Okay, okay, I know that the arts and humanities encompasses quite a wide swath of concentrations, from studio art to philosophy, but that’s how the ETS likes to lump them into one group and so I guess there’s a common thread in there somewhere. For these programs, the importance of the GRE ranges from vital to negligible, but if you’re here reading this page, I can assume that you actually care about what scores you’ll need.
Anyway, here’s the score data from the ETS chart providing the average GRE scores for majors based on survey data collected from test takers.
GRE Scores for Arts and Humanities Programs: Intended
| Specialty | Verbal | Quantitative |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities (General) | 156 | 150 |
| Arts—History, Theory, and Criticism | 157 | 151 |
| Arts—Performance and Studio | 153 | 151 |
| English Language and Literature | 157 | 149 |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures | 156 | 151 |
| History | 156 | 149 |
| Philosophy | 159 | 154 |
| Other | 157 | 152 |
The scores above are those of test-takers intending to pursue graduate work in that field. What does “intended” mean? It simply means that that these are the average scores of people planning on applying to graduate school in a specific area.
GRE Score Range for Arts and Humanities Programs
Using a scale drawn from the limited score data in the US News & World Report’s report on graduate schools, here’s the range of average scores you could expect:
GRE Scores for Arts and Humanities Programs by Rank
| Specialty | Program Rank #1-10: Verbal | Program Rank #1-10: Quantitative | Program Rank #11-50: Verbal | Program Rank #11-10: Quantitative | Program Rank #51-100: Verbal | Program Rank #51-100: Quantitative |
| Arts and Humanities (General) | 165-169 | 156-160 | 162-166 | 152-156 | 159-163 | 149-153 |
| Arts—History, Theory, and Criticism | 166-170 | 157-161 | 163-167 | 153-157 | 160-164 | 150-154 |
| Arts—Performance and Studio | 162-166 | 157-161 | 159-163 | 153-157 | 156-160 | 150-154 |
| English Language and Literature | 166-170 | 155-159 | 163-167 | 151-155 | 160-164 | 148-152 |
| Foreign Languages and Literature | 165-169 | 157-161 | 162-166 | 153-157 | 155-159 | 150-154 |
| History | 165-169 | 155-159 | 162-166 | 151-155 | 159-163 | 147-151 |
| Philosophy | 168-170 | 160-164 | 165-169 | 156-160 | 162-166 | 153-157 |
| Other | 166-170 | 158-162 | 163-167 | 154-158 | 160-164 | 151-155 |
If you are viewing this chart on a mobile device and cannot see all of the columns for schools ranked #1-50, try turning your device horizontally or view this page on the web.
GRE Scores: 50th/70th/90th Percentiles
You can learn more about percentiles in this score percentiles post, but for quick reference, 50th percentile scores are average, 70th percentile is considered good, and 90th percentile is considered great.
| Program | Verbal Mean Score (50th percentile) |
Verbal Good Score (70th percentile) |
Verbal Great Score (90th percentile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities (General) | 156 | 161 | 167 |
| Arts—History, Theory, and Criticism | 157 | 162 | 168 |
| Arts—Performance and Studio | 153 | 158 | 164 |
| English Language and Literature | 157 | 162 | 168 |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures | 156 | 157 | 167 |
| History | 156 | 161 | 167 |
| Philosophy | 159 | 164 | 170 |
| Other | 157 | 162 | 168 |
| Program | Quant Mean Score (50th percentile) |
Quant Good Score (70th percentile) |
Quant Great Score (90th percentile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities (General) | 150 | 151 | 158 |
| Arts—History, Theory, and Criticism | 151 | 152 | 159 |
| Arts—Performance and Studio | 151 | 152 | 159 |
| English Language and Literature | 149 | 150 | 157 |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures | 151 | 152 | 159 |
| History | 149 | 149 | 157 |
| Philosophy | 154 | 155 | 162 |
| Other | 152 | 153 | 160 |
What Can We Take Away from Arts and Humanities Programs’ Average GRE Scores?
Note that it could very well be that the methodology used here doesn’t apply to creative programs performance and visual arts, as the GRE scores could be flat across all tiers of scores (since GRE scores are probably relatively unimportant).
The scores of philosophy program applicants are some of the highest of any group, pushing the top program averages to near-perfect levels. For English applicants, it’s no surprise how high the verbal scores are, though scores below those of philosophy students might be a relief to some. 🙂
Remember that you should bear in mind the relative importance of the GRE for your program. The GRE score for history programs is likely going to be weighed a lot differently than if you’re pursuing some kind of performance masters.
Free GRE Resources
Check out the following links for more help preparing for the GRE:
Comments
6 responses to “GRE Scores for Arts and Humanities Programs”
Hi Chris!
I am hoping to apply to top 10 Art History PhD programs, and I scored 166V, 150Q, and 5AW. My verbal is in the right range for the programs I’m applying for, but should I consider retaking to improve my math?
Thoughts would be much appreciated.
🙂
Hey Olivia! I honestly wouldn’t worry about it so much since your program isn’t quant heavy. Remember these scores aren’t hard and fast, so if you’re in the general range, they’ll be looking at other parts of your application. 🙂
Chris S
Hey Chris,
I am in a real Dilemma. I took the GRE a few days ago and got 165V and 156Q. I am applying to most of the big shot unis for a Middle Eastern Studies MA; Harvard, princeton, Columbia, Chicago, NYU, Arizona and Georgetown for history.
Thing is, I registered for second date in December a while back just in case I bombed my first attempt due to exam jitters. So I cant get a full refund anyway.
Should I sit the exam again?
If you already paid for it, I don’t see why not! The second time around should hopefully be less stressful. That being said, I’m not sure if quant will be such a huge deal for a MA considering you won’t ostensibly be doing much quantitative research. They’re probably more focused on other areas of your application. 🙂
Best,
Chris S
Hi!
I recently took the GRE about three weeks ago, and am taking it again next week. I received my weighted scores: 157Q and 145V. I really want to get my Q up but I’m afraid that I won’t have the time. I’m already in an MA program (History) and want to apply to a PhD. I read heavily, so I think that my V will go up just because of that (I also actively read outside of my discipline, which I think helps). What can I do to get my Q around 150-151?
Hey Greg! That’s quite a tough jump in just a few days! Check out this One Week study schedule to hopefully give you the boost you need. 🙂
Best,
Chris S