Sigh of relief as US univs waive GRE requirement

Hyderabad: In a sigh of relief for those aspiring to pursue their higher education abroad, several universities in the United States have waived the need for standardised GRE tests for admissions in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Prominent institutions such as UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and Northeastern

University

are now allowing students’ admissions based on their school and college grades.

“As a working professional, I hardly got time to prepare for the GRE. This year though several universities waived the need for the test which has been a great advantage,” said Jayanthi Yalamanchili, a techie working in the city and who has got admission in five universities for their fall intake. Yalamanchili is going to pursue her master’s degree in computer sciences, with a specialisation in cyber security.

Another techie, Prasanthi too hopes to head to the US soon for a master’s course in computer sciences. “The pandemic has meant that some colleges have relaxed their criteria which is a boon for us. My marks in college were strong and ensured I could make several successful applications,” she said. While competition for top universities still remains tough, dozens of mid-rung schools are offering a waiver for various reasons including aspirants not being able to get dates for GRE tests.

“Cleveland State University, Rowan University, Texas A&M Commerce, Fairleigh Dickinson University are among the many schools that have relaxed their criteria and are giving admission with lesser scores too,” confirmed Sanjeev Rai, founder, Hyderabad Overseas Consultants. “Besides the GRE waiver, students are being offered other options for English proficiency including accepting students whose mode of instruction is English, Duolingo test, IELTS indicator. They are also waiving the need of hard copies of documents,” he added.

“To make sure students do not lose time universities have introduced blended learning — remote and classroom learning. As remote learning has come into play, several universities are waiving standardised tests. This helps attract more students during times of pandemic,” said Surya Ganesh Valmiki, chairman, Valmiki Group.