Finding Your Future Students

Frequently Asked Questions about the GRE Search Service

• Who can use the GRE Search Service?

  Institutions eligible to participate in the GRE Search Service include (1) institutions and departments within institutions that award graduate degrees, and (2) non-degree-granting organizations that award graduate fellowships or scholarships.

  NOTE: Participation is currently available for eligible institutions and organizations within the United States, Canada, the European Union and many other countries. Because of international privacy laws, participation may not be available to institutions in certain locations. For further details, contact a GRE Search Service specialist.

• What evidence is there that the GRE Search Service is an effective recruitment tool?

  The best evidence is what we hear directly from our longstanding school customers and even some marketing agencies that manage their recruitment campaigns. They often tell us that the GRE Search Service is one of their most cost-effective tools, when it comes to return on investment, especially when used as part of a multi-touchpoint campaign.

• Do the terms and conditions for use of the Search Service allow me to give access to my advertising agency to order lists on my behalf?

  Yes, the terms and conditions, which you sign when you log into the Search Service for the first time, allow you to assign ordering privileges to up to 5 delegates who can place list orders on your behalf. That means that if you have an agency managing your marketing and recruitment campaigns, they can be assigned delegate status.

• Can I get a demo before I place an order?

  Yes. A GRE Search Service specialist can run a complimentary search based on your specific criteria.

• How do I get started?

  Follow these easy steps:

  1. If you already have a GRE institution code, skip to Step 2. If you need a code, go to ets.org/gre/scores and submit an application for your institution to become a GRE score user. Institutions that award graduate degrees and fellowship organizations that award graduate fellowships are eligible to become GRE score recipients.
  2. Go to ets.org/gre/scores and click the Request Access button. Complete and submit the “Request Access to ETS Services” form.
     • To find your institution code, type the name of your institution in the space provided. If you are unable to find your code, try leaving out common words such as “university,” “college,” “institute,” and words like “the,” “of,” “and,” “at,” etc. For instance, if searching for the “University of Nebraska at Lincoln,” try using only the keywords, “Nebraska Lincoln.”
     • If you cannot find your institution code, contact a GRE Search Service specialist.
  3. You will receive an email from ETS in approximately 7-10 business days confirming that your access to the GRE Search Service has been activated and providing you with your username and password. If you haven’t received an email from ETS in this timeframe, contact a GRE Search Service specialist.
  4. If you already have access to a service in the ETS Institution Portal, you will use the same username and password to access the Search Service.

• Where can I get guidance for using the service once my access to the service has been activated?

  There are two ways to get guidance:

  1. Refer to the GRE^® Search Service User Manual to learn about the features of the service. You can access the user manual after you sign in to the ETS Institution Portal. The user manual contains details about search criteria, characteristics of the GRE Search Service prospect pool, record layouts, etc.
  2. Contact a GRE Search Service specialist.
• Have a different question? Get answers to other FAQs here.