Score requirements by destination
Typical requirements for Nepali students. Always verify with each university's official admissions page.
| Country | Minimum | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 USA | 100 | 105–125 | Acceptance growing post-pandemic; many top universities still prefer IELTS/TOEFL |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 100 | 105–120 | Not accepted for Canadian student visa; some universities accept it for admission only |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 100 | 110–120 | Not accepted for student visa; limited university acceptance compared to IELTS/PTE |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 100 | 105–115 | Growing acceptance at German universities for English-taught programs |
| 🇬🇧 UK | 110 | 115–130 | Not accepted for UK student visa; verify with each university |
Duolingo English Test test centres in Nepal
Pay USD 65 by international card on englishtest.duolingo.com. Test runs 24/7 — schedule whenever you are ready. Take the free practice test first to confirm your setup works (webcam, microphone, room). Bring a passport for ID verification.
Home (anywhere in Nepal)
Online proctored from your laptop. Private room required, no centre option exists.
Book a slot ↗What DET is and how it works
Duolingo English Test is a computer-adaptive test taken from your own home with online proctoring. The test takes about 60 minutes total: 45 minutes for the adaptive question section, then about 10 minutes for a video interview and writing sample that are sent to universities along with your score.
The adaptive section gets harder or easier based on your answers in real time. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking tasks are mixed throughout — you might be asked to type a word, read a passage aloud, or write a short response on a prompt. The format is unusual and you really do need to practise it before sitting.
Results come within 2 days. Sending scores to universities is free and unlimited — a real cost advantage if you are applying to 10 or more programmes.
When DET is the right choice
You are applying primarily to US universities, you have already confirmed they accept DET, and the test fee matters to your overall application budget. Most major US universities (including all Ivy League, MIT, Stanford, UC system, NYU, Columbia) now accept DET on the same footing as TOEFL or IELTS.
You need a fast result. Some Nepali students take DET as a backup option a few weeks before their main TOEFL or IELTS attempt, just to have something on file in case the main test goes badly.
You are not applying through any visa pathway that requires a specific test (Canada SDS needs IELTS, UK visa needs UKVI IELTS or PTE UKVI, AHPRA Australia needs IELTS, Australia subclass 500 visa needs IELTS or PTE Academic). DET cannot replace these.
When DET is the wrong choice
You are applying to UK, Australian, or NZ universities expecting to use DET for the student visa. The Home Office (UK), DHA (Australia), and Immigration NZ do not accept Duolingo English Test for visas. You will need to take IELTS or PTE Academic separately for the visa even if your university accepted DET for admission. That is two tests instead of one — and the saving on DET disappears.
Your target university accepts DET but with a higher cutoff than equivalent IELTS or TOEFL. Some universities require a 120+ on DET (roughly IELTS 7.0+ equivalent) even though their IELTS cutoff is 6.5. Read each programme's English requirements page carefully.
You score better in human-examiner formats. DET's algorithm rewards different things than IELTS speaking. Some candidates with strong conversational English score lower on DET than they do on IELTS speaking. Take the free DET sample test before paying for the real thing.
Score expectations for Nepali applicants
DET 110 to 125 is the typical range for graduate admission to most US universities. Below 110, options narrow significantly. Above 125, you are competitive at most ranked programmes.
Ivy League and top-15 US universities want 125+ for most graduate programmes; some specific programmes (Stanford GSB, Harvard Kennedy) want 130+. Engineering and computer science programmes are usually slightly more forgiving than business and humanities.
Undergraduate admission cutoffs are typically lower — 95 to 115. Community colleges in the US often accept 90 to 100. Be aware that DET cutoffs are not strictly equivalent to IELTS/TOEFL cutoffs at every university; some set DET higher to discourage candidates from taking the cheaper option.
Preparation and test-day setup
Free official practice on englishtest.duolingo.com. Take 2 to 3 full practice tests; they give a realistic score range within ±10 points of your actual test.
Test-day technical setup is fragile. You need a Mac, Windows laptop, or specific Chromebook; the proctoring software does not run on tablets or phones. Your room must be clear of papers, electronics, and other people. Webcam, microphone, and speakers must work without headphones (a key constraint — many candidates' first attempts fail because they wore headphones and the system rejected the recording).
