GRE Scores for Engineering Programs

Thinking about applying to grad school and curious about the average GRE score for engineering programs? Wondering what score will help you get into top engineering schools? While not all schools reveal their admitted students’ stats, the US News and World Report collects score data from graduate schools annually. This gives us insights into GRE scores for master’s students in the top 100 engineering programs.

Let’s dive into that data and see what it tells us. After all, as engineers, we know data interpretation is crucial.

Average GRE Quant Scores for Engineering Programs

US News & World Rank	School	Average Quant GRE Score
1	MIT	166
2	Stanford	168
3	University of California – Berkeley	169
4 (tie)	California Institute of Technology	N/A
4 (tie)	Georgia Institute of Technology	166
6	Purdue University	164
7	Carnegie Mellon University	168
8	University of Texas–Austin	165
9 (tie)	University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign	168
9 (tie)	University of Michigan–Ann Arbor	166
11	University of California–San Diego	168
12 (tie)	Cornell University	167
12 (tie)	Texas A&M University	164
14 (tie)	Johns Hopkins University	167
14 (tie)	University of California – Los Angeles	167
16 (tie)	Northwestern University	168
16 (tie)	University of Pennsylvania	169
18 (tie)	Columbia University	168
18 (tie)	University of Maryland	164
20	Harvard University	N/A
21 (tie)	Princeton University	N/A
21 (tie)	University of Washington	165
23 (tie)	Duke University	167
23 (tie)	University of Colorado–Boulder	163
23 (tie)	University of Southern California	166
26	Rice University	166
27 (tie)	North Carolina State University	164
27 (tie)	Ohio State University	162
27 (tie)	University of Wisconsin–Madison	166
30	University of California–Santa Barbara	N/A
31 (tie)	Boston University	165
31 (tie)	Pennsylvania State University	165
31 (tie)	University of California – Irvine	165
31 (tie)	Virgina Tech	163
31 (tie)	Yale University	168
36 (tie)	University of California–Davis	162
36 (tie)	University of Minnesota–Twin Cities	162
38 (tie)	Northeastern University	163
38 (tie)	University of Delaware	161
38 (tie)	University of Virginia	165
41 (tie)	New York University	166
41 (tie)	Vanderbilt University	N/A
43 (tie)	Iowa State University	162
43 (tie)	University of Rochester	166
45 (tie)	Arizona State University	163
45 (tie)	University of Notre Dame	165
45 (tie)	University of Pittsburgh	165
48 (tie)	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	155
48 (tie)	University of Florida	164
48 (tie)	University of Massachusetts – Amherst	165
51 (tie)	Case Western Reserve University	165
51 (tie)	Washington University in St. Louis	168
53 (tie)	Colorado School of Mines	159
53 (tie)	University of Tennessee–Knoxville	161
55 (tie)	Brown University	167
55 (tie)	University of Dayton	162
57 (tie)	Auburn University	161
57 (tie)	Colorado State University	N/A
57 (tie)	Dartmouth University	166
57 (tie)	Michigan State University	167
57 (tie)	University at Buffalo–SUNY	162
57 (tie)	University of Utah	161
63 (tie)	Stony Brook University–SUNY	167
63 (tie)	University of Connecticut	160
65 (tie)	Rutgers University	163
65 (tie)	University of Arizona	160
65 (tie)	University of Illinois–Chicago	164
68 (tie)	Clemson University	160
68 (tie)	Tufts University	164
68 (tie)	University of Houston	162
68 (tie)	University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill	N/A
68 (tie)	Wichita State University	159
73 (tie)	Rochester Institute of Technology	161
73 (tie)	University of Central Florida	162
75 (tie)	Drexel University	159
75 (tie)	Oregon State University	159
75 (tie)	University of Texas–Dallas	163
75 (tie)	University of California–Santa Cruz	N/A
75 (tie)	University of Iowa	161
80 (tie)	Michigan Technological University	160
80 (tie)	Mississippi State University	159
80 (tie)	New Jersey Institute of Technology	163
83 (tie)	Lehigh University	164
83 (tie)	Missouri University of Science & Technology	153
83 (tie)	Stevens Institute of Technology	N/A
83 (tie)	University of California–Riverside	163
83 (tie)	Washington State University	160
88 (tie)	George Mason University	162
88 (tie)	George Washington University	161
88 (tie)	University of Texas–Arlington	161
88 (tie)	University of Alabama–Huntsville	159
88 (tie)	University of New Mexico	152
93 (tie)	Florida A&M University — Florida State University	161
93 (tie)	Florida International University	157
93 (tie)	University of Alabama	166
93 (tie)	University of Kentucky	159
93 (tie)	University of South Carolina	158
93 (tie)	University of South Florida	163
99 (tie)	University of Maryland–Baltimore County	N/A
99 (tie)	University of Nebraska	162
99 (tie)	Worcester Polytechnic Institute	163

What Can We Take Away from Engineering Programs’ Average GRE Scores?

