TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo English Test: which one do colleges accept?

Which English test will the colleges on your list accept, and could your Class XII English marks meet the requirement instead? Start with the college's own admissions and course pages. TOEFL, IELTS and the Duolingo English Test all assess reading, listening, speaking and writing, but their score scales differ. Check acceptance for your particular test version, course and entry year.

The examples below come from official provider and university guidance checked on 2 October 2026. They show how to read a requirement. Recheck the policy for your own admissions cycle before booking.

TOEFL iBT: pay attention to the test date

ETS describes TOEFL iBT as a test of reading, listening, speaking and writing. It assesses English, rather than knowledge of the subject you hope to study. Scoring changed on 21 January 2026. Reports now use a scale from 1 to 6, in half-point increments, with four section scores and an overall score.

Before that change, the overall scale ran from 0 to 120, with each section scored from 0 to 30. For a two-year transition after January 2026, ETS also provides a comparable overall score on the 0 to 120 scale alongside the new scores. Both scales appear in the same test report.

The new overall score averages the four section scores and rounds to the nearest half band. The old total added the section scores. When a college lists a TOEFL requirement, check which test dates and scale it covers. If that is unclear, ask admissions which scale to use.

IELTS Academic: read the component scores too

IELTS Academic is intended for undergraduate or postgraduate study. Its four sections are Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Academic and General Training share Listening and Speaking, but their Reading and Writing sections differ. Check which test an admissions requirement names.

IELTS uses whole and half bands on a scale from 0 to 9. Band 9 is labelled Expert; band 0 means the test was not attempted. The overall band averages the four section bands and rounds to the nearest half band. You must meet any separate component minimums as well as the overall requirement.

The Speaking section is an interview with an examiner. Its published criteria cover fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. For IELTS Online, the interview takes place by video call.

Duolingo: understand the subscores

The Duolingo English Test, or DET, assesses reading, writing, listening and speaking on a scale from 10 to 160, in steps of five. A certified DET result is separate from progress in the Duolingo language-learning app. You can take the test online from home if you meet its technical and room requirements. Its adaptive format means question difficulty changes in response to your answers.

DET reports individual Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking subscores. Its overall score is their average, rounded to the nearest five. It also reports integrated subscores: Literacy combines reading and writing; Comprehension combines reading and listening; Conversation combines listening and speaking; Production combines writing and speaking.

Both kinds of subscore appear on the report, so check which ones the college asks for. If the course requires integrated subscores, compare its requirement with those named results rather than the individual skill scores.

What named colleges actually accept

MIT's first-year admissions page accepts TOEFL, IELTS and DET among its English-proficiency exams. It strongly recommends submitting one to some non-native English speakers. This depends on how long they have used English and whether they speak it at home or in school. Read that wording against your own schooling. For TOEFL taken before 21 January 2026, it lists a minimum of 90 and a recommended score of 100. For tests on or after that date, the minimum is 5 and the recommendation is 5.5. For IELTS, MIT lists 7 as the minimum and 7.5 as recommended; for DET, the corresponding scores are 120 and 125.

Distinguish the recommended score from the minimum. Neither guarantees admission or replaces other application requirements. These figures apply to MIT; check other US colleges' own policies.

In the UK, the University of York's BA English page for 2026/27 entry lists IELTS Academic at 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 in each component. Its DET requirement is 120 overall, with integrated subscores of at least 105 in each component. It also lists TOEFL. These are requirements for that course and the 2026/27 entry year, which began in September 2026. Tests and scores can differ for a later entry year or another course. Check the page that matches your application.

When Indian board English marks count

A university may accept board marks if its policy explicitly allows them. York's official India page accepts at least 75% in Standard XII English from CBSE and other specifically named boards, provided Standard XII was completed within the last seven years. York's undergraduate English language page counts school-leaving certificates from the course start date. Its India page says English language requirements vary by academic department. Confirm with admissions that this route applies to your course and how the seven years are counted. Its list also names ICSE, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The page uses the wording ICSE in its Standard XII list. If you are unsure whether this covers your certificate, ask admissions. York also says that medium of instruction (MOI) is not accepted as evidence of English language ability for any level of study. You therefore need evidence beyond English-medium schooling alone.

The University of Bristol's India page says CBSE or CISCE English at 70 to 80% or above can be accepted instead of another English test such as IELTS. The chosen course page identifies the required English-language profile. Check that profile for the exact percentage and eligible boards: 70% is not enough for every Bristol course.

Check the version, timing and conditions

Before booking, put the official admissions guidance beside the exact course requirement. Record the entry year, accepted test and delivery version, overall score, component thresholds, score-age rule and any conditions for using board marks. Confirm those details with the institution as well as checking the provider's recognition list.

Check how you will take the test, too. IELTS advises applicants to confirm acceptance of IELTS Online directly with their chosen institution before booking. A general statement accepting IELTS may not cover the remote version. IELTS Online is different from booking online or taking a computer-delivered test at a centre.

Check when the result must be valid. York's undergraduate policy requires a test result dated no more than two years before the course starts. It also prohibits combining scores from different qualification attempts or types. Count back from the course start and use results that meet those rules.

What to do with your shortlist

Choose a test your intended courses explicitly accept and check all their conditions. If your board English marks might qualify, confirm this in the university's policy before booking. If the wording is unclear, ask admissions about your exact course, entry year and qualification.

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