related reports and services for purchase on its website. You can see what is available under Scoring Services here, but we’ll go over a couple of important services below.
TTP PRO TIP:
ETS will email you when your official GRE scores are posted to your online account, where you can view them for free anytime. Official scores generally take 10-15 days to become available.
Order an Additional Score Report: $27
At the time of your exam, you’ll be able to select up to 4 schools to send your official GRE scores to for free. Those scores will be sent at the same time your scores post to your online account, about 10-15 days after your exam date.
In the event that you don’t select any schools at the time of your exam, or there are additional schools that you want to send your scores to at a later time, you can order Additional Score Reports for $27 per report. The Additional Score Report looks just like the Official Score Report that is sent to your selected schools (if you have any) after your exam.
Note that since GRE scores are valid for only five years, you will not be able to purchase Additional Score Reports for exams that you took more than five years ago.
TTP PRO TIP:
If during your GRE you don’t designate any schools to receive your scores, or if there are additional schools to which you want to send your scores at a later time, you can order Additional Score Reports for $27 each.
Cancel Your GRE Score: FREE
At the conclusion of your GRE, you will be given a choice between viewing your scores or canceling them. You cannot cancel your scores once you view them. You also cannot cancel your score for just one section of the test and keep your scores for the other sections. Canceling your GRE score at the test center right after you finish your exam is free for all test-takers, regardless of where in the world you sit for the exam. However, because of the ScoreSelect option that ETS offers, even if you think that you completely bombed an exam, there is no real advantage to canceling your score. Let’s look at why.
At the test center, after you complete your GRE, if you choose to view (i.e., keep) your test score, you are given three options: send your scores from every GRE you’ve taken; send your scores from just your current exam; or send no scores at all. However, once your scores are posted to your online account, you can use ETS’s ScoreSelect option to send scores from whichever of your GREs you choose, in order to put your application in the best light. For instance, if you’ve taken the GRE three times, but you want schools to see only the scores of your first and third tests, you can use ScoreSelect to do that, provided those tests were taken within the last five years. (Note that you cannot pick and choose among section scores, just entire exams.)
So, even if you have a low GRE score, schools never have to know about that exam; they will know only about the exams you choose to send them. Thus, you get the benefit of knowing for sure how you performed on a particular exam without the drawback of having to share that information if you don’t want to. It may turn out, for instance, that you did not perform as poorly as you thought, or that you actually scored higher in Verbal than you did in Quant, even though you thought the opposite was true. Even if you end up retaking the GRE, isn’t it better to know that information than not know it, and to have that test score in your back pocket in case you ever need it? You’ll have spent the money to take the GRE regardless — the test fee isn’t refunded if you decide to cancel your score — so you may as well make use of the information you can glean from your score, even if you don’t end up using that score for your applications.
Since ScoreSelect is not available at the test center, any reports you send through ScoreSelect will be Additional Score Reports, for which you pay $27 each. But, remember, the cost to reinstate a canceled score is $50, and you don’t have the benefit of knowing what your GRE score is before you reinstate it.
TTP PRO TIP:
ScoreSelect allows you to send Additional Score Reports for only the GREs you want schools to see, so canceling a test score is not necessary, even if you think that you performed poorly.
Interested in learning how your GRE scores stack up against those of other test-takers? Check out our article on GRE Score Percentiles.
Reinstate Your GRE Score: $50
In the event that you cancel a GRE score and decide later that you want to reinstate it, you can reinstate your score for $50 online, or by mail or fax, as long as you do so within 60 days after your test date. After that time, you will no longer have the option to reinstate that test score. When you reinstate your GRE score, you also will have the option to send the score for free to up to four schools, as you would have been able to do at the test center had you not canceled the score.
It takes about two weeks or so for a GRE score to be reinstated, and the reinstated score is sent to your designated schools shortly after that, so keep that timeline in mind if you have upcoming application deadlines.
TTP PRO TIP:
If you have upcoming application deadlines, remember that reinstating a canceled GRE score takes about 2 weeks, after which that score will be sent to your designated schools.
Additional Official Practice Tests: $39.95 each
Official GRE Practice Tests are an optional expense, but barring any severe financial hardships, a relatively manageable one, particularly given the “bang for your buck” students get from taking official practice exams.
ETS offers two official exams for free and another two for $39.95 each. We recommend that all students who can afford to do so take all four practice exams — this probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard such advice. Taking official practice exams are a crucial part of GRE preparation because they help you assess your GRE readiness and get you accustomed to the rigors of an hours-long exam.
If you want to learn more about how to strategically use practice exams to help prepare yourself for test day, check out our article on incorporating practice tests into your GRE prep.
TTP PRO TIP:
Taking all 4 Official GRE Practice Tests will provide you with plenty of “bank for your buck,” so try to budget for the 2 paid practice exams.
Limit GRE Costs by Being Prepared: Priceless
While you can’t avoid every expense related to the GRE, taking the GRE doesn’t have to break the bank. If you map out a realistic plan for your GRE that takes into account your application deadlines, likely prep time, and score goals, you likely can avoid many of the costs we’ve talked about here.
One way to ensure a rock solid GRE plan is to start your prep by figuring out your baseline level of GRE proficiency. To do so, take one of the free official practice exams from ets.org. Your score on that exam will give you a sense of how long you may need to study for the GRE in order to hit your score goal. Second, you must have a score goal in mind, so you know what to aim for! That means researching the average GRE scores at the schools to which you plan to apply. Once you know your baseline and your goal, you must take an organized and methodical approach to your GRE prep, so you don’t derail your planned timeline with ineffective studying.
TTP PRO TIP:
Map out a realistic plan that takes into account your application deadlines, likely prep time, and score goals, so you can avoid unnecessary costs and wasted time related to your GRE.
This brings us to the final point: You must choose wisely when it comes to GRE study resources. There are a range of GRE resources available, and those can cost you anywhere from a few dollars for a used book to thousands of dollars for an in-person class. Depending on your budget constraints, it’s best to base your decision about what types of resources to use on more than just price. For instance, many students hope to prepare for the GRE using only free study resources, and there are plenty such resources available online. However, relying solely on free resources for your GRE prep is likely to result in a patchwork, disorganized approach that could leave you with significant gaps in your knowledge and skill, and make it harder to predict when you’ll be ready to take your exam.
TTP PRO TIP:
It’s best to base your decision about what types of GRE study resources to use on more than just price. Relying solely on free resources for your prep is likely to result in a patchwork, disorganized, and ineffective approach.
Many students find that an online self-study course allows them the flexibility they need to incorporate GRE prep into their daily lives while providing a good middle ground as far as cost. For instance, perhaps you have a little money to spend but you work full-time, so attending an in-person class would be difficult for you. A self-study course allows you to set your study time around your work schedule rather than forcing you to adhere to a fixed class time. Furthermore, the right self-study course will give you a detailed roadmap for your GRE prep, so you know what to study, how much time you’ll need to prepare, and whether you’re on track to hit your score goal. Removing the guesswork from your GRE prep can help you keep costs low further down the line. Plus, most online self-study courses offer a free or low-cost trial, so you can test out different courses before committing to one and avoid bouncing from course to course until you find one that works, a situation that could cost you significant time and money.
If you’re applying to business schools or grad school, you already know that having an additional degree is an investment in your future that can significantly boost your earning potential over your lifetime. The GRE is an important part of that investment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have strategies in place to mitigate your GRE-related expenses.
