Do You Need the GRE for Nursing Grad School?

Reviewed June 1, 2026 by the ScrubScope editorial team.

For most applicants today, the GRE is not universally required for nursing graduate school, because a large and growing share of MSN, DNP, and NP programs have made the exam optional or waived it entirely, often for applicants who meet a GPA threshold or already hold a nursing license. The trend over the past several years has moved clearly away from requiring the GRE. That said, "many waive it" is not "none require it," so the only reliable answer is to check each target program's current admissions page. This guide explains the GRE's place in nursing-graduate admissions and how to determine whether you need it.

The short answer

You often do not need the GRE for nursing graduate school, because many MSN, DNP, and NP programs have dropped it as a requirement or made it optional, frequently waiving it for applicants above a stated GPA or with an active RN license. The GRE is a general graduate-admissions test published by ETS, measuring verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing, and it is used across many fields, not nursing specifically^[1]. Because requirements differ by program and change over time, confirm against each program's current admissions page rather than assuming. Where the GRE is waived, programs weigh undergraduate GPA, prerequisites, experience, and essays more heavily, which connects to the broader admissions picture in the prerequisites guide.

What the GRE is and why nursing used it

Understanding what the GRE measures explains both why programs once required it and why many no longer do.

The GRE General Test is a standardized exam from ETS assessing verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing, and graduate programs across many disciplines have historically used it as a common yardstick to compare applicants from different undergraduate backgrounds^[1]. Nursing graduate programs adopted it for the same reason: a shared metric on top of GPA and experience.

Over time, many nursing programs concluded that the GRE added little predictive value beyond undergraduate performance, prerequisites, clinical experience, and licensure, and that requiring it created a barrier and cost without a clear admissions benefit. That reasoning, common across graduate education, is why a substantial number of programs dropped or made the test optional. The result is that for nursing specifically, the GRE is now frequently not required.

The waiver trend

The clearest practical fact is the direction of travel: toward fewer GRE requirements.

The movement away from requiring the GRE has been broad across graduate admissions, and nursing has participated, with many MSN, DNP, and NP programs now listing the GRE as optional, waived under certain conditions, or not required at all. Common waiver conditions include an undergraduate GPA above a stated threshold, holding an active RN license, or having a degree from an accredited program. This means an applicant who might once have needed the test often qualifies for a waiver under current rules.

Because this is a trend rather than a universal rule, a few programs, particularly some competitive or research-oriented ones, still require or recommend the GRE, and individual programs can change their policy year to year. So the trend tells you the GRE is probably not required for many of your options, but it does not tell you about a specific program; only that program's current page does.

How to tell whether you need it

The reliable method is program-by-program verification, not a general assumption.

Check the current admissions or requirements page for each program you plan to apply to, looking specifically for whether the GRE is required, optional, or waived, and under what conditions any waiver applies. Note that "optional" and "waived above a GPA" are different: an optional test you may still choose to submit if a strong score would help, while a conditional waiver applies automatically if you meet the criterion. Verify the policy for the current admissions cycle, since a program that required the GRE a few years ago may not now, and vice versa^[1].

If even one target program requires the GRE, you will need to plan and budget for the test, including registration time and study; if none do, you can skip it. Mapping this into your overall application schedule matters, since the test takes time to prepare for, which ties into the timeline for advancing to an NP role in the how long to become an NP guide. We give no admissions advising; the program's office is the authority on its requirements.

One caution when verifying: a program's general graduate-school page and its specific nursing-program page can list different requirements, and the nursing program's own page governs. A blanket "GRE required" notice on a university's graduate-admissions site may not apply to a nursing program that has separately waived it, or the reverse. Read the requirement on the page for the exact MSN, DNP, or NP program and entry track you are applying to, since requirements can also differ between a BSN-to-DNP and a post-master's track within the same school.

When taking it anyway can help

Even where the GRE is optional, there is a narrow case for sitting it, worth weighing honestly.

If a program lists the GRE as optional and your undergraduate or science GPA is below what you would like admissions to see, a strong GRE score can give the committee an additional positive signal, which is the main reason to take an optional test. Conversely, if your GPA and experience are strong, an optional GRE adds cost and time for little upside, so skipping it is reasonable. For applicants strengthening a graduate application overall, including those coming through an RN-to-BSN first, the RN-to-BSN hub covers that foundation. The decision is individual, and we make no promises about how a score will be weighed; treat an optional GRE as a tool to offset a weaker spot, not a default.

Bottom line

You frequently do not need the GRE for nursing graduate school, because many MSN, DNP, and NP programs now waive it or make it optional, often for applicants above a GPA threshold or holding an RN license, and the trend has moved against requiring it^[1]. Because policies vary by program and change year to year, confirm each target program's current requirement rather than assuming. Where the GRE is optional, consider taking it only if a strong score would offset a weaker GPA; otherwise skip it.

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