Can schools get access to my scores when I don't send it to them?

[jtd00123]

I am asking because I took the GRE recently and did pretty well.  After applying to a college, I get an email from another college several days later saying "congratulations on your competitive GRE score", with instructions on how to apply, deadlines, and a link to the college's actual website.  Not that I don't mind, but I wonder how sincere the email was, since it didn't seem like a program I could get in to.  Do colleges have access to my scores?  I'm mainly asking because I don't want to be swindled by paying for application fees for a college I have a minimal chance of getting accepted to.  (tight on money at the moment)

Edited December 3, 2015 by jtd00123

[TheMonkeyOnMyBack]

It's likely that you signed up for the GRE program that helps pair schools with students. So the schools that fit your profile would get a basic rundown of your score and any other information you provided including your email address.

[TakeruK]

Most (but not necessarily all) of these emails are spam. Schools pay ETS to be able to advertise to you in this way. The first time I took the GRE, I didn't realise it so I ticked (or didn't tick) the box that resulted in getting these offers. I soon got a bunch of emails from programs completely unrelated to my interests (e.g. business schools, when I took the Physics GRE).