Do You Need GRE for Germany? (2026 Answer)
Mostly no — but not always. Which German universities and programs ask for GRE, when a good score helps anyway, and how to check your shortlist in 10 minutes.
Direct answer: mostly no. The large majority of German masters programs — including most at the TU9 — do not require the GRE. German admissions run on your bachelor's grades and curriculum match with the target program. A minority of competitive programs (most visibly at TU Munich and RWTH Aachen) require or recommend GRE, sometimes only for applicants from specific countries, including India. So the real answer is: check each program on your shortlist — it takes 10 minutes and can save you ₹20,000 and three months of prep.
How German admissions actually evaluate you
Unlike the US holistic model, most German programs run points-based or threshold evaluations:
- Bachelor's grade (converted to the German 1.0–4.0 scale) — the dominant factor
- Curriculum match — credits in specific subjects (math, signals, programming…) checked line by line against requirements; this is where most rejections happen, not test scores
- Motivation letter, CV — secondary
- GRE — only where the program page says so
This is why a 9.0-CGPA student with a curriculum gap gets rejected while an 8.0 student with perfect course alignment gets in — and why GRE prep is usually the wrong place to invest your Germany effort.
The 10-minute shortlist check
For each program on your list: open the program's official admission requirements page (not an agent site, not a forum) → search the page for "GRE" → record one of three statuses:
| Status | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Required | Plan the exam — typical expectations ~160+ quant for engineering/CS |
| Recommended / optional | Submit only if your score strengthens the file (strong quant offsetting a moderate percentage); skip otherwise |
| Not mentioned | Skip it — don't submit unsolicited scores |
If your entire shortlist lands in rows 2–3 (common), that's ₹20,000 and ~150 prep hours redirected to German A1–A2 — which pays off for the rest of your life there.
When taking GRE anyway makes sense
- Your list mixes the US and Germany — the US side may need it, and scores are valid 5 years (GRE guide)
- You're targeting the specific TUM/RWTH programs that ask for it
- Your bachelor's percentage is borderline for a points-based program that counts an optional GRE — a 165+ quant is real arithmetic in your favor
What Germany actually requires instead
- APS certificate — mandatory for all Indian applicants, before anything else (Germany roadmap)
- English proficiency — IELTS 6.0–6.5 typical for English-taught programs (requirements by country)
- German language — only for German-taught programs (TestDaF/DSH); optional but career-critical otherwise
- Curriculum documentation — transcripts detailed enough for the credit check; some programs ask for module descriptions