Applying to graduate programs in Engineering and curious about your GRE scores? This table offers a wealth of information. Pay close attention to the correlation between school rankings and quantitative GRE scores. When you do, you might notice:

The average GRE Quant score for students admitted to top-20 Engineering programs is 167
Students admitted to Engineering programs ranked 21-50 had an average GRE quant score of 164.
That number drops to 162 for students admitted to Engineering programs ranked 51-75.
Finally, the average GRE Quant score for students admitted to programs ranked 76-99 is 160

You’ll notice there’s not much difference between the top programs and the lower-ranked ones. While GRE scores aren’t the only factor admissions committees consider, the average applicant tends to have strong to very strong Quant scores. The bottom line is that getting accepted into an Engineering graduate program usually requires a strong GRE Quant score. It’s crucial that you start practicing your GRE math as soon as possible!

Verbal Score for Engineering?

So where’s the verbal data?

You can usually find it on the individual school pages on U.S. News & World Report. However, your verbal scores play such a small role in engineering admissions that there’s no need to stress. In this case, average is good enough! A score of 152, which is the 50th percentile for the Verbal section, is often enough for a good program. But for top 20 schools, aim for the 70th percentile or better.

What does that mean for you? Well, while an average GRE quantitative score will put you at a major disadvantage in your application, an average verbal score will put you right in the middle of the pack.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t study for verbal! Check with your intended schools to see how much weight they place on verbal scores. Scoring in the 75th percentile might give you an edge, or your quantitative score might be all that matters. While this can be unclear, remember that scoring around average in verbal likely won’t hurt you.

One thing that prospective engineers sometimes struggle with is the GRE specific vocabulary tested in the verbal section. A tried and true way to attack this is to dive into our GRE Vocabulary ebook as soon as you start studying. For students who like to study on the go, our verbal flashcards are a proven score increaser.

Average GRE Scores for Future Engineers

As we’ve seen, average quant scores might put you at a disadvantage, especially if you’re applying to competitive programs. So, what’s the average GRE score of test-takers intending to apply to engineering school? In verbal, it’s 151. But get ready–it’s 160 in quant for future engineers. To contextualize that 160, it’s in the 61st percentile.

Average GRE Scores by Engineering Focus

However, those averages start to vary a little when we take focus and specializations into account. Check out the average GRE quant scores for different tracks.

Engineering Track	Average GRE Quant Score of Students Intending to Study This Track
Chemical Engineering	161
Civil Engineering	158
Electrical Engineering	161
Industrial Engineering	160
Materials Engineering	162
Mechanical Engineering	160
Other	159

Again, you can see there’s not a whole lot of flexibility in scores, but that’s not surprising, given the quantitative nature of engineering. Keep in mind that these averages are for GRE test-takers who indicate that they want to join an Engineering program, not students who are admitted to programs.

What GRE Score Do You Need for Engineering Programs?

There’s no magic score that guarantees entry into the best engineering schools, but a quantitative score between 161-166 puts you in the average range for the top 100 programs. So, aim to score in the 160s. Other factors, like research experience, a strong GPA, and strong recommendations from engineering professors, can offset lower GRE scores. However, competition is fierce, and many applicants will have all those things and strong GRE scores. The GRE is one part of your application you can control, so study hard and smart to achieve a solid score.

How Do You Get a Score Good Enough to Get In?

The answer to this tough question depends on your available time and skill level in math (and verbal!). First you’ll need a good study plan. You’ll need to dedicate time and effort regularly to studying smartly for the GRE – taking time to practice and learn from your mistakes. Consider a Magoosh Premium Plan to help guide you through your studies!

Author

Chris Swimmer

Chris Swimmer is an analyst at Magoosh who divides his time between marketing and research projects and helping folks out with their math hang ups while studying for the GRE and the GMAT.

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