How long are GRE scores valid?

The answer: five years from the test date

GRE scores are reportable for 5 years following your test date, according to ETS score guidance (accessed 2026-08-07). The clock starts on the day you test, not the day results post or the day you apply. So a test taken today stays reportable through the same date five years from now.

What five years means in practice

Because the window is five years, an older but still-recent score remains usable. The ScoreSelect All and Any options (accessed 2026-08-07) let you send scores from any administration in the last five years. That means a strong score from two or three years ago can still go to schools without a fresh sitting.

Timing across multiple application cycles

If you might apply over several cycles, plan so the score still covers all of them within the five-year window described by ETS. Testing too early can leave a score expired before your last intended deadline. When in doubt, sit close enough that the reportable window stretches past your final application.

If you need a fresher score

If a score is aging out or you want a stronger one, you can retake. ETS permits a retake once every 21 days, up to five times per rolling 12-month period (accessed 2026-08-07), so a fresher result is rarely far off.

Sources

Every source below was accessed on the listed date. Pages — especially department admissions pages — change without notice; the links go to the live versions.

1. Getting Your GRE General Test Scores — ETS. Accessed 2026-09-10.
2. Sending Your GRE General Test Scores — ETS. Accessed 2026-09-10.
3. GRE Test Registration — ETS. Accessed 2026-09-10.

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