You can study in the USA without SAT or GRE scores at a large number of institutions, and the situation has changed substantially in recent years. What has not changed is that policies vary by institution, by department and sometimes by year, so the only answer that matters is the one on the specific programme’s own admissions page.

Treat everything below as a way to search, not as a list of institutions to trust.

The three policies, and why the difference matters

The terminology is used loosely and the distinctions are financially significant.

Test-optional means you may submit scores and they will be considered if you do. A strong score can still help. No score does not disadvantage you in admission, but check separately whether it affects merit scholarship consideration, because at some institutions it does.

Test-blind or test-free means scores are not considered at all, even if submitted. There is no advantage to taking the test.

Test-flexible means you may substitute something else, such as other examinations or a portfolio.

The one to verify carefully is whether a test-optional policy extends to funding. An institution can admit you without a score and still require one for its merit awards, and that detail is often on a different page from the admissions policy.

Graduate study and the GRE

At postgraduate level the picture has shifted further, and many programmes have dropped the GRE entirely rather than making it optional. This varies enormously by field: it is now uncommon in many humanities and social science programmes, and still standard in some quantitative disciplines and business schools.

Two things are worth knowing.

The decision is usually departmental, not institutional. One department may have dropped it while another at the same university requires it. Always check the programme page rather than the graduate school’s general page.

Waivers exist even where the test is required. Common grounds include substantial professional experience, a prior degree from a US institution, a high undergraduate grade average, or financial hardship. These are frequently not advertised. Emailing the graduate coordinator to ask whether a waiver is available in your circumstances costs nothing and works more often than people expect.

What replaces the score

Where the test is gone, everything else carries more weight. That is generally good for international applicants with strong records and bad for those relying on a test score to compensate for something.

Your transcript becomes the primary academic evidence, including the trajectory across years rather than only the average.

The statement of purpose matters more, particularly at graduate level, where it is often the single most important document. Specificity about what you want to work on, and with whom, is what distinguishes it.

Letters of recommendation carry more weight, which makes choosing referees who can write in detail about your actual work considerably more important.

Research experience, publications and relevant professional work move up the ranking.

What is still required

Dropping the SAT or GRE does not remove everything.

English proficiency is a separate requirement and is usually still enforced, though many institutions waive it if your previous degree was taught in English. That waiver is worth asking about before paying for a test.

Credential evaluation of foreign qualifications is required by many institutions and takes time and money. Start it early.

Financial documentation for the visa is separate from admission entirely, and is frequently the larger obstacle. You will need to demonstrate you can cover costs before a visa is issued.

Funding, which is the real question

Removing a test requirement makes applying easier. It does not make it affordable, and US tuition is high.

The main routes remain unchanged. Assistantships at graduate level, funded by departments in exchange for teaching or research, fund a large share of international postgraduates and are usually attached to the admission offer rather than applied for separately. Institutional aid, which varies enormously and is far more available at some institutions than others. Fulbright, which runs a separate competition in your own country through the local commission or embassy.

At undergraduate level, need-based aid for international students is limited to a small number of well-endowed institutions. This is the hardest case, and worth being realistic about early.

A practical sequence

Build the list before worrying about tests. Identify programmes that fit your subject and your budget, then check each one’s requirements, rather than filtering the whole US system by test policy first.

For graduate applicants, contact the department early. A short, specific email about your research interest frequently establishes both whether a waiver is available and whether funded places exist, in one exchange.

How to check a policy properly

For each programme on your list, open the admissions page on the institution’s own site and find three things: whether the test is required, optional or not considered; whether that policy is the same for merit scholarship consideration; and whether the English requirement can be waived in your case.

If any of the three is unclear, email the admissions or graduate coordinator and ask directly. Policies change between cycles, so a forum post or an article from last year, including this one, is not a safe basis for a decision that costs money.