Duolingo English Test Course for Students in Libya — UK, Egypt, Turkey and the Scores That Count

Universities Libyan students apply to with a DET score

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.

Egypt — the closest option with published DET scores

• University of Hertfordshire hosted by GAF (New Administrative Capital): 65 for non-medical programmes, 75 for medical programmes, 105 for transfer students.
• Coventry University at The Knowledge Hub (TKH), New Administrative Capital: 95 overall with a minimum of 85 in each subscore for the Foundation Year, 105 overall with a minimum of 100 in each subscore for Year One.
• European Universities in Egypt (EUE), New Administrative Capital: accepts the DET, with the required score depending on the programme and partner university.

United States, Canada and the Gulf

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Turkey, honestly. It is the most popular destination on this list, and it is where the DET is weakest. The English-proficiency pages we opened at Bilkent, Koç, Sabancı, Özyeğin and Istanbul Medipol list IELTS, TOEFL and their own proficiency exams and do not list the Duolingo English Test; Bahçeşehir (BAU) states outright that Duolingo results are not acceptable. If Turkey is your only target, plan for the university’s own exam or a listed test. The DET earns its place when your list also includes the UK, North America, Ireland or the Gulf.

Malaysia, honestly. The undergraduate English pages we opened at Universiti Malaya, Monash University Malaysia, Asia Pacific University (APU) and Taylor’s University list IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or MUET and do not list the Duolingo English Test. Do not assume Malaysian acceptance from agent websites — ask the university in writing before you book.

Every number above comes from the university’s own page. Search other universities in the university finder and confirm the figure for your intake in writing.

Is the DET used inside Libya?

Not for admission. Libyan universities teach largely in Arabic and admit on the secondary-school certificate; even the medical and postgraduate programmes that ask for English proof usually name IELTS or TOEFL, and we found no Libyan university publishing a Duolingo requirement. If your department tells you a DET certificate counts, get the score in writing. For Libyan students the DET is the document for abroad and, for families choosing Egypt, for the branch campuses in the New Administrative Capital.

Visa and scholarship rules that decide which test you take

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Scholarships. If you are applying through a Libyan government or university scholarship, the English rule is set by the scholarship, not by the university you will attend. Some accept the DET; some insist on IELTS. Read the current call and ask the scholarship office in writing before you book any test.

Choosing your target score

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

• 65–105: Hertfordshire (GAF, Egypt) at 65–75, University College Dublin from 90 with 80 in each subscore, Coventry (TKH) Foundation and Arizona State at 95, Coventry Year One, Hertfordshire’s UK campus for IELTS-6.0 courses, Concordia and Northeastern’s professional-studies programmes at 105.
• 110–120: Hertfordshire’s UK campus at 120 with 95 in each band for IELTS-6.5 courses, Ottawa at 120 with 120 in Literacy, Trinity College Dublin at 120 with 100 in every subscore, Heriot-Watt Dubai at 120 with 110 in each component.
• 125–130: Trinity’s higher entry at 130 with 110 and Heriot-Watt Dubai research degrees at 125 with 120 — the band UK master’s applicants on scholarships should plan for.

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 Libya

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

For UK degree-level study and for Egypt’s branch campuses the DET is usually the simpler route; keep IELTS for Turkish universities, for scholarships that name it, for Australia and for 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 Libya

Libya and Egypt share the same clock, so live classes land at a normal hour in Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata. When the electricity or the connection drops mid-class, the same-day recording means you lose nothing.

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. Libya is part of our worldwide DET coverage.

Paying from Libya

Libyan banks issue international Visa and Mastercard cards, but foreign-currency use is often capped or needs activation at the branch, so check that your card is enabled for international online purchases before you pay. Many students use a card held by a relative abroad instead. If neither works, message us on WhatsApp and we will find an option. The Arabic version of this page is on our Arab-world DET hub.