Duolingo English Test Course for Students in Lebanon — LAU Scores, Montreal, the Gulf and More

Universities in Lebanon and the Duolingo English Test

Lebanese American University (LAU) publishes the clearest DET policy in the country. The minimum for admission is 115, and the placement table then decides your first English course:

In practice that means a 115 gets you admitted but into remedial English, while 125 starts you in academic English. Aim for the band you want to start in, not just the admission line.

American University of Beirut (AUB) requires proof of English from every applicant, but the English-requirements page we opened does not list the Duolingo English Test; ask AUB admissions directly for the current policy for your programme. Other private universities change policy year to year — get any DET acceptance in writing. The university finder tracks the requirements we have verified.

Universities abroad that Lebanese students apply to with a DET score

Canada

• Concordia University (Montreal): 105 with no subscore under 90 for undergraduate admission.
• University of Ottawa: 120 overall with 120 in Literacy for direct undergraduate entry; conditional entry through its English Intensive Program starts at 85 overall with 85 in Literacy.
• University of Toronto: 120 overall with 120 in Production for undergraduate entry (tests taken from 1 July 2024).
• University of British Columbia: 125 overall with 115 Reading, 115 Listening, 120 Writing and 120 Speaking.

United States

• Arizona State University: 95 for most undergraduate majors, 100 for the BSc Nursing, 105 for the Fulton Schools of Engineering and 120 for the Cronkite School of Journalism.
• 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 (UK campus): 105 overall with no less than 95 in each band where the course asks for IELTS 6.0, and 120 overall with no less than 95 in each band where it asks for IELTS 6.5.
• Trinity College Dublin: 120 overall with 100 in each 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, rising to 100/90 and 110/100 for taught master’s tiers and higher for the most demanding programmes.

Gulf and Cyprus

• Heriot-Watt University Dubai: 100 overall with 95 in each component for Foundation, 120 with 110 in each component for undergraduate entry and STEM master’s, 120 with Writing 115 for non-STEM master’s, 125 with 120 for research degrees.
• American University of Sharjah: states that only TOEFL and IELTS are accepted.
• Middlesex University Dubai and the University of Nicosia: the English-requirements pages we opened list IELTS, TOEFL or PTE and do not list the Duolingo English Test.

Every number above comes from the university’s own page. Confirm the figure for your intake in writing before you book a test.

Visa rules that decide which test you take

• Canada — IRCC discontinued the Student Direct Stream in November 2024, so everyone applies through the regular study-permit process and your designated learning institution decides which English evidence it accepts; many accept the DET.
• United Kingdom — the DET is not a Secure English Language Test (SELT). For degree-level study, UK Visas and Immigration lets a licensed Higher Education Provider assess your English itself at CEFR B2, which is how a DET-based offer leads to a CAS. For courses below degree level you need a SELT such as IELTS for UKVI.
• Australia — the Department of Home Affairs accepts a fixed list of tests (IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced, OET, LanguageCert Academic, CELPIP General, Michigan English Test) and does not accept tests delivered completely online. The DET will not satisfy the student-visa English requirement.

For the United States, the Gulf and Cyprus the university’s own acceptance is what counts; no separate language-test visa rule applies.

Choosing your target score

The DET reports an overall score on the 10–160 scale and four subscores — Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation and Production. Lebanese applicants usually target one of three bands:

• 95–105: Arizona State at 95, University College Dublin from 90 with 80 in each subscore, Concordia and Northeastern’s professional-studies programmes at 105.
• 115–120: LAU admission at 115, Ottawa and Toronto at 120 with a 120 floor in Literacy or Production, Trinity College Dublin at 120 with 100 in every subscore, Heriot-Watt Dubai at 120 with 110 in each component.
• 125–130: LAU’s academic-English placement from 125, UBC at 125 with subscore floors, Trinity’s higher entry at 130 with 110.

Subscore floors are what send applications back. Check your weakest skill against the floor and plan a margin above the highest requirement on your list. Send your programme page on WhatsApp and we will read it with you.

DET vs IELTS from Lebanon

Both exams measure the same four skills in different shapes. Once you have confirmed acceptance, the choice is about format.

Use the DET for LAU and for the universities above that publish a Duolingo band; keep IELTS or TOEFL for AUB, Sharjah and UK study below degree level. Compare any IELTS or TOEFL requirement with the DET score converter, and read which Duolingo score you need before you decide.

Studying online from Lebanon

Lebanon and Egypt share the same clock for most of the year, so live classes sit at a normal hour in Beirut, Tripoli and Saida. When the electricity or the connection lets you down mid-class, the same-day recording is there.

Every Teachero course runs as live online classes taught in English by highly qualified, certified instructors, with Arabic-language support available whenever a point is easier to grasp in Arabic. Lesson recordings are uploaded the same day, so a session you miss is never lost. Each course includes personal Speaking and Writing correction, a full mock test before your exam and WhatsApp support between sessions.

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

Tell us your target university and exam date on WhatsApp and we will say which of the three fits. Lebanon is part of our worldwide DET coverage.

Paying from Lebanon

International Visa and Mastercard cards issued by Lebanese banks — the ones that work for foreign online purchases, not domestic-only cards — cover the course. Many students in Lebanon pay with a card held by a relative abroad, which works just as well. If neither is possible, message us on WhatsApp and we will find an option. The Arabic version of this page is on our Arab-world DET hub.