Duolingo English Test accepted universities: how to check before you book
Hilingo team · 2 min read · September 16, 2026
Thousands of institutions accept the DET, but acceptance is set per programme, not per university, and IRCC does not accept it for PR at all. Here is how to check properly so you do not sit the wrong test.
The Duolingo English Test is accepted by thousands of universities and colleges, costs a fraction of IELTS or PTE, and returns a result in about two days. That combination is why so many students — especially those already inside Canada needing an offer quickly — take it.
But "accepted" is a slipperier word than it looks, and getting it wrong means sitting the wrong test.
Acceptance is set per programme, not per university
This is the single most common mistake. A university appearing on an acceptance list does not mean every programme in it accepts the DET, or accepts it at the same score.
It is normal for one institution to:
- accept DET for undergraduate admission but not for a postgraduate programme
- accept it for most faculties but not for nursing, law, education or medicine
- accept it at 115 for one course and 125 for another
- accept it for admission but require a different test for a professional licence later
Check the specific programme page, not the university's general admissions page. If the programme lists only IELTS and TOEFL, that is not proof the DET is refused — it often means the page has not been updated. Email the admissions office and get the answer in writing.
The Canada trap: admission is not immigration
The Duolingo English Test is widely accepted by Canadian universities and colleges for admission.
IRCC does not accept it for permanent residence. For Express Entry and other economic immigration programmes you need CELPIP, IELTS or PTE Core in English, or TEF or TCF in French. The DET is not on that list, at any score.
This catches people who are already in Canada on a study permit and assume the test that got them their offer will also serve their PR application. It will not. The normal path is DET for the offer, then CELPIP later for PR — two different tests doing two different jobs.
What score do you need?
There is no universal answer, but the pattern is consistent:
- 120 is the practical benchmark at competitive universities
- 105–115 covers a great many colleges and undergraduate programmes
- Below 100 narrows your options quickly
Our Duolingo English Test score chart shows how those bands line up against IELTS, TOEFL and CEFR, so you can translate a requirement written in IELTS bands into a DET target.
How to check properly, in order
- Find the programme page, not the university homepage
- Look for a DET score, not just "English language requirements"
- If DET is not listed, email admissions and ask directly — include the programme name and intake
- Confirm whether the score must be received by the deadline or merely sat by then
- If immigration is also your goal, check separately whether that test is accepted for it
Before you book
The DET is adaptive, which means it finds your ceiling fast. A practice run tells you whether 120 is realistic for you before you pay for the real thing — and if it is not, you have time to fix the subscore holding you down rather than discovering it afterwards.
Take a free Duolingo English Test practice test and get an AI score per task.