How the GRE Test Can Help Make Your U.S. Study-Abroad Dreams a Reality

The United States is among the most prominent study-abroad destinations for students worldwide. Every year, it attracts hundreds of thousands of international students due to world-class universities, academic excellence, an attractive job market, cosmopolitan cities, and a culturally diverse population.

According to the QS World University Rankings 2023, the United States is home to 5 of the top 10 universities in the world, many of which offer high-quality STEM programs, making master’s degree programs in the United States a popular choice amongst Indian students. Currently, there are over 781 master’s programs to choose from.

United States of America: A Top Destination for Indian Students
Despite the travel and other disruptions caused by the pandemic, the United States has remained the top destination for international students, admitting over 914,000 students from over 200 places of origin. In 2022 alone, the U.S. saw an enrollment of over 300,000 international students, including approximately 167,582 from India.

Even during the most turbulent times of the global pandemic, higher education institutions in the United States remained committed to serving students via remote education and implemented hybrid learning models, ensuring that opportunities and resources remained robust. Additionally, the Biden administration’s welcoming visa policies and rewarding fellowships like the Fulbright grants have also attracted more and more students over the years, making American universities the top preference on their list of study-abroad options. 

Application Requirements
When planning to apply for master’s degree programs in the USA, Indian applicants should check the websites of the programs they intend to apply for to see whether a standardized admissions test is required, suggested, or optional. Most programs that mention testing as suggested or optional will still review submitted scores. It’s generally advisable to submit GRE scores to remain competitive.

The GRE General Test developed by ETS is the most widely accepted admissions test to graduate and business programs around the world, as well as to law schools in the United States. More than 1,300 business schools in over 160+ countries accept the GRE General Test scores including top USA institutions such as Harvard University, the University of Chicago, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for their master’s, MBA and other professional programs. Moreover, these scores are valid for five years, thereby providing test takers with flexibility and options for their future studies beyond what other tests provide. 

Aspiring students can take the test either at one of over 1000 test centres around the world or at home. The GRE General Test at home is monitored using both artificial intelligence and human proctors and is available around the clock, seven days a week. 

Unlike other admissions tests available, the GRE test has convenient features that keep the student in mind. The GRE test allows test takers to skip questions and return to them later and change answers before moving on to the next timed section. Additionally, with the ScoreSelect service, test takers get to send only their best scores to the desired institution. This score could be the recent one or any set of scores received for GRE tests taken in the last five years. 

To help the aspirants with their test preparation, ETS offers POWERPREP Online practice tests that simulate the real test experience and other free and affordable study resources. 

Studying in the US is a dream come true for most students. It’s a country that offers high-quality education, remuneration, and cultural diversity. Receiving an acceptance letter from a US university starts with choosing the best, most widely accepted graduate level admissions test.