Thousands of applicants worldwide dream of going to Harvard each year.
A persistent question that I get asked by many of these applicants is what role the GRE plays in gaining admission to Harvard.
Harvard being very competitive, does not rely on any single criterion for acceptance. Instead, it looks at many factors, from your essays to your interviews and letters of recommendation.
However, the GRE and your GPA are the most critical factors that decide your fate.
In this Article
Harvard has Several Prestigious Schools.
Harvard University, one of the elite IVY League, has the following schools that accept GRE scores.
- Harvard Business School
- Harvard Law School
- Harvard Graduate School of Design
- Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Harvard Kennedy School
These schools offer some of the most globally renowned programs, with an average acceptance rate of less than 15%.
Most of the programs under these schools require the GRE, whereas some either don’t need it or make it an optional requirement.
Harvard is a Tough Nut to Crack
Since Harvard is the most prestigious school in the world, it is natural that getting admission there will be highly competitive.
For over half of the programs offered at various Harvard schools, the average GRE score requirements are in the upper 80th Percentile.
Even in Engineering, where Verbal scores are unimportant, Harvard’s GRE verbal expected score is 162+.
Moreover, having a high GRE score does not guarantee admission since Harvard considers so many other factors. Some of these factors include:
- Immaculate Personal Statement or Essays
- The calibre of your referees and their references
- Work Experience (in case of professional degrees)
- Research experience & Publications (in case of research programs)
- GPA and your grades in relevant courses
When applying to Harvard, you should strive to perfect every aspect of your application.
GRE & GPA are part of the process but don’t solely rely on them. The competition is fierce, so you should be putting months of effort into planning your application to any Harvard program.
In addition, purchasing college essays online can also affect applicant scores, so be careful using those services.
What is Harvard’s Average GRE score?
The average GRE score requirement varies from school to school at Harvard.
For instance, Harvard Graduate School of Education accepted PhD candidates with an average of 156 (Quantitative) and 159 (verbal).
On the other hand, for the engineering school, the Quant scores were 167, while verbal scores stood at 162.
So, you cannot aim for one specific score since it varies greatly between disciplines and depends on other broader criteria.
A graduate program in English would require a 90th percentile or so verbal score.
Even for Analytical Writing (AWA), which is not considered very important, Harvard’s overall average AWA score is around 4.5.
Regardless of whichever discipline you are targeting, you should aim for a high 85 percentile score on each section.
Harvard law school, for example, requires either the LSAT or the GRE. Though Law schools are not very focused on quant scores, Harvard Law School (HLS) students have an average GRE score in mid 80th Percentile. (162+ Quant and 161+ Verbal)
Those looking for bursaries will have a better chance with a higher GRE score.
Moreover, anomalies are always there – for instance, a student recently got into Harvard business with a GRE score of 159 Q and 154 V.
Now, why did this happen?
It is simple; he had over seven years of professional experience with over four marketing publications in reputed international journals.
The key is not to fret over the GRE scores since you are a well-rounded candidate – however, if you lack in other areas, then GRE can be a saviour.
Below I have divided the average GRE score requirement of each of Harvard’s schools.
Moreover, within each school, you will find the average GRE scores of the admitted applicants for the respective individual programs.
All programs have been arranged for you, and in case you have trouble finding your program, you can use the search bar in the tables.
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School’s programs have an average GRE Quant Score of 166 (84 percentile), Verbal Score of 162 (90 percentile), and AWA Score of 5.0 (91 percentile).
Moreover, they recommend an average GPA of 3.85.
Specifically, HBS’s MBA program has an average GRE Quant score of 167 (87 percentile), Verbal score of 163 (92 percentile), and AWA Score of 5.0 (91 percentile). The MBA program also requires and average GPA of 3.7.
Therefore, a good GRE score for getting into the MBA program at Harvard would be 168+ on Quant, 164+ on verbal, and a 5.5+ on the AWA.
