Duolingo English Test Course for Students in Qatar — Online with Certified Instructors

Which universities in Qatar accept the Duolingo English Test?

Here is what the universities’ own admissions pages say:

• Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) requires applicants to demonstrate English proficiency on the TOEFL, the IELTS or the Duolingo English Test. It does not publish a minimum DET score. The requirement is waived with an SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 620 or higher, or an ACT score of 26 or higher on both the English and Reading sections, and GU-Q states that it does not waive the test on the basis of citizenship, country of residence, curriculum or school letters.
• Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) asks for results from the TOEFL, the IELTS or the Duolingo English Test, no more than two years old, with IELTS and DET scores sent electronically. It does not publish a DET minimum, does not accept the TOEFL ITP, and waives the requirement for SAT 600 or more in both Reading and Writing or ACT 26 or more in both English and Reading.
• Qatar University refers to the TOEFL and, for international students from outside Qatar, the Academic IELTS, with the minimum set by each academic programme. The Duolingo English Test is not mentioned.

Two things follow. First, “we accept Duolingo” without a published number does not mean any score will do — email GU-Q or NU-Q admissions and ask for the minimum they expect for your intake, and keep the reply. Second, the other Education City campuses set their own policies; check each one’s page rather than assuming Education City has one rule.

Universities abroad that Qatar’s students apply to with a DET score

Beyond Doha, the DET is used for degrees in the UK, the US, Canada and Ireland. Published requirements, each from the university’s own page:

United States

• Arizona State University: 95 for most undergraduate programmes, 100 for the BSc Nursing, 105 for higher-requirement Fulton Engineering programmes and 120 for higher-requirement Cronkite journalism programmes.
• Northeastern University (College of Professional Studies): 105 for bachelor’s-completion and graduate programmes, 120 for doctoral study.

United Kingdom

• Heriot-Watt University: 120 with 110 in each component for undergraduate and for STEM and design master’s, 120 with Writing at 115 for non-STEM master’s, 125 with 120 for PhD, and 100 with 95 for foundation.
• University of Hertfordshire: 105 with no less than 95 in each band for undergraduate, 120 with 95 in each band for postgraduate.

Canada

• University of Toronto: 120 overall with 120 in Production for tests taken on or after 1 July 2024.

Ireland

• Trinity College Dublin: 120 with 100 in every subscore for standard entry, 130 with 110 for higher entry.
• University College Dublin: 90 with at least 80 in each subscore as the standard requirement, with taught master’s bands at 100, 110, 120 and above.

Search more institutions in the university finder, then confirm the programme-level minimum in writing.

Sponsors and the visa rules that decide your test

• Your sponsor. If a government scholarship, an employer or a university sponsorship funds your degree, its written rules decide which certificate goes in the file, and scholarship bodies in the region frequently specify IELTS or TOEFL. Read them before relying on the DET alone; the DET’s job is the university application itself.
• United Kingdom. The DET is not a Secure English Language Test. For degree-level study, gov.uk states that your Higher Education Provider can assess your English itself at CEFR B2 — that is how DET-based UK offers work. Below degree level you need a SELT from an approved provider at CEFR B1.
• Canada. The Student Direct Stream ended on 8 November 2024; applications go through the regular study permit stream and your designated learning institution decides which English evidence it accepts.
• Australia. Home Affairs accepts a fixed list — IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced, OET, LanguageCert Academic, CELPIP and the Michigan English Test — and states that it does not accept tests delivered completely online. The DET will not satisfy the student visa requirement.

A Doha student with GU-Q and a UK master’s on the same list can cover both with the DET. Add Australia or a sponsor that names IELTS, and you need two tests.

Choosing your target score

The DET reports an overall score on the 10–160 scale and four subscores — Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation and Production. Universities publish a minimum overall, and many add a minimum in each subscore, which is where unprepared candidates get caught.

• Georgetown and Northwestern in Qatar publish no DET number. Ask admissions for the score they expect, and if they will not give one, prepare as if you were applying to a selective US university — the 120 band with strong subscores is the safe assumption.
• 90–105 covers a large share of undergraduate entry abroad: University College Dublin from 90 with 80 in each subscore, Arizona State at 95, Hertfordshire at 105 with 95 in each band, Northeastern’s professional-studies programmes at 105.
• 120 with subscore floors is where selective and graduate entry sits: Toronto at 120 with 120 in Production, Heriot-Watt at 120 with 110 in each component, Trinity at 120 with 100 in every subscore.
• 125–130+ is PhD and higher-entry territory: Heriot-Watt PhD at 125 with 120, Trinity higher entry at 130 with 110.

Take the highest requirement on your list and prepare for a comfortable margin above it. Read which Duolingo score do I need, convert an IELTS band with the score converter, or send us the programme page on WhatsApp.

DET vs IELTS for students in Qatar

Students who apply to Education City usually have strong English already; what the DET tests is whether you can perform each task type to its rubric under time pressure. That is a training problem, and it is what the course is for.

Studying online from Qatar with live classes

Qatar sits at UTC+3, an hour ahead of Cairo for most of the year, so live sessions fall at a workable time in Doha. Miss one and the recording is uploaded the same day.

Every Teachero course runs as live online classes taught in English by highly qualified, certified instructors, with Arabic-language support for Arabic speakers.

• Standard course — more days, fewer hours per day.
• Intensive course — fewer days, more hours per day, when the test is close.
• Private 1-on-1 course — tailored to you.

All three include personal Speaking and Writing correction, a full mock test before the exam and WhatsApp support between sessions. Follow format changes on DET news.

Paying by card from Qatar

Visa and Mastercard payments from Qatari banks go through normally. Enable online and international transactions for the card with your bank first, and keep your phone nearby in case the bank asks you to approve a first international charge. If a card is declined, that is almost always the reason. Message us on WhatsApp if you need another way to pay.