How Much do GREs Matter for Graduate School in Planning?

If you are applying to graduate school in planning, how much do GREs matter? Like many things in planning the answer varies with the person and program. Below I provide some general advice.

2 minute read

October 20, 2012, 4:22 PM PDT

By Ann Forsyth


A row of GRE exam study books lined up neatly in a bookstore.

TonelsonProductions / Shutterstock

If you are applying to graduate school in planning, how much do GREs matter? Like many things in planning the answer varies with the person and program. Below I provide some general advice.

  • GREs matter more for those without much work experience, particularly those coming straight from an undergraduate program.
  • They can matter quite a bit in doctoral admissions where the competition is fierce.
  • If English is not your first language it helps to do well in the verbal and analytical sections.
  • GREs are only part of the picture in admissions along with statements of purpose, letters of recommendation, planning-related experience, and undergraduate performance. Admissions committees look at the big picture.
  • This also means that if you have stellar GRE scores but your statement of purpose has little to do with planning and you have no relevant work or volunteer experience then admissions committees will be unlikely to admit you.
  • For those interested in assessing their scores, some schools, such as USC, provide guidelines which can be helpful. However, it is important to remember that most schools, including USC, take a holistic view placing GREs in context.

I have previously provided other advice on getting into graduate school in planning: how to decide if planning is for you, whether to get work experience before you go to grad school, find the right program, understand the basic philosophies underlying graduate education in planning, use social media to find out about schools,  applywrite a statement of purposeobtain letters of reference, assess your undergraduate transcriptsvisit successfully, and decide which offer to take up including how to assess the real costs.


Ann Forsyth

Trained in planning and architecture, Ann Forsyth is a professor of urban planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. From 2007-2012 she was a professor of city and regional planning at Cornell. She taught previously at at the University of Minnesota, directing the Metropolitan Design Center (2002-2007), Harvard (1999-2002), and the University of Massachusetts (1993-1999) where she was co-director of a small community design center, the Urban Places Project. She has held short-term positions at Columbia, Macquarie, and Sydney Universities.

Single-family homes in a suburban neighborhood in Florida.

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power

The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

June 16, 2024 - The Guardian

Multistory apartment building under construction.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing

Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

June 10, 2024 - Nooga Today

Aerial view of intersection in New York City with yellow cabs and zebra crosswalks.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths

Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

June 13, 2024 - Todd Litman

Brick high-rise apartment buildings in New York City

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply

New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

June 18 - University of Kansas

Couple on one side of desk with banker on other side looking at paperwork.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?

Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

June 18 - Shelterforce Magazine

Rendering of Glory Park in Lewisville, Texas.

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas

The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.

June 18 - Lewisville Leader

Write for Planetizen

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.