Duolingo English Test for US Grad School: Who Accepts

Duolingo English Test for US Grad School: Who Accepts

Of the 10 US graduate schools we checked, 6 accept the Duolingo English Test (DET) for admission and 4 do not: UC Berkeley, Stanford, Cornell and Georgia Tech. Acceptance is set by each graduate school, and departments can add higher scores or refuse it.

A count of accepting universities does not settle your choice: undergraduate and graduate rules differ, departments add their own, and teaching assistantships have separate test rules. Our view: choose your English test from the strictest school on your list, not from a count of schools that accept the DET. One refusal on your list means you need TOEFL or IELTS anyway. Once the test is settled, your statement of purpose is the document that still needs the work.

Every graduate-school page quoted below was checked on October 30, 2026. Several pages already state rules for Fall 2027 entry or for scores dated after January 2026. Recheck your program's own page before you book a test.

Accepted or not: 10 graduate schools, checked October 30, 2026

These are graduate-school-wide rules. The "minimum" column is the published school-wide floor, not a target.

Our arithmetic: 6 accept, 4 refuse. This is our sample of 10 well-known graduate schools, not a national count.

The refusals are worded plainly. Berkeley: "UC Berkeley accepts scores from two standardized exams: the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). We do not accept the Duolingo exam, TOEFL ITP, My Best Scores, IELTS Indicator, or IELTS One Test Retake." Stanford asks applicants who are not exempt for "an official test score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) or the International English Language Testing System Academic Test (IELTS Academic)". Cornell: "We do not accept any other English Language Proficiency exams (e.g., TOEFL Essentials, Pearson, Duolingo DET, etc.)."

Two schools on the "yes" side add a condition. MIT lists the DET among the tests "Qualifying applicants must submit" and then sends you to your department. UW's policy says its note applies "As programs determine whether they will accept DET scores for admission". At those two schools, the graduate-school page does not answer the question for your program.

Program rules can override the graduate school

A "yes" at the graduate-school level is a floor. Departments can raise it:

• UIUC: "Individual academic programs may require a higher score, or additional evidence of spoken English language proficiency".
• Stanford (TOEFL and IELTS only): "Each graduate program may set a higher minimum score for admission consideration as appropriate for the specific field of study."
• UW: "A graduate program may set additional standards or qualifications in either of the above categories. Students must confirm specific requirements with the admitting program."
• Purdue: "Some graduate programs require higher minimum scores than those listed above."

UW also publishes its own view of the test. Its policy note says the DET "emphasizes short, real‑time, general‑use tasks, whereas TOEFL and IELTS assess deeper academic literacy in English through extended reading/listening and integrated source‑based writing." That is one university's stated view, printed in its policy. It tells you why some departments hesitate.

Our view: for every program on your list, find the department page, not just the graduate-school page. If the department page is silent, the graduate-school rule applies. If the department page names only TOEFL and IELTS, follow the department.

The countercase: if every program on your list is at a school that accepts the DET school-wide, and no department page narrows it, the DET is a valid choice. It can be the simpler test to schedule. Nothing on these pages says a DET score is weighed less once it meets the minimum.

Teaching assistantships use a different test list

Admission and a teaching appointment are separate checks. Our page on TA English certification versus admission waivers covers the general rule. For the DET specifically:

If your funding plan depends on a TA position, the DET can admit you at UIUC and still leave you unable to teach until you take another test. That is a real cost in time and money. It belongs in your test decision before you book.

When TOEFL or IELTS is hard to take where you live

Some applicants look at the DET because a test center is far away or unavailable. The school pages already answer part of this:

• Cornell: "Both IELTS and TOEFL provide at-home testing solutions in most countries. Applicants are expected to take an in-person test whenever possible. However, if a safe in-person option is not available for you, you may take an online or at-home version instead."
• UIUC: "The traditional TOEFL iBT and the TOEFL iBT Home Edition tests are accepted for admission." It also accepts "The IELTS Academic Test (in person and online)".
• Georgia Tech lists "TOEFL Home Edition test" and "IELTS Indicator at home test" as accepted test locations.
• Berkeley: "We accept the IELTS and IELTS Online. We do not accept the IELTS Indicator or One Test Retake."

