Duolingo English Test Course in Argentina

For an Argentine student applying abroad, the Duolingo English Test has become the default English certificate: one adaptive exam of about an hour, an overall score on the 10–160 scale, two years of validity and acceptance at more than 6,000 institutions — including a growing number of programmes inside Argentina that use it to certify English.

The exam is not a formality. It adapts as you answer, mixes around fifteen question types and grades Speaking and Writing on structure, range and completeness. Students from Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario and Mendoza who learned English at a good instituto still under-score on the first attempt because nobody taught them the format.

Teachero is an online academy focused entirely on the DET. Classes are live and taught in English by certified instructors specialised in international English exams, with lesson recordings uploaded the same day. Below: where Argentine applicants actually go and what those universities publish, the Argentine universities that list the DET, the visa rules that decide which test you sit, and what to know before paying with a peso card.

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Score scale10–160 overall, with Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation and Production subscores
Validity2 years
Accepted by6,000+ institutions worldwide
Published bands on this page95–105 for many bachelor programmes, 100 at Di Tella, 120–130 for selective entry
TeachingLive online classes in English with certified instructors, lesson recordings uploaded the same day
CorrectionPersonal Speaking and Writing correction, full mock test, WhatsApp support between sessions
Card noteForeign-currency purchases on a peso card carry a tax perception and bank limits — check before you pay

Universities Argentine students apply to with a DET score

Argentines head first to the United States and Spain, then to the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Germany, Ireland and Australia. Spanish- and Italian-taught programmes need no English certificate; the numbers below are for English-taught routes, taken from each university’s own page.

United States

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

United Kingdom and Ireland

University of Hertfordshire: 120 overall with no less than 95 in each band for IELTS-6.5 courses, 105 with 95 in each band for IELTS-6.0 courses.
University of Southampton: 120 overall for its B2 bands with subscore floors from 105 upwards, 130 overall for C1 bands.
Trinity College Dublin: 120 with 100 in each subscore for standard entry, 130 with 110 for higher entry.
University College Dublin: 90 with 80 in each subscore as the standard requirement, 100/90 and 110/100 for taught master’s, 120/110 and above for the highest bands.

Canada

University of Toronto: 120 overall with 120 in Production for tests taken on or after 1 July 2024.
University of British Columbia: 125 overall, with 115 Reading, 115 Listening, 120 Writing and 120 Speaking.

Spain, Italy and Germany

IE University lists the Duolingo English Test at a minimum of 130 — on its page for the English requirement attached to master’s programmes taught in Spanish, which must be met within 18 months of finishing. Its English-taught programmes are handled separately, so ask admissions.
Politecnico di Milano‘s list of recognised external English certificates includes TOEFL, TOEIC, Cambridge and Trinity College London and does not list the Duolingo English Test.
Constructor University (Bremen) lists 110 for graduate entry; many German public universities still ask for IELTS or TOEFL.

Confirm every requirement in writing with admissions before you book a test. Our university finder is a good place to start.

Argentine universities that list the DET

The DET is also used inside Argentina, mostly to certify English rather than to admit:

Universidad Torcuato Di Tella lists the Duolingo English Test at a minimum score of 100 as evidence of B2 English on its international-programmes page, for taking courses taught in English.
Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero announced a partnership with Duolingo under which its students and staff can certify their English with the Duolingo English Test; the university’s page publishes no minimum score.
Universidad de Buenos Aires and most public universities set no English test for admission; where a faculty asks for an English level, it usually runs its own exam.

If your goal is an English-taught course or an exchange from an Argentine university, ask the international office which certificates it accepts and at what score — it is often the DET.

Before you book: the visa rules that decide your test

Argentine applicants rarely face an English test at the visa stage, with two exceptions worth knowing:

United States, Spain, Italy and Germany set no English test for the student visa; the requirement comes from the programme.
United Kingdom — the DET is not a Secure English Language Test. gov.uk states that for degree-level study your Higher Education Provider can assess your English itself, provided it is equivalent to CEFR B2, which is how DET-based offers become a CAS. Below degree level — foundation years, some pre-master’s — you need a SELT such as IELTS for UKVI.
Australia — Home Affairs accepts only IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced, OET, LanguageCert Academic, CELPIP and the Michigan English Test, and states that it does not accept evidence from tests delivered completely online. The DET will not meet the subclass 500 requirement, even where the university accepts it for admission.
Canada — the Student Direct Stream ended in November 2024; the regular study permit names no language test, so what counts is the test your designated learning institution accepts.

Choosing your target score for the universities Argentine students apply to

The DET reports an overall score on the 10–160 scale in steps of five, plus four subscores — Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation and Production. Universities publish an overall minimum and, very often, a floor per subscore, and the floor is what sends applications back: a 120 overall with a 105 in Production fails Toronto’s requirement.

90–105: UCD’s standard band (90 with 80 each), Arizona State at 95, Di Tella at 100, Hertfordshire’s 6.0 band at 105 with 95 in each band, Northeastern’s professional programmes at 105.
110–125: Constructor University at 110, Hertfordshire’s 6.5 band at 120 with 95, Southampton’s B2 bands at 120 — the range most UK degree courses occupy.
120–130+: Toronto at 120 with 120 in Production, UBC at 125 with subscore floors, Trinity at 120/100 and 130/110, Southampton’s C1 bands at 130, IE’s Spanish-taught master’s requirement at 130.

