GRE ScoreSelect and Score Validity

By Muntasir Jul 25, 2026 5 min read

TL;DR

GRE scores stay valid for 5 years after your test date. After 5 years, ETS no longer reports them to institutions. ScoreSelect gives you three ways to choose which scores get sent: Most Recent sends your latest test date, All sends every GRE General Test score from the last 5 years, and Any lets you pick one or several past test dates. On test day, only Most Recent and All are free options for up to 4 score recipients. The Any option becomes available only after test day, ordered later through your ETS account for a fee.

ScoreSelect is the ETS system controlling which GRE General Test scores get sent to your chosen schools or fellowship programs. Instead of every attempt appearing automatically, you decide which test date or dates institutions see. This matters most before you register for a retake, since the option available on test day differs from what you are allowed to order afterward.

Your GRE scores also carry an expiration date. Once 5 years pass since your test date, ETS stops reporting those scores to institutions altogether. This guide covers the three ScoreSelect options, when each one applies, how long your scores remain valid, and what changes once they expire.

ScoreSelect: The Three Options

ETS offers three ScoreSelect options, each pulling from your GRE General Test history over the last 5 years.

Option	What It Sends
Most Recent	Your most recent GRE General Test administration only
All	Every GRE General Test administration from the last 5 years
Any	One or as many past administrations as you pick, from the last 5 years

When You Choose ScoreSelect

On Test Day

On test day, only the Most Recent and All options are available. You designate up to 4 graduate institutions or fellowship sponsors to receive those scores at no charge. Most Recent sends the administration you sat on test day and nothing earlier. All sends every GRE General Test administration from your last 5 years, weaker attempts included. Those recipients get their official Institution Score Report 8 to 10 days after your test date.

After Test Day

The Any option becomes available only after test day. To use it, you order an Additional Score Report through your ETS account, selecting one or several past administrations from your last 5 years of testing. All three ScoreSelect options are selectable on an Additional Score Report, so Most Recent and All remain open to you after test day as well. Each report costs US$40 per recipient and takes about 5 business days to process.

Additional Score Report: Cost and Rules

An Additional Score Report costs US$40 per score recipient, effective August 1, 2026, and works with any of the three ScoreSelect options. You order one anytime during the 5-year period your scores remain valid, and processing takes about 5 business days. Once submitted, a request is not eligible for cancellation, changes, or refunds.

The 4 reports you designate on test day carry no separate charge, so the cost difference appears only when your list runs past 4 programs. Every recipient beyond the first 4 costs US$40. Sending to 6 programs means 4 free test-day reports plus US$80 in Additional Score Reports. Registration itself is US$249 for the 2026-27 cycle, or US$231.30 in China, and our GRE fees guide lists the rest of the fee schedule.

How Long GRE Scores Stay Valid

GRE scores are reportable for 5 years following your test date. The 5-year clock runs from the test date itself, not from the day your scores are released to your ETS account 8 to 10 days later. Within this window, you order an Additional Score Report to send scores to any school you choose. All three ScoreSelect options draw from this same window, so Most Recent, All, and Any never reach back to an administration older than 5 years.

What Happens When Scores Expire

Once more than 5 years pass since your test date, ETS no longer reports those scores to institutions. If your scores are approaching the 5-year mark and you still need them for an application, plan ahead. See our GRE retake policy guide for wait times between attempts.

When Your Scores Reach Your Account and Your Schools

Scores appear in your ETS account 8 to 10 days after your test date. Institutions you designated on test day using Most Recent or All receive their official Institution Score Report on the same schedule. For a full walkthrough of the reporting timeline, see our GRE score reporting guide.

Allocating Your 4 Free Slots When a Retake Is Planned

The free designations belong to the test day you use them on, and every send after test day is a paid Additional Score Report at US$40 per recipient. If you expect to retake the GRE, the real decision is whether to spend the first attempt's 4 slots at all. Free GRE practice tests and drills help you gauge readiness before you commit those slots. Programs with early or rolling deadlines are the strongest candidates, since a test-day report reaches them 8 to 10 days after you test, while a later order adds about 5 business days of processing on top of your retake date. Holding the remaining programs back for your retake day keeps them inside a free set of 4 as well.

Your free choice on the retake day is still limited to Most Recent or All. Most Recent sends the retake alone, so a school sees the newer attempt and nothing else. All sends both attempts. To show a school your first attempt only, or a specific pair of dates from a longer testing history, order the Any option afterward as a paid report.