Program Offered Average GRE Quant Score Average GRE Verbal Score Average GRE AWA Score Average Undergraduate GPA
MBA 167 163 5.0 3.7
MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences 164 162 5.0 3.8
PhD in Business Administration 165 161 5.5 3.85
PhD in Business Economics 164 162 5.0 3.75
PhD program in Organizational Behavior 165 161 5.0 3.8
Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Harvard Engineering has an average GRE Quant Score of 167 (87 percentile), Verbal Score of 163 (92 percentile), and AWA Score of 3.8 (54 percentile).
Moreover, the program recommends an average GPA of 3.8.
Therefore, a good GRE score for getting into Harvard Engineering would be 168+ on Quant, 165+ on verbal, and 4.5+ on the AWA.
Program Offered Average GRE Quant Score Average GRE Verbal Score Average GRE AWA Score Average Undergraduate GPA
Applied Mathematics (Ph.D.) 168 160 4.5 3.9
Applied Physics (Ph.D.) 167 161 5.0 3.85
Bioengineering (Ph.D.) 167 160 4.5 3.9
Computer Science (Ph.D.) 168 161 4.5 3.7
Electrical Engineering (Ph.D.) 168 162 5.0 3.85
Environmental Science & Engineering (Ph.D.) 168 161 5.0 3.9
Master in Design Engineering 168 162 5.0 3.9
Master's in Computational Science and Engineering 167 162 4.5 3.80
Master's in Data Science 168 161 4.5 3.85
Materials Science & Mechanical Engineering (Ph.D.) 167 161 4.5 3.8
MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences 167 162 4.5 3.8
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Design and Architecture has an average GRE Quant Score of 159 (64 percentile), Verbal Score of 158 (78 percentile), and AWA Score of 3.6 (37 percentile).
Moreover, they also recommend an average GPA of 3.6.
So, in terms of GRE and GPA, Harvard Architecture is not as rigorous as other programs like Engineering and Business.
Therefore, a good GRE score for getting into Harvard Design and Architecture would be 160+ on Quant, 160+ on verbal, and a 4.0+ on the AWA.
Program Offered Average GRE Quant Score Average GRE Verbal Score Average GRE AWA Score Average Undergraduate GPA
Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design 160 156 4.5 3.6
Master of Architecture in Urban Design 159 158 4.0 3.6
Master in Urban Planning and Public Policy 158 157 4.5 3.65
Master in Urban Planning and Public Health 160 157 4.0 3.6
Master in Urban Planning and Public Administration 159 157 4.0 3.58
Master in Urban Planning and Juris Doctor 159 158 4.5 3.6
Master in Urban Planning 159 156 4.0 3.7
Master in Landscape Architecture 160 156 4.5 3.65
Master in Design Studies (MDes) 159 160 4.0 3.6
Master in Architecture 159 157 4.0 3.6
Doctor of Design Program (DDes) 159 157 4.0 3.6
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard Education program has an average GRE Quant Score of 157 (57 percentile), Verbal Score of 158 (78 percentile), and AWA Score of 3.6 (54 percentile).
Moreover, they recommend an average GPA of 3.6.
Like Harvard’s School of Architecture, Harvard’s School of Education is not cutthroat regarding GRE scores and GPA.
Therefore, a good GRE score for getting into the Harvard School of Education would be 158+ on Quant, 160+ on verbal, and a 4.0+ on the AWA.
Program Offered Average GRE Quant Score Average GRE Verbal Score Average GRE AWA Score Average Undergraduate GPA
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education 158 159 4.5 3.5
Master's in Education 156 159 4.0 3.6
The Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) 157 160 4.5 3.65
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Harvard’s MPH program has an average GRE Quant Score of 160 (67 percentile), Verbal Score of 158 (78 percentile), and AWA Score of 4.5 (79 percentile).
Moreover, the programs also have an average GPA of 3.8.
