University of Cincinnati Duolingo Requirements (2024)

The University of Cincinnati is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and is one of 4,600+ schools that accept the Duolingo English Test.  

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate applicants must meet the English Proficiency requirements.

For all programs except the ACE program, students must score 100+ overall on the Duolingo English Test. For the ACE program, students only need to score an 80+ overall on the Duolingo English Test.

Please note, to apply for the College of Nursing English proficiency must be assessed by scoring:

For all the programs, language proficiency can also be determined through the SAT, ELS, IELTS, Cambridge Test, TOEFL iBT, ACT, or PTE. Again, the College of Nursing is the exemption – only a 480 on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT or a 19 on the English section of the ACT will be accepted.

⭐ The following are exempt from the English language requirement:

1. You have taken a full year of high school in the U.S.A. or one of the first-language English countries listed below,* and earned a C grade (or better) in one year of standard English (not ESL). This must be shown on your transcripts.​
2. You have earned a C or higher on the IGCSE or O-Level English (first language) Exam​
3. You have passed a full year of IB English Language & Literature or IB English A with IBDP1 HL with 4 or higher, SL with 5 or higher (not English B)​
4. Completed at least 24 semester hours with a U.S.-accredited university and earned a C- or higher in English Composition.

🏫 Fun fact - The University of Cincinnati has many notable alumni including President Chief Justice William Howard Taft and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Chargles G. Dawes! 🏫

Graduate Students

Graduate students need to meet English Proficiency in one of the following ways:

• TOEFL: minimum score of 80 iBT
• In-person and at-home (online) exam scores are accepted. TOEFL Essentials and My Best Test scores are not accepted.
• IELTS: minimum score of 6.5 overall band
• In-person and at-home (online) exam scores accepted
• Duolingo (DET): minimum score of 110
• PTE: minimum score of 54

As you can see, the Duolingo English Test minimum score is 10 higher for graduate studies.

If you completed your bachelor's in an English-speaking country,  passed a nationally administered test testing oral AND written English, or completed a level 112 intensive English class at an ELS Language Center you may be exempt from this.

⭐The official site recommends reaching out to your specific program to double-check score requirements.

If you need to prepare for the Duolingo English Test, you should check out Arno. You can get unlimited practice questions for every question type with instant scoring and feedback!