Is GRE Required for Masters in Germany? The Pakistan Rule

There is no single answer for all of Germany: each university and programme sets its own admission rules, and the official pages we checked range from "required" to "optional". Some well-known programmes do require the GRE from applicants with a Pakistani bachelor's degree, sometimes with high minimum scores. So the real answer is "check the programme page, and look for a rule about your country."

Below are four official examples, checked on 21 October 2026, that show the range: required for Pakistani degrees, required for all non-EU applicants, replaced by the GMAT, or optional.

Programmes that require the GRE from Pakistani graduates

TUM, M.Sc. Informatics (Munich). The Technical University of Munich's programme page says applicants with a bachelor's degree from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran or Pakistan must submit a GRE General Test. The minimums are 164 in Quantitative Reasoning and 4.0 in Analytical Writing, and TUM says lower scores are not accepted. Verbal Reasoning no longer counts. Scores go to TUM with institution code 7806. The rule is tied to the country where your bachelor's was awarded.

RWTH Aachen, M.Sc. Data Science. The programme page requires a GRE from all non-EU applicants, with Quantitative Reasoning at the 75th percentile, Verbal Reasoning at the 15th percentile and Analytical Writing at 3.5. RWTH calls these strict, with no way to make up for a low score elsewhere. Applicants whose bachelor's is from a German university are exempt, and the GRE taken at home is accepted.

For these programmes, a missing or low GRE ends the application, however good your CGPA is. Plan the test before you plan anything else.

Programmes that ask for the GMAT instead

TUM School of Management, Master in Management (Munich). The how to apply page says applicants with a bachelor's from China, Bangladesh, India, Egypt or Pakistan must submit a GMAT (classic or Focus edition) with at least a 65th percentile ranking. For other applicants it is optional. TUM's management school GMAT requirement note says plainly that the GRE cannot be considered. So for this programme, a GRE does not help at all.

For business and management programmes, check whether the page names the GMAT, the GRE or both. Our GMAT guide explains the test and where Pakistanis take it.

Programmes where the GRE is optional

University of Mannheim, business master's. For the Mannheim Master in Finance, Accounting and Taxation, the application page says the GMAT and GRE are not admission requirements. They are a selection criterion, though, worth up to 60 ranking points, so the university recommends taking one. A GRE score is converted to a GMAT equivalent. The page says one score report can count for the Mannheim Master in Management and MMOSCM applications as well. Official scores must arrive by the end of the application period on 15 May and are valid for five years.

"Optional" here means you can apply without it, but a good score can lift your ranking against applicants who sent one.

Why do some German universities ask Pakistanis for the GRE?

The pages we read don't give a reason, and we won't guess one. What they show is that the rule is set per programme and often by the country where your bachelor's was awarded. Pakistan appears on these lists next to India, Bangladesh and China. If a programme page has a "special conditions for certain countries" note, read it before you do anything else.

Do DAAD scholarships need the GRE?

The DAAD's EPOS scholarship entry lists the documents for that scholarship: the DAAD form, a Europass CV, a motivation letter, employment certificates, language certificates, degrees and transcripts. The GRE is not on that list. But you apply for EPOS through the course itself, so if the course asks for a GRE, you still need it. Our Germany scholarships article covers DAAD and other funding.

Is a GRE useful even when it is optional?

It can be, where it earns points: at Mannheim a good score adds to your ranking. But the test costs money and takes months of preparation, so the programmes on your shortlist should decide whether you take it. If you do take it, our GRE guide for Pakistan and GRE 320 study plan help you prepare. No study plan guarantees a score.

A quick way to check any programme

1. Open the programme's own admission page, not a portal or agent's summary.
2. Search the page for "GRE", "GMAT" and "Pakistan".
3. Note whether the test is required, required for your country, or optional, and any minimum score.
4. Check the deadline and when your scores must arrive. TUM's winter deadline for Informatics is 31 May, but it recommends applying by 31 March if you need a visa.

Also check the other documents early. Many German universities use uni-assist, and its Pakistan page asks for degree certificates with HEC attestation stamps; our HEC attestation guide explains the steps.

Your next step

Make a shortlist of three to five German programmes and check each one's page for a GRE or GMAT rule this week. If any require it, book a test date that leaves time for a retake before the deadline. Our Study in Germany guide covers fees, the blocked account and visas. Admission rules change each year, so always confirm on the programme's official page before you apply.