List of Duolingo Accepted Universities in USA (2027)

Duolingo does not publish a country-wise breakdown of its accepting institutions, so treat any precise “X universities in the USA” figure you see online with caution, including on older guides. What Duolingo does confirm is over 6,000 accepting programs worldwide, and the USA has the highest concentration of DET accepting institutions in any country. All eight Ivy League universities accept the Duolingo English Test for undergraduate admissions, and roughly 95% of U.S. News Top 100 universities now accept it too, per Times Higher Education’s reporting on DET acceptance.

That said, not every program at every university treats DET the same way. Duolingo accepting universities in USA often set different minimum scores by department, and a handful of schools, such as UCLA and the University of Richmond, accept DET only as a supplement to another test rather than as a standalone score. So when you search for duolingo accepted universities in usa, check your specific program’s admissions page, not just the university’s general policy.

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If the USA is not your only target, see our list of Duolingo accepted countries worldwide to compare acceptance across destinations before you commit to one test.

Here are leading U.S. universities on the list of duolingo accepted universities in usa for masters admissions:

Counselor insight: for top STEM or MBA programs, aim for a Duolingo score of 120 or higher to stay competitive, since many departments weigh the Production (speaking and writing) subscore separately. Engineering departments in particular often set a higher Production subscore threshold than the overall minimum, and MBA programs frequently use a separate Speaking subscore cut-off to decide whether an interview waiver applies, so check your program's subscore policy and not just its headline score.

Several top universities in the USA accepting Duolingo for undergraduate admissions set minimums between 105 and 135, depending on selectivity:

Note: for 2027 intakes, most Ivy League and University of California schools prefer scores of 120 or higher, especially for business and engineering programs.

Individual minimums listed throughout this guide reflect each university's published international-admissions page at the time of research. Requirements are revised yearly and sometimes mid-cycle, so confirm the current figure on the university's own admissions page before applying rather than relying on this table alone.

If your score sits below the tables above, you still have solid options. Here is how universities in the USA accept Duolingo scores, broken down by range:

• Duolingo 90 score accepted universities in usa: Temple University (90-95, CAP eligible) and Indiana University Indianapolis (90) consider applicants in this band, mostly for foundation or bridge pathways.
• Duolingo 100 score accepted universities in usa: University of New Orleans, University of Texas of the Permian Basin, and Stephen F. Austin State University accept 100 as a standalone minimum.
• Duolingo 105 to 110 score accepted universities in usa: Northwestern, Northeastern, University of Washington, and Purdue fall in this range for undergraduate or master's admissions (see tables above).
• Duolingo 115 score accepted universities in usa: UC Berkeley, Rice, and UC Santa Barbara set 115 as their standard minimum.
• Duolingo 120 score accepted universities in usa: MIT, Yale, Caltech, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, and several Ivy League graduate schools cluster here.
• Duolingo 130 score accepted universities in usa: UPenn, Duke, Brown, Cornell, UCLA, and Vanderbilt's graduate school expect this range or higher.

Tip: a 90-100 Duolingo score still works at several accredited universities if you strengthen your SOP, LORs, and GPA.

The list of duolingo accepted universities in usa for PhD overlaps heavily with the master's list above, since most US graduate schools apply the same English proficiency policy across PhD and master's applicants within a department. Princeton accepts DET for its Ph.D. and MSE in Computer Science, Harvard accepts it for select PhD programs including Harvard Medical, and Ohio State and University of Wisconsin-Madison apply their standard 120 graduate minimum to doctoral applicants too. Always confirm with your specific PhD program, since funded doctoral admissions sometimes carry stricter English requirements than taught master's programs at the same university.

A growing number of STEM graduate programs have dropped the GRE requirement, but that does not mean English proficiency testing goes away too. Universities in USA without GRE, such as several on our GRE accepted universities in USA list, still expect a Duolingo, IELTS, or TOEFL score from international applicants. If you are weighing GRE and Duolingo accepted universities in usa together, treat them as separate requirements: GRE policy affects your academic profile, while DET satisfies the English proficiency requirement that almost every graduate school enforces regardless of GRE policy.

If you would rather skip IELTS altogether and rely only on DET, see our guide to studying in the USA without IELTS.

Duolingo revised its official score comparison chart in early 2025, and the change matters if you are comparing cut-offs across universities. Under the updated chart, a Duolingo score of 120 now converts to approximately IELTS 6.5, not IELTS 7.0 as older guides still state. A Duolingo 130 converts to roughly IELTS 7.0, and Duolingo 100 converts to approximately IELTS 5.5.

Source: Duolingo's official score comparison page, last revised 2025.

If a university's website still lists an old equivalency, such as "DET 120 or IELTS 7.0," that is likely an outdated page. Email the admissions office with a link to Duolingo's current score comparison page and ask which standard they are applying to your application. For a full breakdown by score band, see our Duolingo Score to IELTS Conversion guide.

If you are still weighing which English test fits your applications best, our IELTS vs TOEFL vs PTE vs Duolingo comparison breaks down cost, format, and turnaround side by side.

University admission and visa approval are separate decisions, and mixing them up is a common and costly mistake. US immigration rules do not mandate a specific English proficiency test for F-1 applicants, so the admitting university's I-20 is what matters, not a standalone test certificate. Your university issues the I-20 based on its admission criteria, so if that university accepted your Duolingo score, your application is already covered for visa purposes. At the interview itself, the consular officer at the US embassy or consulate assesses your spoken English directly rather than asking for a test certificate.

In short, Duolingo accepted universities in usa also work for F-1 visa purposes, as long as the university that admitted you recognized your DET score. For a step-by-step walkthrough of the next stage, see our F-1 visa application guide and F-1 visa interview questions.

The standard DET fee is ₹6,580 (USD 70 at ₹94 per USD). A two-test bundle costs ₹11,092 (USD 118), which works out to about ₹5,546 per attempt. A faster 12-hour results option adds roughly ₹3,760 to the base fee. Exchange rates shift daily, so verify the current rate before finalizing your budget.

Source: Duolingo English Test official pricing page.

To register, visit englishtest.duolingo.com, create a free account, choose a single test or the two-test bundle, and pay by Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. UPI and net banking are not supported. You can take the test once every 30 days, and scores stay valid for two years. If cost is a concern, check whether you qualify for Duolingo's own fee waiver program before paying full price, and review the DET rules and regulations before booking your slot.

1. Take a full practice test first to learn the 19 question types and identify your weakest subscore (per Duolingo's official test format page).
2. Practise Interactive Speaking daily. Duolingo's July 2025 format update (confirmed on its official test-format page) removed Read Aloud and added six conversational prompts with no prep time.
3. Type on a laptop keyboard during every mock test. Many Indian test-takers lose time because they typically type on a phone.
4. Review your Production subscore (speaking plus writing) separately. It is consistently the weakest area for Indian applicants, even when the overall score looks strong.
5. Restart your laptop and close every background application before the real test. Most "not certified" results trace back to a background app or a slipped phone camera.

1. Confirm your target program's minimum Duolingo score directly on its admissions page, since requirements vary by department even within the same university.
2. Use the updated 2025 conversion chart, not older guides, when comparing your Duolingo score against IELTS or TOEFL benchmarks.
3. Treat university admission and F-1 visa approval as separate steps. Your accepted Duolingo score and I-20 already cover the visa side.

LeapScholar can help you shortlist duolingo accepted universities in USA that match your score, prepare your SOP and financial documents, and guide you through your visa interview with expert 1:1 counseling. Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor to start your application.