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

Which universities in the UAE accept the Duolingo English Test?

Here is what the universities’ own admissions pages say, so you can sort your shortlist into “DET works” and “ask first”:

Publishes DET scores

• Heriot-Watt University Dubai: 100 overall with 95 in each component for foundation entry, 120 with 110 in each component for undergraduate and for STEM and design master’s, 120 with Writing at 115 and 110 in each other component for non-STEM master’s, and 125 with 120 in each component for PhD. This is the most detailed DET policy of any campus in the Emirates.

Does not list the DET

• Abu Dhabi University lists EmSAT 1100, IELTS 5.0, TOEFL ITP 500 / iBT 61, Cambridge, IESOL and PTE 36–41. The Duolingo English Test does not appear on its English-proficiency page.
• Canadian University Dubai lists IELTS Academic 5.0 (5.5 for Creative Industries), TOEFL iBT and TOEFL ITP, and states that IELTS Online and TOEFL Home Edition are not acceptable. The DET is not mentioned.
• Middlesex University Dubai names IELTS Academic, PTE and TOEFL iBT, plus its own in-house English test for offer holders. No Duolingo.
• University of Birmingham Dubai publishes TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, Cambridge and Oxford ELLT bands for foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate. Duolingo does not appear.
• University of Wollongong in Dubai lists IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic, and explicitly does not accept IELTS Online or TOEFL Home Edition. No Duolingo.

The lesson for the UAE: a branch campus of a university that accepts the DET in the UK does not automatically accept it in Dubai, and Birmingham Dubai is the proof. Email the campus you are applying to, not the parent university, and keep the reply.

Universities abroad that UAE residents apply to with a DET score

Most of the DET demand in the Emirates is for degrees in the UK, the US, Canada and Ireland. Published requirements, each from the university’s own page:

United Kingdom

• Heriot-Watt University (UK campuses publish the same bands as Dubai): 120 with 110 in each component for undergraduate entry.
• University of Hertfordshire: 105 with no less than 95 in each band for undergraduate, 120 with 95 in each band for postgraduate.

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.

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 with admissions in writing.

EmSAT, sponsors and the visa rules that decide your test

• EmSAT. For Emirati students and for many locally licensed universities, EmSAT English is the default admission measure, and the DET does not replace it. If your programme lists EmSAT, plan for EmSAT; use the DET for the branch campuses and universities abroad that publish a Duolingo band.
• Sponsors. 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.
• 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.
• Canada. The Student Direct Stream ended on 8 November 2024; applications now 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, even where an Australian university accepts it for admission.

If your shortlist mixes a UK offer with an Australian one, or a branch campus with a locally licensed university, budget for two tests before you pay for either.

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: Heriot-Watt’s 120 with 110 in each component fails if Production comes in at 105, whatever the overall says.

• 90–105 covers a large share of undergraduate entry abroad: University College Dublin from 90 with 80 in each subscore, Arizona State at 95, Heriot-Watt foundation at 100 with 95, Hertfordshire at 105 with 95 in each band.
• 120 with subscore floors is the band for most direct undergraduate and graduate entry on this page: Heriot-Watt at 120 with 110, Toronto at 120 with 120 in Production, Hertfordshire postgraduate at 120, 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 the UAE

In the UAE the honest answer is often “both, for different purposes”: the DET for the branch campus or overseas programme that publishes a Duolingo band, IELTS for the locally licensed university, the sponsor or the visa that names it. Decide by acceptance first and format second.

Studying online from the UAE with live classes

The Emirates sit at UTC+4, two hours ahead of Cairo for most of the year, so live sessions land at a workable time for students in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 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 the UAE

Visa and Mastercard payments from UAE banks go through normally. Two generic points: make sure online and international transactions are enabled for the card with your bank, 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 why. Message us on WhatsApp if you need another way to pay.