NP programs with no GRE do exist. As of October 13, 2026, Duke, Penn Nursing, and Walden each publish a policy saying GRE scores are not required for the programs or school described below. That saves you an exam. It does not answer whether you meet the rest of the requirements or whether a school can support your clinical placement.
Which NP programs say no GRE is required?
These are examples with direct school sources, not a ranking or a complete list of NP schools. The policy’s scope matters: an MSN rule may differ from a DNP rule, and a general university statement may need confirmation for your specialty track.
| School | What its official page says | Policy page |
|---|---|---|
| Duke University School of Nursing | The GRE is not part of its MSN or post-graduate certificate application requirements. | Duke MSN admissions |
| Penn Nursing | GRE scores are no longer required for any Penn Nursing program. Its MSN offerings include NP specialties. | Penn admissions FAQ and MSN program |
| Walden University | GRE scores are not part of Walden’s admissions requirements, according to its admissions help center. Confirm how that statement applies to your intended NP track. | Walden admissions help |
Those pages were checked October 13, 2026. An application for a future term can have different rules. Before you pay an application fee, open the current page for the exact degree and specialty you want, then ask admissions to confirm anything it does not spell out.
What else will a no-GRE program ask for?
No GRE removes one line from the application, not the application itself. Duke’s MSN admissions page, for example, lists professional recommendations, essays, a resume or CV, degree history, and RN licensure. It describes a 3.0 GPA as a preference for admissions consideration, not a promise of admission. Some Duke specialties also have their own experience requirements.
Do not copy Duke’s checklist onto Penn or Walden. Ask each school for its current requirements for your track. Our NP school requirements guide explains how to compare them without treating one school’s GPA or RN-experience rule as a national standard.
How do you verify a no-GRE claim before applying?
Start with the school’s admissions page, not an aggregator’s list. Work down this short checklist:
- Find the exact program: MSN, DNP, or post-graduate certificate, plus the NP population focus.
- Check whether the no-GRE statement applies to that degree and the term you plan to enter.
- Read the rest of the admissions page for RN license, degree, experience, transcript, reference, and essay requirements.
- Ask about state authorization and clinical placement where you live. A no-GRE policy will not help if you cannot complete clinicals in your location.
- Save the dated policy or get a written answer from admissions if the page is vague.
The final two steps are easy to miss. Our clinical-placement guide shows why “online” and “student support” do not tell you who finds the preceptor. Duke, Walden, and Vanderbilt have more detailed school guides on that question.
If you are narrowing a school list, use the free NP school list as a starting point. Then check each school’s current application and clinical policies directly. A no-GRE school is useful only if its track, location rules, cost, and placement responsibilities also work for you.