Which universities can I target with a GRE score of 315 or above?

Among IMFS students who scored GRE 315 or above and finalised at a university (n≥10 per university), observed destinations include UC Irvine (avg 319), Carnegie Mellon (avg 318), SUNY Stony Brook (avg 317), UC San Diego (avg 317), Purdue (avg 316), NYU (avg 316), Columbia (avg 316), Georgia Tech (avg 316), UPenn (avg 316), and UIUC (avg 315). These are observed outcomes among IMFS students, not official admission cutoffs. Source: IMFS Admissions Intelligence Dataset v2026.1.

What universities do IMFS students with GRE 305-314 typically finalise at?

Among IMFS students who scored GRE 305-314 and finalised at a university (n≥10 per university), observed destinations include North Carolina State (avg 313), University of Maryland (avg 313), USC (avg 312), and Johns Hopkins (avg 311). The IMFS overall GRE average is 305.5 (n=3,700+), so this range represents scores at or near the IMFS average. Source: IMFS Admissions Intelligence Dataset v2026.1.

Can I get into a good university with a GRE score under 300?

Yes — 25% of IMFS students who gave GRE scored under 300 (n=937), and many of these students finalised at US universities. The average published GRE benchmark across 206 USA universities in the IMFS database is 292, meaning a 300 score meets or exceeds the average published minimum at most universities in the dataset, though it falls below the averages observed at the most selective programs. This dataset does not contain outcome data linking specific sub-300 scores to specific university admission decisions. Source: IMFS Admissions Intelligence Dataset v2026.1.

IMFS Insights · Checklist · GRE Shortlist · INS-009

GRE University Shortlist by Score — IMFS Admissions Data Checklist (2026)

Question: Which universities did students with a similar GRE score actually finalise at? Dataset: IMFS Admissions Intelligence Dataset v2026.1 · 3,700+ GRE records · 2017–2026 Analysis: Descriptive observational · Inference: Non-causal Release: IMFS-INS-009-v1.0 · Published 18 June 2026

Prepared by IMFS Insights Team · Executive review: Inderjit Singh Matta, CEO — IMFS · 4 min read

3,694 IMFS GRE
records

305.5 IMFS average
GRE score

38% scored
310+

25% scored
under 300

How to use this checklist

Find your GRE score range below to see which universities IMFS students with similar scores actually finalised at. This is built entirely from observed outcomes in the IMFS dataset — not published cutoffs, not estimates, and not a guarantee of admission at any score level.

This distribution shows where every IMFS GRE-taker falls — use it alongside the tier tables below to see roughly what share of IMFS students share your score range. Source: IMFS Admissions Intelligence Dataset v2026.1.

Tier 1 — GRE 315 and above

Among IMFS students who scored in this range and finalised at a university (n≥10 per university, all cohorts 2017–2026):

University	n (IMFS)	Avg GRE observed	Confidence
University of California – Irvine	11	319	Emerging
Carnegie Mellon University	48	318	Medium
SUNY – Stony Brook	21	317	Medium
University of California – San Diego	16	317	Emerging
Purdue University – West Lafayette	19	316	Emerging
New York University	22	316	Medium
Columbia University	31	316	Medium
Georgia Institute of Technology	31	316	Medium
University of Pennsylvania	11	316	Emerging
University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign	28	315	Medium

Tier 2 — GRE 305 to 314

This range includes the IMFS overall average (305.5). Among IMFS students who scored here and finalised at a university (n≥10). Confidence reflects sample size: High (n≥50), Medium (n=20–49), Emerging (n=10–19).

University	n (IMFS)	Avg GRE observed	Confidence
North Carolina State University	71	313	High
University of Maryland – College Park	44	313	Medium
University of Southern California	106	312	High
Johns Hopkins University	15	311	Emerging

These four universities are the only ones in this score range meeting the n≥10 threshold in this dataset. Many other universities in the IMFS database have average GRE scores in this range but fewer than 10 IMFS records, so are excluded from this table per the project's reporting threshold — see methodology.

Tier 3 — High admit-volume universities (GRE-optional or score not separately tracked)

These universities show the highest total admit volume among IMFS students across all cohorts. This dataset does not contain a separate verified GRE average for these specific universities — many accept students through GRE-optional pathways or the IMFS sample size for GRE-specific scores at these institutions falls below the n≥10 threshold.

University	Total IMFS admits (all pathways)
Northeastern University	1,067
Stevens Institute of Technology	908
University of Texas – Dallas	575
University of Texas – Arlington	529
New Jersey Institute of Technology	528
Syracuse University	509
George Mason University	505
Rochester Institute of Technology	480
SUNY Buffalo	442
Drexel University	358

Important: "Admits" here means total IMFS students who finalised at this university through any pathway, including GRE-optional admission — it is not a GRE score average. Do not interpret high admit volume as indicating a specific GRE requirement. Source: IMFS Admissions Intelligence Dataset v2026.1.

If your GRE score is under 300

What the data shows

25% of IMFS GRE-takers scored under 300 (n=937) — many still finalised at US universities

The average published GRE benchmark across 206 USA universities in the IMFS database is 292 (university-published minimum/average GRE requirements, compiled by IMFS as of March 2026) — meaning a 300 score meets or exceeds the average published minimum at most universities in this dataset. This dataset does not contain outcome data linking specific sub-300 scores to specific university admission decisions, so no university-by-score table is published for this range.

What this checklist does not mean

These tiers reflect where IMFS students with similar scores happened to finalise — not admission requirements or guarantees.
A score in a given tier does not guarantee admission to any university listed in that tier.
Admission depends on CGPA, SOP, recommendations, work experience and program fit — not GRE score alone.
University requirements change over time. Figures reflect March 2026 data and may have changed since publication.
Universities with fewer than 10 IMFS GRE records are not shown, per the project's reporting threshold.

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