Admission Sync

Biological & Biomedical Sciences

The University says  that the subject GRE is optional; should I take it anyway?

The answer is: It depends. If you do really, really well, then it’s clearly a plus. If your background is from a school that’s either

(1) not in the same country as the one you’re applying to

(2) not well known

(3) doesn’t have a great reputation, the subject test is going to matter more.

Basically it’s a way of calibrating what you know. However, unless you do really
poorly, it probably won’t hurt. When in doubt, take a practice test. If you
do well, take it for real. If it’s optional, and you do poorly on the
practice test, don’t take it for real.

You may assume that for your convenience

In case subject GRE is not required for PhD, it will not be required for masters
In case subject GRE recommended for PhD, you can conclude that it might not be required for masters

Please check the university web sites carefully before you decide to apply.

Some Top Universities do not ask for Subject Test Scores.

However I still feel the scores should be sent to them to make your application strong.

Universities requiring Biology Subject Test

1. Stanford University. YES for Doctorate.
School of Humanities and Sciences.

2. Harvard University. YES
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

3. University of California–Berkeley
Graduate Division, College of Letters and Sciences. YES for Doctorate
Dept. of Integrative Biology

4. Johns Hopkins University. YES for Doctorate.
Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

5. Princeton University. YES for Doctorate.

6. Duke University. YES for Doctorate.

7. Columbia University. YES
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

8. Cornell University. YES

9. University of California–San Diego. YES
Graduate Studies and Research

10. Washington University in St. Louis. YES for Doctorate

11. University of California–Los Angeles. YES

12. University of Pennsylvania. YES Doctorate

13. Baylor College of Medicine. YES for Doctorate

14. University of California–Davis. YES Doctorate
Graduate Group in Cell and Developmental Biology

15. Vanderbilt University (TN). Recommended for Doctorate.

16. University of California–Irvine. YES

17. University of Virginia. YES
College of Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

18. Case Western Reserve University. YES

19. Dartmouth College. YES

20. Carnegie Mellon University. YES for Doctorate.

21. Rutgers State University–New Brunswick. YES

22. University of Massachusetts–Amherst. YES

23. University of Pittsburgh. YES

24. University of Rochester. YES

25. New York University YES for Doctorate.

Graduate School of Arts and Science

26. University of Illinois–Chicago. YES
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

27. Arizona State University. YES

28. Boston University. YES
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

29. University of Connecticut. YES

30. University of Kansas. YES

31. University of Miami. YES
College of Arts and Sciences

32. Washington State University. YES

33. University of California–Santa Cruz. YES

34. Colorado State University. YES

35. Syracuse University. YES

36. University of Notre Dame. YES

37. Boston College. YES

38. Wake Forest University. YES

39. College of William and Mary. YES

40. Rutgers State University–Newark. YES for Doctorate

41. Temple University. YES

42. University of Delaware YES

Filed under: Biology Subject test, GRE Subject Test