TUM Informatics: Do You Need GRE or GATE?

TUM Informatics: Do You Need GRE or GATE?

For TUM's MSc Informatics, GRE or GATE rules depend on the qualifying degree's country, with an IIT exception in TUM's FAQ. An Indian passport alone does not decide the requirement. Check the program and any applicable exception before booking.

Start with degree country and program

TUM's central admissions FAQ explains that some programs require GRE or GATE when the qualification used for master's entry was earned in specified countries. It also shows that requirements differ across TUM programs. There is no single test policy to infer from the university name.

The MSc Informatics application page identifies degrees from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran and Pakistan. For GRE General, it states minimum scores of 164 in Quantitative Reasoning and 4.0 in Analytical Writing; Verbal Reasoning is not considered.

The program also accepts an Indian GATE scorecard in Computer Science meeting the qualifying score for the respective year. That is a specified alternative, not permission to substitute any GATE subject or any test carrying an engineering label.

TUM's FAQ also gives an IIT exception: graduates of an Indian Institute of Technology should upload their IIT transcript instead of the GRE/GATE document; the field cannot stay blank. The FAQ calls its overview nonbinding and directs applicants to program regulations. Confirm the applicable route with Informatics before relying on the exception.

Our recommendation: resolve whether the rule applies, then identify the required evidence. Do not begin with a rumor that every Indian citizen must take the GRE, or that GATE is automatically less acceptable.

A short test-decision procedure

Work through these questions using the current Informatics instructions:

1. Which qualification supports your application? Record its country and exact title. Where joint degrees or unusual institutional arrangements make the answer unclear, ask the program how to classify them.
2. Does the degree trigger the general requirement or an exception? Compare its country with the list and check the IIT provision. Citizenship and residence answer different questions.
3. Which accepted test evidence can you supply? For GRE, check each required section separately. For GATE, check the specified subject and the relevant qualifying score.
4. Are validity and submission details clear? Confirm any ambiguity with the program before relying on an older scorecard. A reference to the qualifying score of a particular year does not itself establish how long that score remains acceptable.

Keep the source page and your score report beside the application checklist. Choosing an accepted test does not settle the other academic or documentary requirements.

An illustrative passport-versus-degree case

Illustrative case, created for this guide: Two applicants hold Indian passports. One earned a CS bachelor's at a non-IIT institution in India; the other earned a bachelor's in a country outside TUM's listed group.

The first falls under the published degree-country test rule. The second should not infer the same requirement solely from nationality, but still needs to check the exact qualification and application instructions. Neither applicant can use a qualifying test score as proof that their coursework meets TUM's academic-equivalence requirements.

The separate German MSCS prerequisite guide explains that curriculum check. Test preparation and documenting completed study solve different application problems.

The statement has its own authorship rule

TUM's Informatics page says the statement of reasons “must be your own work and you have to write it without any assistance.” Follow that restriction when preparing the document. A helpful admissions explainer does not create permission to use outside assistance on the submission.

For general orientation, GradPilot publishes a German master's motivation-letter rubric and describes its graduate statement review. Those resources do not override TUM's authorship rule, assess test eligibility or replace university decisions. The graduate application hub provides related preparation guides for your wider shortlist.

Official TUM sources and quoted wording checked September 11, 2026.