If your test is voided due to technical or rule violations (looking off-screen, someone entering the room, headphone use, mouthing words), you do not get a refund. Read the test-taker rules carefully before booking. A common failure for Nepali candidates is having a sibling or parent walk past the camera — the system flags this immediately.
Validity, retakes, and score sending
DET scores are valid for 2 years. You can take the test up to 3 times in any 30-day period. There is no maximum lifetime number of attempts.
Score reports are sent free to unlimited universities. This is the biggest cost advantage over TOEFL (USD 25 per extra report) and IELTS (5 free, USD 1,000+ NPR per extra). If you are applying to 20 US universities, DET saves you USD 400+ in score-sending fees alone.
Each test result is sent as a complete package: your score, your writing sample, and your video interview. Universities watch the video. A small number of universities have flagged candidates whose video interview English seemed inconsistent with their written score — usually leading to a second test request.
Top universities accepting Duolingo English Test scores
Universities in our dataset that specify a minimum Duolingo English Test score.
How Duolingo English Test compares to similar exams
All exams in the same category accepted by overseas universities.
| Exam | Fee in Nepal | Score range | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo English Test ← you | USD 65 (about NPR 8,600 to 9,000) | 10 to 160 (scaled; 105 to 125 is typical for graduate admission) | Direct admission to many US universities; rarely accepted by other countries or for visa applications |
| PTE Academic | AUD 285 (about NPR 25,500 to 27,000 depending on exchange rate) | 10 to 90 (scaled score; 65 to 79 typical for postgraduate admission) | Australian and UK student visas, NZ migration, university admission across most English-speaking countries |
| IELTS | NPR 28,500 (paper-based) to NPR 30,000 (computer-delivered) as of 2026 | Overall band 0 to 9, in 0.5 steps | Undergraduate, postgraduate, student visa, professional registration |
| TOEFL | USD 215 (about NPR 28,500 to 29,500 depending on exchange rate) | 0 to 120 (sum of four section scores, each 0 to 30) | US, Canadian, and some Australian/European undergraduate and graduate admissions |
Questions Nepali students ask about Duolingo English Test
Is DET genuinely accepted by top US universities or do they secretly prefer TOEFL?
Genuinely accepted at most. Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Columbia, Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, Penn all accept DET officially and on equal footing with TOEFL and IELTS. Some specific graduate programmes (a handful of MBA programmes, some law schools) still prefer TOEFL or IELTS. Check the programme-specific English requirements page rather than the graduate school general page.
If I get DET 120, am I ready for IELTS 7.0 too?
Roughly, yes. DET 120 maps approximately to IELTS 7.0 by Duolingo's own published comparison. But the conversions are statistical averages — individual scores vary based on which sections you are stronger in. A DET 120 with strong writing might be IELTS 7.0 overall, while a DET 120 with weak speaking might be IELTS 6.5.
Can I use DET for the UK student visa?
No. UK Visas and Immigration accepts only IELTS for UKVI, PTE Academic UKVI, TOEFL iBT (taken at SELT-listed centres), and a few others. Duolingo English Test is not on the SELT (Secure English Language Test) list. If your UK university accepts DET for admission, you still need to sit an approved test for the visa itself.
I am unable to find a quiet room in my hostel. Can I take DET at a café or co-working space?
No. DET rules require a fully private room where no one can enter during the test. A shared hostel room, café, or co-working space will likely result in your test being voided. If you cannot find a private room at home, consider asking a relative or paying for a hotel day-use room (NPR 1,500 to 3,000 in Kathmandu) for the 90 minutes you need.
What happens if I disconnect from the internet during the test?
If you reconnect within a few minutes, the test resumes from where you left off. If the disconnection is longer or repeated, the test is voided and you can apply for a free retake by contacting Duolingo support with documentation (a screenshot of your ISP outage notice helps). Most major Nepali ISPs (NTC, Worldlink, Vianet) are stable enough for DET, but a power cut during a peak hour can ruin you. Always have a backup internet source ready — a 4G hotspot from a phone is enough.
Is DET accepted for Canadian universities and the SDS visa?
Many Canadian universities accept DET for admission (Toronto, UBC, McGill — check programme by programme). The Canada SDS visa does not accept DET; you would still need IELTS Academic 6.0 each band for SDS. Without SDS, processing takes longer (6 to 12 weeks). Most Nepali students applying to Canada do not use DET because they want SDS for the faster visa process — IELTS is the more sensible test for Canadian-bound applicants.