Duolingo English Test Acceptance by Country in 2025: Everything You Need to Know

The Duolingo English Test is already accepted by 5,700+ programs in 110+ countries. In this article, we’re going to look at DET acceptance in some of the most popular countries for international students.

🇺🇸 United States: Near universal acceptance and accepted for student visas

The Duolingo English Test is accepted by nearly every major college and university in the U.S. It is accepted by 95 out of 100 of the top 100 schools in the U.S. News and World Report rankings, including all Ivy League schools as well as other top schools like Stanford and MIT. 75% of graduate programs with high international student enrollment also accept the DET.

The U.S. government does not require an English proficiency test score in order to receive a student visa (officially called the F-1 visa). While test scores aren’t explicitly required by the U.S. Department of State, the official guidelines state that standardized test scores required by your school may be requested during the interview, so it’s a good idea to bring them.

As long as the Duolingo English Test is accepted by your school, the visa officers will accept it too. What really matters is your ability to communicate effectively in English during the interview. Poor communication will raise red flags to visa officers, no matter what test you take or your score.

🇨🇦 Canada: Most top schools accept the DET and no additional English proficiency tests are required for a study permit

The Duolingo English Test is also widely accepted in Canada. 90% of the top Canadian universities by international student enrollment accept the DET for undergraduate admissions. Nearly half of Canada’s top English-medium grad schools accept the DET for master’s and PhD programs.

When it comes to student visas in Canada, an English proficiency test is not listed as a required document in the study permit application. As long as you are admitted to a Canadian college or university, your English proficiency level won’t be an issue in the visa process.

Side note: As of November 8, 2024, Canada has officially discontinued the Student Direct Stream (SDS). This popular program allowed students from certain countries to get study permits faster. SDS required an in-person English proficiency test. Now that SDS is gone, there is no reason to take an in-person test like IELTS or TOEFL instead of the Duolingo English Test.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Accepted by many popular universities and in most cases no additional English proficiency tests are required for a study permit

The DET is accepted by all programs at popular universities such as Imperial College London, University of Southampton, University of Liverpool, University of Warwick, and University of York.

The U.K. government requires that you demonstrate a certain level of English proficiency in order to obtain a U.K. student visa. There are 4 methods:

1. Obtain a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your university
2. Have a GCSE or equivalent degree from the U.K. (e.g. Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5)
3. Have a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degree from a program taught in English
4. Pass a Secure English Language Test (SELT)

For most international students, method #1 (the CAS method) will be the most convenient.

🇮🇪 Ireland: Near universal acceptance and officially recognized for visas

15 out of 18 Irish universities accept the Duolingo English Test. The DET is also officially accepted for the Ireland Study Visa.

The Irish government explicitly states that student visa applicants need to prove English proficiency and the DET one of the accepted tests:

🇳🇿New Zealand: Accepted by popular universities and no additional English proficiency tests are required for a study permit

The Duolingo English Test is widely accepted in New Zealand. An English proficiency test is not required when applying for a fee-paying student visa, which allows international students to study full time in New Zealand for up to 4 years. This means as long as you are accepted by a New Zealand institution, you are good to go.

🇦🇺 Australia: Accepted by popular universities but not accepted for visas for all applicants

In Australia, the DET is accepted by all programs at popular universities like Flinders University and the University of Newcastle. It is also accepted for Foundation Programs at universities like Monash University and the University of New South Wales.

The visa situation in Australia is more complicated than the other countries we’ve looked at. Whether you need an English proficiency test depends on the country that has issued your passport, your previous academic programs, and the program in which you intend to enroll in Australia. You can see the requirements that apply to you using this checklist tool provided by the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

Our recommendation is to first check if you need to present proof of English proficiency in order to obtain a visa. If you don’t, and your school accepts the DET, then take the DET. If you do need additional English proficiency proof, take IELTS because, unfortunately, the Australian government doesn’t accept at-home tests for visa applications.

Summary of DET acceptance by country

Here is a table that summarizes everything we covered in this article:

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