Top 10 MBA Programs with GMAT/GRE Waiver

Introduction

GMAT and GRE waiver means that the students’ score to give GMAT or GRE will no longer be required in the admission process. Schools abroad always consider GMAT and GRE in the admission process. Whenever studying abroad option is available for the students, they always think about GMAT and GRE exams. Some students also give both GRE and GMAT and get a good score. Both of these exams are considered very important and hence considered first. The students also find these examinations to be costly. Due to the ongoing global pandemic, the lives of people are affected. The entire education system of the students has been disturbed. The education of the students has evolved in different aspects in the present times. The parents face difficulty in paying the children’s education fees due to a lack of financial stability. The students face problem in pursuing the educational path of their interest.

Moreover, there is an increase in the fees of the GRE exam for Indian candidates. The ETS and the GMAC organizations conducting the GRE and the GMAT have developed GMAT and GRE fee waiver programmes to overcome these issues. There are also GMAT and GRE waiver universities that no longer require the students’ GMAT/GRE scores. GMAT and GRE waiver means that the students’ score to give GMAT or GRE will no longer be required in the admission process. This gives some relief to the student, as if the student does not receive the exam fee waiver, they can have the exam waived in certain schools. In the case where the student does not get the exam waived, they may get the exam fee waived. Instead of the GMAT/GRE score, the schools ask for different details. Every University has its own admission requirements. This blog contains all information regarding the same.

GRE Fee Reduction Programme

People all around the globe faced adverse effects of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The effects were adverse, including losing a job to the loss of lives of family members and friends. The education of the students has also been adversely affected. Many students wish to give the GRE and GMAT but somehow cannot meet the exam’s financial requirements. To solve this issue of the students, ETS, the conducting organization of GRE, offered a GRE fee reduction voucher. The students get a 50% reduction in the GRE fee waiver. The candidates can use the voucher to give one GRE General Test and/or one GRE Subject Test. The students opting for the GRE fee waiver also get access to test materials for free, usually U.S. $100, approximately INR 7,300.

The eligibility criteria to get the GRE fee waiver are as follows:

• You must be a citizen of the U.S. or a resident alien.
• If in case you are unemployed, then you must be 18 years of age or above. You must be unemployed at that particular time or six months back. You will also have to provide unemployment proof in which you have to submit an Unemployment Benefits Statement for the last 90 days.
• If you are an unenrolled college student, you need to have a SAR, which will help show that you have a self-supporting status and a maximum contribution of U.S. $3000.
• In the case of a college senior, you will provide a FAFSA Student Aid Report, which reflects the contribution of your parents of a maximum U.S. $2500. Therefore, if you are self-supporting, then the maximum contribution needs to be US$3000.

GMAT Fee Reduction Programme

The GMAT fee reduction procedure is a bit different from the GRE reduction procedure. GMAC, the conducting organization of GMAT, gives everybody the opportunity for GMAT fee waiver as the schools abroad, like the business schools and the undergraduate schools, decide who to give the fee waiver. The students have to request the schools to grant them a GMAT fee waiver. GMAC suggests that the schools should give fee waivers to those students who are having financial difficulty. The schools can give ten fee waivers in a year. The schools have their eligibility criteria for the GMAT fee waiver. The students will provide a financial need statement that will justify their economical condition. The whole process needs to reflect why you cannot afford the GMAT fee.

GRE and GMAT Fee Waiver for Indian Students

There is no GRE fee waiver for Indian students as of now. To attain a GRE fee waiver, the candidate should be a U.S. citizen or a resident alien. As far as GMAT fee waiver is concerned, the students applying are responsible for granting the fee waiver for GMAT. The eligibility criteria for each school varies. The student will show the fee waiver requirement with proof to get a GMAT fee waiver. Unfortunately, there is no GRE fee waiver for Indian students. Indian students in need of a fee waiver get advised to consider either the GMAT fee waiver schools or explore GMAT/GRE waiver universities. These universities do not require the GMAT/GRE scores at all.

GRE Fee Waiver Programmes in the United States

The United States is a very common country for higher education and provides exceptional programmes with a GRE fee waiver. Some national programmes help the students with the GRE fee waiver. These programmes help those students who need financial help, who are first-generation students or are from underrepresented groups. The students opting for a GRE fee waiver from these programmes will require proper documentation. The documents should have proof of your economic condition. The U.S. based national programmes are as follows:

• Education USA Opportunity Fund Program
• Gates Millennium Scholars Program
• Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT)
• Management Leaders of Tomorrow
• Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR) Program
• National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science Program (GEM)
• NSF Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program
• Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP)
• Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Program
• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
• TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) Program

Top 10 GMAT/GRE Waiver MBA Programmes

Top universities abroad have given GMAT/GRE waiver MBA programmes. This change has occurred due to the covid-19 situation all over the world. GMAT/GRE scores are made optional for admission in the schools abroad. The scores are not needed anymore in some schools. This change will be temporary due to the shutdown of test centres where GMAT/GRE tests occur. Even though there is the option of giving GMAT/GRE in at-home mode, some universities have temporarily changed their policies. The GMAT/GRE are costly exams that not everybody in this pandemic can afford. The universities now demand different details depending on the school. The universities are now concentrating on the work experience, coursework and certifications of the candidate. The top 10 GMAT/GRE waiver universities are listed below:

FAQs

1. Are GMAT and GRE waived permanently?

• The GRE/GMAT waiver universities have taken up this change in their policies due to the coronavirus pandemic all around the globe. The universities took this step for the current admission year, which is 2021-2022. As soon as the situation comes back to normal, GRE and GMAT scores are chances to be considered again for admissions.

2. How to apply for a GMAT fee waiver?

• The students who want to apply for a GMAT fee waiver have to fill up a form. The form is available on the official website of GMAC. After filling up the form, the students can follow up on the information sent by GMAC.

3. What to do if the fee waiver date is expired?

• The candidates must take the exam before the expiration date of the fee waiver. The students cannot use the fee waiver for the exam available on any other day. If there is time in expiration, but the students decide not to give the exam, cancel or reschedule, the fee waiver will be expired, and students cannot reuse it.

4. Can we get a refund of the fees of GRE?

• If you cancel your registration four days before your test day, the student will get a 50% refund of the fees. The fee refunds will be in U.S. dollars. There will be no cash refunds. Candidates will not be refunded if they fail to give their identification proof.

5. If we need to get a GMAT/GRE waiver from top universities, do we need to send only the letter?

• To get a GMAT/GRE waiver, each school or University demand different details based on which they decide whether the student requires the waiver or not. Some universities ask for letters, essay, previous SAT scores, depending on their policies.