TOEFL and GRE fees for Indian students: what to budget

Why test fees belong in the budget

Before the loan application and the visa, most families pay for admission tests. These costs arrive early, when the loan is not yet in place, so they need their own small budget. This guide lists the fees shown on the ETS India pages for the TOEFL iBT and the GRE General Test, and shows how to turn them into a simple plan.

Two cautions first. Fees change, so confirm the current figure on the ETS page before you pay. And check each university's own requirement page: some programmes do not need the GRE at all, and some accept one English test but not another. Do not book a test until you know which of your chosen universities actually need it.

TOEFL iBT fees for India

The ETS India page lists these fees in rupees, with no effective date shown on the page. Test registration is Rs 15,729. Late registration is Rs 3,305.08. Rescheduling is Rs 5,000. A speaking or writing section score review is Rs 6,694.92.

Additional score reports are listed at Rs 2,000. The page shows 50 percent next to this line, so read the page carefully to understand what that refers to before you rely on the figure. Confirm the current terms on the ETS India fees page, because the page can change without a date to warn you.

GRE fees: what the ETS page does and does not say

The ETS fees page for the GRE General Test does not list an India test fee. It says Indian test takers should visit the ETS India website. So this guide does not state a GRE registration fee, and you should not trust any site that quotes one without a source. Check the current India fee on the ETS India website before you budget.

The page does list two other fees, effective 1 August 2026 and subject to change without notice. Rescheduling is USD 55, and Additional Score Reports are USD 40 per recipient. At Rs 95.1 for one US dollar on 23 October 2026, USD 40 is about Rs 3,800 per report. Rates will move, so treat the rupee figure as an illustration.

A simple test budget

Write the budget as lines, not one guess. Line one: registration for each test you actually need. Line two: a rescheduling risk, in case the first date does not work. Line three: extra score reports for the universities beyond any free ones included with registration. Line four: a score review only if you truly plan to ask for one.

Here is an example range, not a quote. If you send reports to 5 universities beyond the free ones, extra score reports could add around Rs 10,000 for the TOEFL, that is 5 times Rs 2,000. For the GRE, 5 reports at USD 40 each is USD 200, about Rs 19,000 at the 23 October 2026 rate. Your number depends on how many universities you apply to, so keep the list short and deliberate.

Add the lines up and keep the total beside your other early costs, such as application fees and courier or translation charges. Our documents checklist and the application steps guide help you list those early costs in one place.

Who pays for tests and what to ask the lender

Test fees are usually paid from family money, not from the education loan, because they come before admission. If you hope to include any test cost in the loan, ask the lender in writing. Do not assume it is covered, and do not borrow extra on the guess that it might be.

Keep test spending separate from the big loan decision. The loan size depends on tuition and living costs, which you can test in the calculator. The country guides for Germany, UK, Canada and USA show the larger figures the loan must cover, and the eligibility guide explains what programmes commonly ask for.

Test fees in short

TOEFL iBT registration for India is listed at Rs 15,729, with late registration, rescheduling, score review and extra score reports on top. ETS does not list an India GRE test fee on its fees page, so check the ETS India website for the current figure. Budget for registration, a possible reschedule and extra reports for each university, and pay from family money unless the lender confirms otherwise in writing. This is general information, not financial advice.

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