ETS GRE Customer Care: Complete, Practical Guide

How to reach GRE Services (ETS) and when they’re open

GRE Services at Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the primary customer care channel for registration, rescheduling, score reports, name/ID issues, and test-day incidents. You can contact them by phone, email, or mail. As of 2024, phone support is available Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–7:45 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time (ET), except U.S. holidays.

If you are testing in Mainland China, registration and customer service are handled by NEEA. Use the dedicated portal at gre.neea.cn for scheduling and changes; deadlines and policies differ (notably, a 10-day change window in many cases).

• Phone (U.S., U.S. Territories, Canada – toll-free): +1-866-473-4373
• Phone (all other locations): +1-609-771-7670
• Email (GRE Services): [email protected]
• Website (information and account access): ets.org/gre
• Mail (standard): GRE Services, ETS, PO Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000, USA
• Courier (no P.O. boxes): GRE Services, 225 Phillips Boulevard, Ewing, NJ 08628-1426, USA
• Disability accommodations (ETS Disability Services): [email protected]; Phone: +1-609-771-7780; Toll-free (U.S./Canada): +1-866-387-8602

What GRE Customer Care can (and cannot) do

GRE Services can assist with account access issues, name or date-of-birth corrections, duplicate account merges, registration, rescheduling/cancellations, changing test centers or switching to/from GRE at home (where available), and score reporting questions. They can also investigate test-day incidents and security holds, and provide status updates on accommodations applications submitted to ETS Disability Services.

They cannot override ID requirements, waive fees without cause, or guarantee institutional deadlines. For example, if an institution’s application deadline is imminent, GRE Services can advise on expected score release timelines but cannot expedite reporting beyond published processing schedules. For Mainland China registrations, most scheduling and rescheduling actions must be completed via gre.neea.cn, not through ETS by phone.

Response times and expectations

Phone is the fastest way to resolve time-sensitive issues (e.g., an upcoming test date within 72 hours). Email responses typically take 3–5 business days, longer during peak seasons (August–November and January). Mail turnaround varies by request type; allow at least 10–14 days plus mailing time if you must send documents.

For test-day incident reviews or score holds, investigations usually take 7–14 business days after you submit all required information, but complex cases can extend to 3–4 weeks. Always request a case number during your first contact and reference it in follow-ups.

Fees, deadlines, and delivery timelines you should know

Policies and prices do change, but the following figures are stable reference points many test takers rely on. Always verify the latest fees on ets.org/gre before you act, especially if you’re close to a deadline or applying from a country with localized pricing.

• GRE General Test fee (U.S.): $220 (as of 2024; varies by country). Examples reported by ETS historically include India around $228 and Mainland China around $231.30; confirm current rates for your location.
• Reschedule fee: $50 per appointment change if completed no later than 4 days before your test date (Mainland China: typically 10 days). After the deadline, you must book a new test at full price.
• Cancellation refund: 50% refund if you cancel at least 4 days before your appointment (10 days for Mainland China). No refund after the deadline.
• Additional Score Reports (ASR): $27 per recipient. Processing is generally within 5 business days, after which electronic recipients receive reports quickly; paper recipients can take 10–14 days longer by mail.
• Score timing: Unofficial Verbal and Quantitative scores appear immediately after you finish the test. Official scores (including Analytical Writing) are typically available in your ETS account 8–10 days after your test date and are sent to institutions you selected.
• Free score recipients: You can designate up to 4 recipients on test day at no charge; changes after you leave the test session require ASR purchases.
• Score validity: 5 years from your test date.

Name, ID, and account issues: how customer care handles them

Your ETS account name must match your ID exactly for admission to a test center or for GRE at home check-in. This includes order of names, spelling, accents/diacritics, and hyphenation. If there’s a mismatch, contact GRE Services immediately. Minor spelling corrections or hyphen/diacritic normalization usually require you to email a clear, readable ID copy; allow 24–72 hours for updates. For legal name changes, you may be asked for a government-issued document (e.g., marriage certificate, court order) in addition to your ID.

Duplicate ETS accounts are common when students register with a school-issued email and later create a personal account. GRE Services can merge duplicates, but they will verify ownership. Merges typically complete within 2–5 business days; do not schedule a test until the merge is confirmed to avoid orphaned appointments or score-reporting delays.

Accommodations and documentation timelines

If you need disability-related accommodations, submit your request to ETS Disability Services well before you plan to test; reviews can take up to 6 weeks from the date ETS receives complete documentation. Do not schedule your GRE until your approval is granted, or you may have to reschedule (and pay reschedule fees) to book an accommodated seat.

Approved accommodations are tied to your ETS profile; when you later schedule, the system should recognize eligible options. If you don’t see them, call GRE Services before completing your registration so they can verify the approval is attached correctly.

Payment, billing, and refunds

ETS accepts major credit/debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), PayPal (in many regions), and vouchers. Mailed payments (such as money orders or paper checks in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank) are possible but significantly slower; use them only if your test date is several weeks away. If an online payment fails, verify with your bank that international/online transactions are enabled and that 3‑D Secure or OTP requirements are completed.

Refunds post back to the original payment method. Card refunds tend to appear within 5–10 business days after ETS processes them; PayPal is often faster. If a refund does not appear after 15 business days, contact the payment provider and GRE Services with your ETS order number and the last four digits of the card used (never email full card numbers).

Test-day incidents, holds, and escalations

If you experience a significant test-day problem (e.g., repeated technical interruptions, a prolonged outage, disruptive environment), notify the proctor or test center immediately and request an incident report number. Then contact GRE Services within 7 days to open a case. Provide your appointment number, testing date/time, location (or “GRE at home”), and a concise timeline of the issue.

For security-related holds (e.g., identity verification or irregularity reviews), GRE Services can confirm status but cannot release scores until the review is complete. You’ll be notified by email when the hold clears or if additional documentation is required. Keep your contact email current in your ETS account to avoid missed notices.

Practical tips to get help faster

Have your ETS ID, appointment confirmation number, and full name as it appears on your ID ready before calling. If you need to send scores, collect institution and department codes in advance (find them via ets.org/gre using the “code” search). When rescheduling, check alternative dates and nearby centers first in your ETS account so you can decide quickly on the phone if a preferred slot is available.

Call right at opening (8:00 a.m. ET) to minimize hold times, especially August–November and early January. If your issue is complex (like a duplicate account merge), take notes during the call, ask for the agent’s first name/ID and a case number, and set a reminder to follow up if you don’t see progress within the stated window. Avoid emailing screenshots with sensitive data; redact payment details beyond the last four digits.