GRE Accepted Universities in Canada 2026

Is GRE accepted in Canada? Yes, but fewer programs need it than most students expect. Canadian universities moved away from mandatory GRE scores for the majority of master’s programs between 2020 and 2022, and that shift has held through the 2026 admission cycle. Where the exam still matters, it is almost always tied to a specific department or program rather than a university-wide rule.

University of Waterloo confirms on its own graduate studies FAQ page that none of its programs require a GRE test and that a submitted score is accepted only if a student chooses to include one. The University of Toronto’s School of Graduate Studies has stated it will not require a GRE score for September 2026 admissions across most departments, including Psychology. The exception sits inside the Economics department, where every applicant without a degree from a Canadian university must submit an official GRE General Test score, with no exceptions, and the department expects a Quantitative Reasoning score of at least 160 and an Analytical Writing score of at least 3.5 for its MA program.

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This is the gap in most GRE accepted universities in Canada content available online. Aggregator score tables often list GRE cutoffs for departments that no longer ask for the test at all. Always confirm the current policy on the specific program page rather than a generic ranking table.

Building an accurate list of GRE accepted universities in Canada for your shortlist means checking each department directly rather than relying on a single blanket answer for the whole country.

Counselor Insight: Students often assume a university-wide "GRE required" or "GRE not required" label, but the real answer sits at the department or even the specific degree level. Before you register for the GRE, open the admission requirements page for your exact program, not the university's general graduate admissions page.

If you want the department-by-department version of this answer, our guide on whether GRE is required for a master's in Canada walks through it in more detail.

GRE required for Canada universities is now the more accurate framing for most applicants, since the requirement sits with a handful of programs rather than an entire institution. Here is what has been verified directly against official sources.

Outside these categories, treat any GRE score requirement you see for a Canadian master's program as something to verify directly with that department before you register for the exam.

Canadian universities that don't need GREs now cover the large majority of taught master's programs, including most computer science, data science, and engineering coursework degrees. This is one of the clearest differences between applying to Canada and applying to the United States, where GRE requirements have been more inconsistent.

University of Waterloo does not require the GRE for any program, based on its own graduate admissions team's confirmation that no department at Waterloo asks for a GRE test. McGill University's Sociology graduate program page states plainly that the GRE is no longer required for admission. University of Toronto follows the same pattern for most departments outside Economics, evaluating applicants primarily on undergraduate GPA, coursework, references, and, for research degrees, a confirmed supervisor.

If you are exploring MS in Canada without GRE, focus your shortlist on universities and departments that evaluate applicants on:

• Undergraduate GPA and academic standing
• Relevant coursework or research experience
• Statement of purpose and letters of recommendation
• English proficiency scores (IELTS or TOEFL remain mandatory even when GRE is not)

For a closer look at where to apply, our MS in Canada: top universities roundup and our MS in Canada for Indian students guide cover fees and requirements for GRE-free programs in more depth.

Counselor Insight: If your target list consists entirely of GRE-free programs, do not skip planning for test prep altogether. Many students apply to Canada and the US or UK in the same cycle, and a GRE score taken early keeps every option open without adding pressure closer to deadlines.

There is no single national cutoff for GRE scores for Canada admission, because so few programs require it and each sets its own bar. The clearest official benchmark available is from the University of Toronto's Economics department, which expects a Quantitative Reasoning score of 160 or above and an Analytical Writing score of 3.5 or above for its MA program.

Where a business school or Engineering PhD program does ask for a GRE score, admissions committees generally weigh the Quantitative Reasoning section more heavily than Verbal, particularly for STEM and analytics-driven programs. A strong, well-rounded score still helps even when a program lists GRE as optional, since it can offset a lower undergraduate GPA or strengthen a scholarship application.

As a general reference point, a combined score above 310 to 320 out of a total of 340 is usually considered strong for the programs that do look at the GRE.

For the full section-by-section breakdown of what counts as a good score, see our guide on what is a good GRE score out of 340.

"Great waiver" at Canadian universities is a slightly misleading way to describe what is actually happening at most schools. Canadian universities have not typically introduced a formal "waiver" process the way some US schools did during the pandemic. Instead, the large majority simply removed GRE from their standard admission requirements altogether, so there is nothing to waive in the first place.

The distinction matters for your application. A university with a genuine waiver process may still ask you to request an exemption or explain why you are not submitting a score. A university that has removed the GRE requirement entirely, like Waterloo, does not need any such request from you. Check the specific program page's wording carefully: "not required" and "waived on request" are two different processes with different steps.

This GRE vs no-GRE universities Canada landscape shifts almost every admission cycle as departments review their own outcomes, so re-check requirements each time you apply rather than relying on what a program asked for last year.

Counselor Insight: If a program's page uses the word "waiver," treat that as a signal that the GRE is still the default expectation, and you may need to submit a short request or explanation to skip it. Do not assume silence on GRE means an automatic waiver.

If your shortlist is built entirely around MS in Canada without GRE programs, taking the exam anyway can still be worth the effort in specific situations. Consider it if:

• You are applying to both Canada and the US in the same cycle, since GRE requirements are more common and less predictable across US programs
• Your undergraduate GPA is on the lower side, and a strong GRE score could support your file
• You are targeting a competitive scholarship that considers standardized test scores as one input
• Your target program is data-heavy or research-intensive, and a strong Quant score adds credibility to your application

If none of these apply and every program on your list has confirmed no GRE requirement, your prep time is better spent on a strong statement of purpose and a well-documented CV.

If Canada is one of several countries on your list, check our separate roundup of GRE accepted universities in the USA, since the US GRE landscape is far less consistent than Canada's.

The GRE General Test costs Rs. 22,000 ($220) in India as of 2026, whether you take it at a test centre or through the at-home option, according to ETS's published fee structure. This is separate from your IELTS or TOEFL fee and separate from any application fees charged by individual Canadian universities.

Additional GRE-related fees to budget for:

If even one program on your shortlist needs a GRE score, plan the test at least four to five months before your application deadline. This allows time for a retake if needed and for scores to reach the university before the deadline. Canadian universities run Fall, Winter, and sometimes Spring intakes, and deadlines vary widely by program and department.

Our 2026 guide to Canada intakes breaks down deadlines and visa timelines by intake so you can work backward to a GRE test date that doesn't clash with anything else on your checklist.

1. Confirm your GRE requirement at the department level, not the university level. Aggregator score tables are frequently outdated for Canada.
2. If your entire shortlist is GRE-free, consider redirecting your prep time toward your statement of purpose and CV instead of the exam.
3. Register for the GRE at least four to five months before your earliest application deadline if even one program on your list requires or recommends it.

Not sure whether your specific program needs a GRE score or how your profile stacks up? Talk to a LeapScholar counselor before you shortlist.