In addition to planning your GRE prep studies and scheduling the exam, you also need to think about what it will cost to take the test. Fortunately, the GRE’s fee structures are very predictable. All scores have fixed prices and are clearly listed by ETS.
Test Registration Costs
Registering for the GRE costs $205 USD, unless you’re in China. Those who sit for the GRE in China will need to pay a little extra in GRE fees: $220.70. Of course, sometimes you may encounter complications as you register for the exam. And complications in GRE registration usually mean additional GRE fees.
One extra GRE fee related to registration is a standby fee of $50 USD. A test-taker may pay this fee to be put on a waiting list for a GRE test date and location that has no empty seats. If a seat opens up, the test-taker on standby can be called in to take the test. The fee for being placed on this waiting list is $50 USD.
Then there’s the late registration fee. If you want to take the GRE on a certain day, but you missed the registration deadline for testing on that day, you can still register for an extra fee of $25 USD.
Finally, you can pay a $50 USD fee to change the location or date of your scheduled GRE. Relocation and rescheduling are $50 each in most parts of the world. But here again, GRE fees are higher in China, priced at $53.90 for a reschedule.
Sending and Reviewing Scores
GRE fees related to scoring are cheaper than test registry fees, because many scoring fees are free! As soon as you complete the GRE, your test center will give you the option to send out four free test scores, free of charge. After test day, you can send additional score reports for a fee of $27 USD per report sent.
This infographic outlines the various costs to expect when preparing to take the GRE.
You can also get a free GRE Diagnostic Report, which gives you details on how you performed on the exam—how long it took you to answer each question, which parts of the exam you were strongest and weakest in, and so on. You can view your scores online and print them as a downloadable PDF for free, too.
If you want to review your GRE performance and scores in greater detail, there are extra GRE scoring services for this, at an extra cost. If you take the exam on select test dates, you can receive a copy of the multiple choice questions on your GRE, with an answer key and a list of the questions you got wrong. The GRE fee for Question and Answer Review Service is $50 USD. Then there are score reviews for the AWA, Quant, or Verbal sections of your GRE exam. If your request one of these reviews, ETS will look for miscalculations in your GRE section scores and may potentially raise or lower your scores. A Quant/Verbal score review costs $50 USD, while an AWA review has a fee of $60 USD.
The Takeaway
There are a lot of different GRE fees that ETS could potentially charge you. However, the majority of test-takers will only need to worry about the registration fee. This is not to say that there aren’t other costs related to taking the GRE. Most test-takers will want to spend money on test preparation materials, and possibly other types of GRE prep support. To learn more, check out this full list of what your total GRE test cost could be in both fees and other expenses.
David is a test prep expert at Magoosh. He has a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He has been teaching K-12, University, and adult education classes since 2007 and has worked with students from every continent.
Related Resources:
• Gre Prep Tips
• Making Friends with the GRE: How To Overcome Test Anxiety & Perform at Your Best
• Important Facts About GRE Scoring
