Scholarships in Canada Accepting Duolingo Instead of IELTS

If the cost, the waiting time for a test centre seat, or a previous IELTS band that fell half a point short is standing between you and a Canadian university offer, the Duolingo English Test (DET) may be the most practical route forward. The DET is a one-hour, online English proficiency test you take from home, and it is now accepted for admission by a large share of Canada’s universities and colleges — including, according to Duolingo’s own reporting, 14 of Canada’s U15 research universities and 9 of the 10 colleges that receive the most study permit students in Canada.

This guide answers the question in its title honestly. Strictly speaking, scholarships do not accept or reject English tests — universities do. A scholarship is awarded once you are admitted, and admission is where your English score matters. So the practical question is: which Canadian universities accept Duolingo instead of IELTS, what minimum score does each one require, which scholarships can you then compete for at those universities, and where does Duolingo not work? That last part matters. Some graduate programs do not accept the DET at all, some faculties set higher subscore rules, and a Duolingo score plays no role in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) study permit decision beyond the admission it helped you win.

Read this guide alongside our test preparation resources and the main scholarships directory, and always confirm the score requirement on the exact program page of the university you are applying to, because faculties within the same university can and do differ.

Duolingo in Canada at a Glance

How the Duolingo English Test Works

The Duolingo English Test is an adaptive online exam. In about an hour it assesses reading, writing, listening and speaking through tasks such as reading aloud, describing a photograph, writing on a prompt, listening and typing, and an interactive speaking and writing sample that universities can view. Results are reported on a 10-160 scale in increments, with four subscores: Literacy (reading and writing), Comprehension (reading and listening), Conversation (listening and speaking) and Production (writing and speaking). Universities increasingly look at subscores, not only the overall number — the clearest Canadian example is the University of Toronto, discussed below.

You register and verify the current test fee and rules on the official Duolingo English Test website, take the test in a quiet, private, well-lit room alone, and typically receive certified results within about two days. You can then send your score to institutions through the DET platform. Before you book, search your exact target programs in the official accepting-institutions directory at englishtest.duolingo.com — acceptance is recorded per program, and a university that accepts the DET for undergraduate arts may not accept it for a specific master’s, law, medicine, education or nursing program.

Verified Canadian University Minimum Scores

The safest way to use score tables — including this one — is as a shortlisting tool, then to confirm on the university’s own page. The two anchor examples below are taken directly from official university pages. The wider list reflects the ranges Canadian research universities commonly publish for undergraduate admission; graduate requirements are set by each faculty and are frequently higher, or the DET is not accepted at graduate level at all.

University of Toronto: 120 overall, 120 in Production

The University of Toronto’s official English language facility requirements, published on its U of T Scarborough admissions page, state that for Duolingo tests completed on or after July 1, 2024, applicants need an overall score of 120 with a score of 120 in Production. For tests completed before July 1, 2024, the rule was an overall 120 with no subscore below 100. In the same table, Toronto lists IELTS Academic at an overall band that sits alongside a CAEL minimum of 70 and a Cambridge minimum of 180, which tells you where a 120 DET sits in Toronto’s judgement: it is a serious, competitive threshold, not a soft option. If Toronto is your target, explore its profile and programs via our University of Toronto profile, and note that meeting the language minimum does not by itself win admission or a scholarship — Toronto’s major international awards are decided on academic excellence and, for its flagship undergraduate award, school nomination.

McGill University: 125 or better

McGill’s official English proficiency page for undergraduate admissions lists the Duolingo English Test at a score of 125 or better, rising to 130 for the B.Ed. (TESL) and B.Com., updated September 2022. Results must be sent to McGill directly by the testing organisation; applicants cannot upload their own copies. Interestingly, McGill’s School of Continuing Studies certificate programs publish a lower DET minimum of 115 on their own pages — a perfect illustration of why you must check the exact program, not just the university brand. McGill is also home to one of Canada’s most prestigious graduate awards, the McCall MacBain Scholarships, which are applied for separately and judged on character, leadership and academic strength once your admission route is clear. Start from our McGill University profile for program context.

Other research universities: expect 115-125, and check graduate rules

Duolingo reports that 14 of the U15 research universities accept the DET, naming Toronto, McGill and the University of Waterloo among them. Published undergraduate minimums across this group commonly fall between 115 and 125. The University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta both appear in Duolingo’s accepting-institution listings, but their faculties set their own rules, and some graduate schools at Canadian research universities still require IELTS or TOEFL for master’s and doctoral admission even where the undergraduate division accepts Duolingo. The University of Waterloo is similarly program-specific, with engineering and mathematics among the most competitive routes in the country. Treat any third-party table that gives one neat number for “UBC graduate Duolingo” with suspicion: go to the faculty page, find the English proficiency section, and screenshot the rule for your intake.