So "I cannot reach a test center" is not the same as "I need the DET." An at-home TOEFL or IELTS version may be accepted where the DET is not. Whether a test is offered in your country is set by the test owner, not the school. Check the test owner's own page for your country before you decide. We make no claim here about availability in any specific country.

Choose your test in five steps

1. List every program you will apply to, with its department admissions page.
2. Mark each program "DET yes", "DET no" or "silent", using the department page first and the graduate-school page second.
3. If any program is "DET no", take TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic. One test then covers the whole list.
4. If you need a TA position, check the TA test rule at each school. If it excludes the DET, take TOEFL or IELTS now rather than later.
5. If you might be exempt because of where or in what language you studied, check that first. Our guide to TOEFL waivers for English-medium degrees explains the two waiver systems. If you have several TOEFL sittings, see whether graduate schools accept TOEFL MyBest scores.

Questions about the Duolingo English Test for grad school

Is the Duolingo English Test accepted for an MS in the USA?

At some schools. Of the 10 graduate schools in our table, MIT, UIUC, Purdue, UT Austin, UW and Columbia GSAS list it. Berkeley, Stanford, Cornell and Georgia Tech do not. The department you apply to can still require TOEFL or IELTS.

What DET score do US graduate schools ask for?

Among the schools that publish a school-wide minimum, the floor is 115 at UIUC (limited status), Purdue, UT Austin and UW. UIUC asks 135 for full status, and UW recommends 130. Departments may ask for more.

Can I use the DET for a teaching assistantship?

Not at UIUC, which says the DET "cannot be used to satisfy the English proficiency requirement for teaching assistants." UW accepts a DET Conversation score of 140 as one spoken-English route.

Does the DET score matter for my statement of purpose?

No. The test score and the statement are separate parts of the application. Do not use the SOP to explain your test choice. Spend it on your direction and preparation, as our SOP for MS in USA guide explains. Illinois does not accept the Duolingo English Test for teaching assistants; the assistantship statement of interest guide covers what a TA application asks.

Before booking any test, check whether an MOI letter counts at your schools; at country-list schools it does not.

A low score may bring a graduate pathway offer rather than a refusal; read its progression clause.

Get a free review of your statement of purpose

Get a free Quick Review of your statement of purpose against GradPilot's general MS statement of purpose rubric. It reads your academic goals, program fit, evidence of preparation and how tailored the statement is to one program. Writing for a professional master's? The professional programs SOP rubric reads career goals and skill-gap logic. More guides are in graduate school essays.

Sources

Retrieved October 30, 2026, except where noted.

• MIT Office of Graduate Education, International applicants (no year stated): DET among accepted tests; departments set tests and scores.
• University of Illinois Graduate College, International Applicants (scores dated around January 2026): DET 115/135; DET not accepted for TAs; program rules.
• Purdue Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars, Admission Requirements (no year stated): DET 115 overall and per subscore.
• UT Austin Graduate School, International Students (no year stated): DET accepted, 115 overall.
• University of Washington Graduate School, Policy Topic: English Language Proficiency (Policy 3.2 and 5.2, revised September 2026): DET 115/130; programs decide; TA DET Conversation 140.
• Columbia GSAS, Admissions Supporting Materials (no year stated; read through r.jina.ai after a bot check): DET listed.
• UC Berkeley Graduate Division, Requirements (Fall 2027): DET not accepted; GSI oral English rule; IELTS Online accepted.
• Stanford Graduate Admissions, Test Scores (Autumn 2027-2028): TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic only; program minimums.
• Cornell Graduate School, English Language Proficiency Requirement (2026-27; read through r.jina.ai after a bot check): IELTS and TOEFL only; at-home tests; TA rule.
• Georgia Tech Graduate Education, English Proficiency (effective Fall 2027 admission): Duolingo under tests not accepted; at-home test locations.