Therefore, a good GRE score for getting into Harvard’s Public Health programs would be 162+ on Quant, 160+ on verbal, and a 5.0+ on the AWA.
| Program Offered | Average GRE Quant Score | Average GRE Verbal Score | Average GRE AWA Score | Average Undergraduate GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor of Public Health | 160 | 158 | 5.0 | 3.8 |
| Master in Health Care Management | 159 | 157 | 4.5 | 3.7 |
| Master of Public Health | 160 | 157 | 5.0 | 3.65 |
| MPH in Epidemiology Online/On-Campus | 159 | 158 | 4.5 | 3.65 |
| PhD in Biological Sciences in Public Health | 160 | 158 | 5.0 | 3.8 |
| PhD in Biostatistics | 161 | 158 | 5.5 | 3.85 |
| PhD in Population Health Sciences | 160 | 158 | 4.5 | 3.8 |
| PhD program in Health Policy (Management) | 162 | 165 | 5.0 | 3.7 |
Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Kennedy School programs, like MPP and MPA, have an average GRE Quant Score of 160 (67 percentile), Verbal Score of 163 (92 percentile), and AWA Score of 4.5 (79 percentile).
Moreover, the programs also has an average GPA of 3.7.
Therefore, a good GRE score for getting into their Public Policy and Administration programs would be 162+ on Quant, 165+ on verbal, and a 5.0+ on the AWA.
Program Offered Average GRE Quant Score Average GRE Verbal Score Average GRE AWA Score Average Undergraduate GPA
Master in Public Administration 160 162 4.5 3.65
Master in Public Administration in International Development 159 164 5.0 3.7
Master in Public Policy 159 163 4.5 3.6
Mid-Career Master in Public Administration 158 162 4.5 3.65
PhD in Public Policy 162 164 5.0 3.7
PhD in Political Economy & Government 161 165 5.0 3.8
PhD in Social Policy 162 163 4.5 3.8
PhD in Political Science GRE is not required
Harvard Medical School
GRE recommended, GPA Average: 3.8
Program Offered Average GRE Quant Score Average GRE Verbal Score Average GRE AWA Score Average Undergrad GPA
PhD in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics GRE recommended, not required 3.8
PhD in Biological and Biomedical Sciences GRE recommended, not required 3.85
PhD in Immunology GRE recommended, not required 3.75
PhD in Neuroscience GRE recommended, not required 3.8
PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology GRE recommended, not required 3.8
PhD in Virology GRE recommended, not required 3.85
Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Arts programs at Harvard mostly don’t require a GRE score. However, some do.
The ones that do require a GRE score, recommend an average GRE Quant Score of 155 (51 percentile), Verbal Score of 158 (78 percentile), and AWA Score of 3.5 (37 percentile).
Moreover, the arts programs also require an average GPA of 3.6.
Similarly, some science programs at Harvard also don’t need a GRE score. But the ones that do, recommend a 164 on Math, 158 on verbal and a 4.5 on AWA.
Program Offered Average GRE Quant Score Average GRE Verbal Score Average GRE AWA Score Average Undergraduate GPA
Creative Practice and Critical Inquiry (PhD only) 156 161 4.5 3.5
Master's and PhD in Celtic Languages and Literatures GRE recommended, not required 3.6
Master's and PhD in History of Science GRE recommended, not required 3.7
Master's and PhD in Middle Eastern Studies 154 157 4.0 3.6
Master's and PhD in Music
Specialization in Composition156 161 4.5 3.5
Masters and PhD in Anthropology GRE recommended, not required 3.7
Masters and PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations 155 162 4.5 3.6
Masters and PhD in South Asian Studies 155 162 4.5 3.6
Masters in Regional Studies–East Asia 157 163 5.0 3.7
Masters in Regional Studies–Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia 158 163 4.5 3.7
Music Theory (PhD only) 156 161 4.5 3.5
Musicology/Ethnomusicology (PhD only) 156 161 4.5 3.5
Musicology/Historical (PhD only) 156 161 4.5 3.5
Performance Practice* (Master's only) 156 161 4.5 3.5
PhD in African and African American Studies 153 164 5.0 3.7
PhD in American Studies GRE is not required 3.8
PhD in Astronomy GRE is not required 3.9
PhD in Biophysics 168 164 5.0 3.9
PhD in Chemical Physics 166 162 4.5 3.98
PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology 166 162 4.5 3.98
PhD in Comparative Literature 153 164 5.0 3.6
PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences 166 162 5.0 3.8
PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations 155 163 5.5 3.7
PhD in Economics 168 165 5.5 3.8
PhD in English GRE is not required 3.7
PhD in Film and Visual Studies 156 167 5.0 3.7
PhD in Germanic Languages and Literatures 154 162 5.0 3.8
PhD in Government 156 161 4.5 3.7
PhD in History 151 164 5.0 3.8
PhD in History of Art and Architecture 157 162 4.5 3.7
PhD in Human Evolutionary Biology GRE recommended, not required 3.6
PhD in Inner Asian and Altaic Studies GRE is Required but Scores are not available 3.6
PhD in Physics GRE is not required
GRE Subject in Physics is optional3.8
PhD in Psychology 157 162 4.5 3.7
PhD in Relegion GRE recommended, not required 3.7
PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures 158 165 5.0 3.8
PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures GRE is not required 3.9
PhD in Sociology GRE is Required but Scores are not available 3.8
PhD in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology (SHBT) GRE recommended, not required 3.8
PhD in Statistics 168 159 4.5 3.9
PhD in Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology? GRE recommended, not required 3.7
PhD in The Classics 153 163 4.5 3.8
Does Harvard have a Minimum GRE Score requirement?
Harvard values diversity. None of the programs offered at Harvard has any fixed selection criteria.
Based on Harvard’s data, a minimum GRE score is 158 on Math, 155 on Verbal, and 4 on Analytical Writing.
You can get into Harvard even if you have low GRE scores. There are numerous cases where applicants scored far below the minimum GRE score but they got admitted.
Moreover, if you have a strong profile – international publications in high impact factor jorunals and conferences, strong recommendation letters, a pursuasive personal statement, and a high 3.5+ GPA – then you can get into Harvard even with a very low GRE score of below 300.
What is an Ideal GRE score for Harvard?
For STEM programs, an ideal GRE score for Harvard is 165+ for Math, 162+ for Verbal, and a 4.5+ for AWA.
For Non-STEM programs, an ideal GRE score for Harvard is 160+ for Math, 164+ for Verbal, and a 5.0+ for AWA.
Can I get into Harvard with a Low GRE score?
Harvard considers several factors before deciding admissions decisions. However, Harvard uses no formulae or quantitative measures to determine success.
Academic excellence is one critical parameter that Harvard uses to assess applicants. This is usually determined by a high GRE score or a high GPA.
If you don’t have a very high GRE score, you should have a 3.5+ GPA so that Harvard feels confident in your academic abilities.
Conversely, if your GPA and GRE are below par, then admission is unlikely.
It also depends on the program to which you are applying. Engineering, Business, Economics, and Finance are incredibly Quant and GPA heavy.
In these programs, successful applicants have a 3.7+ GPA and a 165+ Quantitative score.
You can take a shot with a 60+ percentile score if you have some extraordinary achievements like research, publications, or significant professional work.
Otherwise, if your other profile is pretty average, anything below 160 on Math and a less than 3.5 GPA is a sure-shot rejection.
Some applicants can make it into Harvard even with very low Cumulative GPAs. This is because they have very high grades in relevant and rigorous courses. So, the individual grades of your undergrad courses matter a lot as well.
Should I take the GRE if my program doesn’t require it?
Some programs recommend taking the GRE, but they don’t require the GRE. In such cases, always take the GRE and aim for at least a 60th percentile score. This is because many applicants take the GRE and apply even if their program doesn’t need one. Therefore, to remain relevant in the eyes of the admissions panel, you should take the GRE.
In these instances, not taking the GRE will not disqualify you, but taking the GRE will give you a better chance of getting accepted.
Ultimately, even just one problem with your application, such as a clichéd statement of purpose or sloppy CV, can make Harvard decide to reject you. So spend time making each element of your application shine!
These scores have been collected from Harvard’s websites. However, some Harvard schools did not publicly provide their GRE scores, so we reached out to them or to their past or current students to get this information.