Universities abroad do not take admission decisions based on any single factor (GRE® score, academic record, etc.). They take into account all aspects of your application while deciding on your admission as well as financial aid.

The following list will give you an idea of what the top universities are looking for in their students. Also, any additional conditions that you’d need to fulfill in order to qualify for financial aid are also mentioned.

For securing admission to a top University, you'll need:

• Consistently good academic record
  • First class (60%) throughout for financial aid
    
• Good GRE®/ TOEFL® scores
  • 1400+ GRE® score & 250+ TOEFL® score for MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, etc.
  • Similar scores required for financial aid
    
• Active participation in extra curricular activities
  • To an extent, might offset slightly low GRE® scores
  • In absence of this, higher GRE® score would be required
    
• Related work experience
  • Preferable, but not mandatory