Duolingo English Test Acceptance by Country (2026)

Duolingo English Test acceptance depends on what you need it for: many US universities accept the DET for admission, but it is not accepted for visas everywhere. It is not a UK Secure English Language Test (SELT). IRCC does not list it for Canada’s PGWP. Australia’s Home Affairs does not list it for visa purposes. The test costs $70 (about Rs 10,657), takes about an hour online, and results usually come in 2 days.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Rupee figures use the NRB selling rate, 17 Oct 2026 (USD 1 = Rs 152.24).

Duolingo English Test acceptance by country

Country	For university admission	For the visa / immigration step	Official source
USA	Many universities accept it; each school and program sets its own policy and minimum score	The F-1 visa process does not name a required English test; your school decides admission	travel.state.gov; university pages
UK	Depends on each university’s own English assessment	Not on the UK SELT provider list. A university may assess your English itself at degree level	GOV.UK SELT and Student visa pages
Canada	Some colleges and universities accept it; check the school	Not accepted for the PGWP. IRCC lists CELPIP General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core (and TEF/TCF for French)	IRCC PGWP pages
Australia	Check each provider	Not on Home Affairs’ list of accepted English tests	Home Affairs English language page

Sources: GOV.UK, IRCC (canada.ca), Home Affairs (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au), US Department of State, Duolingo English Test official blog.

DET fee, format and results

Fee: $70 USD, according to the official DET blog. That is about Rs 10,657. Check the price at checkout, as it can change.
Length: about one hour, including the graded section and an ungraded video interview and writing sample.
Where: online, from home. You need a suitable computer and a quiet room.
Results: the official site says results arrive in 2 days.
Practice: a free practice test is available and can be taken multiple times.
Fee waivers: the DET Access Program offers fee waivers for low-income students.

USA: the university decides

For an F-1 student visa, the US State Department lists your passport, DS-160 confirmation, fee receipt and Form I-20 as the core documents. It also says officers may ask for “standardized test scores required by your U.S. school”. So the English test that matters is whichever one your university accepted when it admitted you. See the State Department student visa page.

Many US universities accept the DET. The official DET blog (September 2026) names, for example, MIT, Purdue, Caltech, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, UT Austin, UC San Diego, Carnegie Mellon and Johns Hopkins as accepting it for engineering programs. It adds that acceptance “can vary by degree level and individual program”. A university may accept DET for undergraduate admission but not for one graduate department, or set a higher score for teaching assistantships.

Tip: at the visa interview, be ready to answer in clear English whatever test you took. A good DET score does not replace speaking confidently. Practise with our F-1 visa interview questions.

UK: not a SELT

GOV.UK lists the approved SELT providers. For tests taken outside the UK, they are PSI Services (UK) Ltd, the IELTS SELT Consortium, LANGUAGECERT and Pearson. Duolingo is not on the list. See GOV.UK’s SELT page.

That does not always rule DET out. For degree-level study, GOV.UK says your higher education provider “can assess your level of English themselves”, and the level must be equivalent to CEFR B2. GOV.UK adds that the provider may ask for a different test, so a university doing its own assessment can choose which tests it accepts. If your CAS states that the university has assessed your English, you may not need a SELT. If you are studying below degree level, or your university does not do its own assessment, you will need a SELT. Ask the university in writing before you book any test. More on the UK route: study in the UK from Nepal.

Canada: fine for some schools, not for the PGWP

Your Canadian college or university decides what English proof it accepts for admission. The big issue is after graduation. Since 1 November 2024, PGWP applicants must show language results: CLB 7 for university bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral graduates, and CLB 5 for college and other programs. IRCC accepts only CELPIP General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core for English (TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French). Results must be less than 2 years old when you apply, and tests should be taken in person. See IRCC’s PGWP documents page.

So a DET score may get you into a Canadian program, but you will still need to take one of the IRCC tests before your PGWP. Budget for it from day one. Our guides: PGWP field of study 2026 and study in Canada from Nepal.

Australia: not on the Home Affairs list

For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Home Affairs accepts Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, IELTS Academic and General Training (including One Skill Retake), LANGUAGECERT Academic, the Michigan English Test, OET, PTE Academic, and TOEFL iBT (only if you choose “Taking TOEFL for Australia” when registering). Duolingo is not listed. Home Affairs also says it does not accept fully online, remote-proctored tests. Check the Home Affairs English language page.

Duolingo vs IELTS: which should a Nepali student take?

Question	Duolingo English Test	IELTS
Where you take it	Online at home	Test centre (Home Affairs does not accept online versions for Australian visas)
US admission	Accepted by many, not all, programs	Widely accepted
UK visa	Not a SELT	The IELTS SELT Consortium is an approved SELT provider; check you book the SELT version if you need one
Canada PGWP	Not accepted	IELTS General Training accepted
Australia visa	Not accepted	IELTS Academic and General Training accepted
Fee	$70 (about Rs 10,657)	See our IELTS vs PTE in Nepal guide

Sources: DET official blog, GOV.UK, IRCC, Home Affairs.

Simple rule: if you are only applying to US universities that accept DET, it can save money and travel. If there is any chance you will apply to the UK (below degree level), Canada (and later the PGWP) or Australia, take IELTS or PTE instead. Compare those two in IELTS vs PTE for Nepali students.

Common mistakes

Assuming “accepted by the university” means “accepted for the visa”. In the UK, Canada and Australia these are separate questions.
Checking the university, not the program. Departments can have their own rules.
Forgetting the PGWP. Canadian students often need a second test before graduating.
Poor test setup. Home-based tests need a stable connection and a quiet room. Load-shedding or noise can cost you a sitting.
Paying an agent for “guaranteed scores”. There is no such thing, and no official test sells scores.

What to do next

List your target countries and programs.
Check each program’s English page for DET and the minimum score.
For the UK, Canada or Australia, check the visa list too.
If DET works for all of them, take the free practice test, then book.
If not, choose IELTS or PTE.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Duolingo English Test accepted for a UK student visa?
It is not a SELT. It may work only if your university assesses your English itself for a degree-level course and accepts DET. Confirm with the university first.

Is Duolingo accepted for the Canada PGWP?
No. IRCC accepts only CELPIP General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada or TCF Canada for French.

Does Australia accept the Duolingo English Test for a student visa?
No. It is not on the Home Affairs list of accepted tests.

How much is the Duolingo English Test fee in Nepal?
The DET is priced in US dollars: $70, about Rs 10,657 at the NRB selling rate of 17 October 2026. Your bank’s card rate may differ.

Do US universities accept Duolingo for F-1 students?
Many do, including several large engineering schools, but each program sets its own policy and minimum score.

Sources

Last checked 20 October 2026. This is general information, not immigration advice. Test policies change; confirm with your university and the official visa authority.

Duolingo English Test Acceptance: USA, UK, Canada, Australia