Plan for the highest requirement on your list with a margin above it. Use the score converter when a university quotes IELTS or TOEFL, read which Duolingo score you need, or send us the page on WhatsApp.

DET vs IELTS from Argentina: the format comparison

Both exams measure the same English in different shapes. Once you know which of your universities accept which test, the decision is about format.

	Duolingo English Test	IELTS
Format	Computer-adaptive: the questions get harder or easier as you answer	Fixed paper, the same questions for every candidate
Length	About one hour	Around three hours across the four papers
Speaking	Recorded answers to on-screen prompts	Face-to-face interview with an examiner
Scoring	10–160 overall plus four subscores	Bands 0–9 in each skill
Acceptance	6,000+ institutions, for admission	Very broad, including UKVI and Australian visa routes

The practical rule for a student in Argentina: use the DET everywhere your universities accept it, and keep IELTS for the visa routes that demand a Secure English Language Test. One more useful detail: Duolingo allows up to three certified tests in any 30-day period, so a prepared retake is a real option rather than a panic.

Studying online from Argentina without losing the live experience

Argentina sits at UTC−3, five to six hours behind Egypt, so a live round scheduled for the Middle East can land in your morning or early afternoon, and a round set for the Americas in your evening. Every Teachero course runs as live online classes taught in English by highly qualified, certified instructors, and every lesson recording is uploaded the same day, so a session that lands at an awkward hour in Argentina is not lost: you watch it, submit the same work and receive the same corrections as everyone else.

Standard course — more days, fewer hours per day.
Intensive course — fewer days, more hours per day, for when the exam is close.
Private 1-on-1 course — tailored to the question types that hold your score back.

All three include personal Speaking and Writing correction, a full mock test before the exam and WhatsApp support between sessions. Arabic-language support exists for Arabic speakers, but for students in Argentina everything runs in English, which is the language you will be tested in. Message us on WhatsApp with your target university and deadline and we will suggest which format fits.

Argentina is part of our Latin America hub, together with Chile, Colombia, Peru, Mexico and Brazil.

Paying by card from Argentina

Visa and Mastercard from Argentine banks work for the course payment, but a peso card paying a foreign merchant is a special case, and it is better to know the rules before you try:

A tax perception applies to foreign-currency purchases made with a peso card. The Argentine government’s own notice confirms that card purchases abroad remain subject to a perception on account of income or personal-assets tax, even after other charges were removed. It is an advance payment, and depending on your tax status you may be able to claim it back through ARCA — ask your accountant.
Banks set their own limits and blocks on international online purchases; check that your card is enabled for foreign merchants and that its limit covers the payment.
A card funded in dollars avoids the perception altogether if you have one.

If the card is refused or the surcharge is a problem, message us on WhatsApp and we will arrange another way to pay.

Frequently asked questions

Is the course taught in English?

Yes. Classes are live and taught fully in English by certified instructors who specialise in international English exams. Arabic-language support is available for Arabic speakers, but for students in Argentina the whole course runs in English.

What if a live class falls at a difficult hour where I am?

Every lesson recording is uploaded the same day, so you can follow the full course from any time zone, submit your Speaking and Writing work and still receive personal corrections and the full mock test.

What is actually on the Duolingo English Test?

One adaptive exam with about fifteen question types: completing passages with missing letters, listening and typing, reading aloud, choosing real English words, an interactive reading set, interactive writing and longer speaking and writing tasks. It reports an overall 10–160 score plus Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation and Production subscores.

How many times can I take the test?

Duolingo allows up to three certified tests in any 30-day period, and a score stays valid for two years. One prepared attempt usually beats several unprepared ones.

Do Argentine universities accept the DET?

Some list it for English certification rather than admission: Universidad Torcuato Di Tella publishes a minimum of 100 as B2 evidence for its English-taught courses, and Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero lets students certify English with the DET through a partnership. Most public universities run their own English exams. Ask the international office which certificates count.

DET or IELTS for my application from Argentina?

Check acceptance first. Where your universities publish a Duolingo band — Arizona State, Northeastern, Hertfordshire, Southampton, Toronto, UBC, Trinity and UCD all do — the DET is the simpler exam to prepare for. Keep IELTS for below-degree-level UK study and for Australia, where Home Affairs does not accept the DET.

Can I use my DET score for a visa?

For the US, Spain, Italy and Germany there is no visa English test; the programme’s requirement is what counts. For UK degree-level study, a licensed university can assess your English itself and issue the CAS. Canada’s regular study permit names no test. Australia does not accept the DET for the subclass 500 visa.

How do I pay for the course from Argentina?

By Visa or Mastercard online. A peso card paying a foreign merchant carries a tax perception and your bank’s own limits, so check both first; a dollar-funded card avoids the perception. If the card is refused, message us on WhatsApp for another option.

Message us on <a href=”https://wa.me/201055785572″>WhatsApp</a> with your target university and deadline — we will read the requirement with you and recommend the Standard, Intensive or Private 1-on-1 course.