Which Scholarships Can You Reach With a Duolingo Admission?

Once a university admits you on a DET score, you are normally in the same scholarship pool as an IELTS admit. The main categories are:

• Automatic international entrance scholarships. Many Canadian universities award these purely on your admission average, with no separate application and no preference for one English test over another. Values and grade bands are published on each university’s awards page and change by intake, so check the page for your year rather than relying on a blog’s figure.
• Application-based entrance awards. Larger awards that ask for essays, references or a nomination. Your English test is a threshold, not a scoring factor; what wins is your academic record and the quality of your application.
• Government exchange scholarships. Programs such as the Study in Canada Scholarships do not set their own English test, but you must be proficient in the language of instruction at the Canadian institution before arrival, because the scholarship does not cover language training. A DET-based admission can satisfy the host institution’s proficiency requirement where the host accepts it.
• Graduate funding. Where a graduate faculty accepts the DET, admitted master’s and PhD students compete for the same assistantships and fellowships as everyone else. Where it does not, no scholarship office can waive the faculty’s IELTS or TOEFL rule for you.

Use the StudyGraduate tools, including cost calculators, to build the full budget behind any partial award: an entrance scholarship of a few thousand dollars is valuable, but it sits on top of tuition and living costs that you must still evidence for your study permit.

Duolingo vs IELTS for Canada: An Honest Comparison

The balanced advice is this: if your target programs all accept the DET at a score you can realistically reach, Duolingo is a legitimate, money-saving choice for 2026 admission. If even one of your top choices is a graduate program that lists only IELTS, TOEFL or CAEL, take the test that keeps every door open. A cheap test that excludes your first-choice program is not cheap.

Step by Step: From Duolingo Score to Scholarship Offer

1. Shortlist programs first, test second. Build your list from our universities directory, then open each program’s official English proficiency page. Record the test types accepted, the overall minimum, and any subscore floor, with the date you checked.
2. Verify on Duolingo’s official institution search. Search each institution at englishtest.duolingo.com and confirm the program appears. Duolingo’s own admissions reporting, including its guide featuring McGill and Dalhousie admissions leaders, stresses that both universities accept the DET for eligible programs — the word “eligible” is doing real work, so confirm yours.
3. Prepare deliberately. Practise the DET’s specific formats: interactive reading, listen-and-type, photo description and the writing and speaking samples. Aim above the published minimum; a score five to ten points higher protects you if a faculty tightens its rule and makes conditional-offer reviews easier.
4. Take the test under the rules. You must be alone in a quiet, well-lit room, with your face and ears visible and no headphones, second screens or outside help. Rule violations can invalidate results, and an invalidated score near a deadline is a disaster you can avoid by following the published requirements exactly.
5. Send scores officially. Universities such as McGill require results sent directly by the testing organisation; self-uploaded PDFs are not accepted. Send early and confirm receipt in your applicant portal.
6. Apply for admission and scholarships together. Where entrance scholarships are automatic, your admission application is your scholarship application. Where awards need a separate form, nomination or essay, diarise those deadlines separately — they often close earlier than admission.
7. Prepare the study permit file in parallel. Your DET-based offer letter is one document in a much larger file. IRCC requires proof that you can pay tuition, living expenses and transportation: see the official IRCC proof of financial support page. For applications from September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026, the living-expense threshold for a single applicant outside Quebec was CAD $22,895, rising to CAD $23,448 from September 1, 2026 — in both cases excluding tuition and travel, and updated annually by IRCC.

Required Documents

• Passport or government photo ID matching the name on your DET registration and university application exactly.
• Official DET score sent through the Duolingo platform to each institution (not a screenshot).
• Academic transcripts and certificates, with certified translations where required.
• University application and, where separate, scholarship application forms, essays and references.
• Letter of acceptance and provincial attestation letter (where required) for the study permit stage.
• Financial documents for IRCC: bank statements covering the required period, education loan letters, Guaranteed Investment Certificate where used, scholarship letters, and sponsor evidence with source of funds.

