Duolingo to IELTS Converter

The Duolingo English Test (DET) and IELTS Academic both measure academic English. Per Duolingo concordance research: DET 160 = IELTS 9.0; DET 145 to 155 = IELTS 7.5 to 8.5; DET 125 to 140 = IELTS 6.5 to 7.0; DET 105 to 120 = IELTS 6.0 to 6.5; DET 90 to 100 = IELTS 5.0 to 5.5; DET 70 to 85 = IELTS 4.0 to 4.5. The conversion is approximate; DET uses adaptive item delivery and AI scoring, so the underlying skills overlap with IELTS but with a different difficulty distribution.

At many universities, yes. As of 2026, over 5,500 universities worldwide accept the DET, including most US, Canadian, UK, Australian, and New Zealand institutions. Acceptance grew significantly during the pandemic and most universities have kept DET as an option even after returning to in-person instruction. Always verify with the specific program; the typical undergraduate threshold is DET 105 to 120 (IELTS 6.0 to 6.5), and the typical graduate threshold is DET 120 to 130 (IELTS 6.5 to 7.0).

Mostly no. The UK Home Office does NOT accept DET for student or work visas (you need IELTS for UKVI or another approved Secure English Language Test). IRCC does NOT accept DET for Canadian Express Entry or any Canadian PR program. The Australian Department of Home Affairs has not added DET as a standard student visa test. New Zealand accepts DET for some visa categories but not all. If your goal is a visa, take IELTS or another government-approved test, even if your university accepts DET for admission.

Three reasons. First, DET is fully online and self-proctored: you take it from home with a webcam, no test centre booking required. Second, DET is shorter (about 1 hour vs 2.75 hours for IELTS). Third, DET uses AI scoring (no human examiners), with results in 2 days. The combination of no test centre, shorter format, and AI scoring makes DET cheaper (around 65 USD vs 245 USD for IELTS) and faster. The trade-off: less universal acceptance, especially for visas.

Top US graduate programs that accept DET typically require DET 120 to 135 (IELTS 6.5 to 7.5 equivalent). Selective universities like Yale, Stanford, and MIT often list DET 130+ for graduate admission, with sub-score minimums for Speaking and Writing. MBA programs typically require DET 120 to 130. Always verify with the specific program; some top programs only accept TOEFL or IELTS, not DET.

Take DET if: (1) all your target universities accept it, (2) you want fast results (2 days) for tight deadlines, (3) you want to save on test fees, or (4) you cannot easily reach an IELTS test centre. Take IELTS if: (1) any target university requires it (some still do, especially older European institutions), (2) you also need a score for a UK / Canadian / Australian visa, (3) you want a globally portable score that works for migration too. Many candidates take DET first (cheap and fast) and then take IELTS only if a specific application requires it.

Reasonably accurate at the band level, less accurate at the half-band level. Duolingo publishes official concordance research based on dual-test candidates, validating the score mapping. The conversion is most accurate for mid-range scores (DET 105 to 145 / IELTS 6.0 to 8.0) and less accurate at the extremes (very high or very low scores). Use the conversion to estimate whether your DET meets a program IELTS minimum, but expect ranges, not exact equivalents.

Yes, but with limits. Duolingo allows up to 3 certified test attempts per 30-day period. Each attempt is fully independent (no carry-over scoring). Most candidates score within ~10 DET points of their first attempt, so retakes are useful primarily for clearing self-proctoring issues (lighting, camera, microphone) rather than dramatically improving the score. For a much higher score, study time is more effective than retakes.