Deadlines and Timeline

How to Improve Your Chances

For the test itself, universities read your Production and Conversation performance as evidence you can write essays and participate in seminars, so practise timed writing and spoken summaries, not just vocabulary. For scholarships, remember that the DET only opens the gate: entrance awards are driven by your admission average, and competitive awards by essays, references and achievements. Two practical moves help most students. First, apply to a spread of institutions — one or two ambitious research universities, plus strong mid-range universities and a college option — so a single faculty’s language rule cannot end your year. Second, keep a paper trail: save the official proficiency page for each program on the day you apply, so if a rule changes mid-cycle you can show what was published when you submitted. Our study guides walk through the wider application calendar in detail.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming “the university accepts Duolingo” means your program does. Acceptance is per program and per level; graduate and professional programs are the usual exceptions.
• Meeting the overall score but missing a subscore floor. Toronto’s Production 120 rule has caught out applicants with an overall 125. Read the whole requirement.
• Believing Duolingo replaces IELTS for immigration. The DET is an admission test. IRCC’s study permit assessment turns on your acceptance, funds, ties and admissibility — and routes that specify a language test specify their own lists.
• Taking the test in a shared room or with headphones. DET security rules are strict and violations can void your result without a refund of your time.
• Sending scores only to the university’s general inbox. Scores must be released through the DET platform to the institution, exactly as its instructions describe.
• Ignoring score validity and timing. Take the test close enough to your application that the score is valid for your intake, and early enough to allow a retake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Duolingo really accepted instead of IELTS by Canadian universities in 2026?

Yes, for admission at a very large number of Canadian institutions, including 14 of the U15 research universities according to Duolingo, and most major colleges. But acceptance is program-specific, and some graduate and professional programs still require IELTS, TOEFL or another listed test. Always verify your exact program.

What Duolingo score do I need for the University of Toronto?

For undergraduate admission, Toronto’s official requirement for tests completed on or after July 1, 2024 is an overall score of 120 with a Production score of 120. Graduate requirements are set by each graduate unit and differ.

What Duolingo score do I need for McGill?

McGill’s undergraduate admissions page lists 125 or better, and 130 for the B.Ed. (TESL) and B.Com. Some McGill continuing studies certificates publish 115. Check the page for your specific program.

Can I get a scholarship if I was admitted with Duolingo?

Yes. Once admitted, you compete in the same scholarship pools as IELTS admits. Automatic entrance scholarships depend on your grades; competitive awards depend on their own criteria. No legitimate scholarship gives preference to one admission test over another.

Does Duolingo help my Canadian study permit application?

Only indirectly, by helping you obtain your letter of acceptance. IRCC decides study permits on factors including funds, which for a single applicant outside Quebec meant showing CAD $22,895 in living expenses (September 2025-August 2026 applications) or CAD $23,448 (from September 1, 2026), plus tuition and transportation. A language score does not replace financial proof.

My score is 105-110. Do I still have options in Canada?

Possibly. Many public colleges and some universities publish undergraduate or diploma minimums in the 105-115 range, and pathway programs exist below direct-entry thresholds. You will not meet Toronto (120) or McGill (125) with that score, so either target institutions whose published minimum you meet or retake the test after focused preparation.

How long is the Duolingo test and how fast are results?

The test takes about one hour to complete online from home, and certified results are typically released within about 48 hours. Confirm current timing, fees and rules on the official Duolingo English Test website before booking.

What if my program stops accepting Duolingo after I apply?

Requirements can change between intakes. Apply in the cycle for which your program publishes DET acceptance, keep a dated copy of the official page, and contact the admissions office in writing if anything changes. If a program withdraws DET acceptance for your intake, you would need an accepted alternative test — another reason to apply early.

Colleges, Pathways and Second Chances

Not every strong Canadian outcome starts at a research university, and Duolingo acceptance is widest exactly where many international students actually study: Canada’s public colleges. Duolingo reports that DET scores are accepted by 9 of the 10 colleges that receive the most study permit students in Canada, naming Conestoga College, Centennial College and Seneca College among them. College diploma and graduate certificate programs commonly publish DET minimums in the 105-115 band, below university direct-entry levels, which makes them a realistic admission route for a student whose IELTS or DET score sits below the 120-125 research-university range. Colleges also run their own entrance and in-program scholarships, typically smaller than university awards but far more numerous, and a strong college record can later support a transfer or a postgraduate application with Canadian academic evidence behind it.

Pathway programs are the second chance built into the system. If your score falls just short of direct entry, some institutions offer conditional admission through an English for Academic Purposes program, where you complete language study first and progress into your degree without retaking an external test. Read conditional offers carefully: confirm how many language terms are required, what they cost, whether your scholarship eligibility is assessed on entry to the language program or on entry to the degree, and whether your study permit application presents the combined plan clearly to IRCC. A conditional offer is still an offer, but only if the conditions, costs and timeline are written down.

Finally, think about your retake strategy before you need it. The DET can be retaken, and because it is short and taken at home, a focused four-to-six-week preparation block between attempts is realistic alongside school or work. Universities generally consider the valid score you officially send, so a retake is a low-risk way to move from a college-range score into university range, or from meeting a minimum to clearing a subscore floor like Toronto’s Production 120. What you should not do is sit the test repeatedly without changing your preparation: assessors see the same profile, and your application deadlines do not move. One prepared retake beats three hopeful ones, every time.

Sources & Verification

Scores and rules in this guide were verified against: University of Toronto Scarborough’s official English language facility table (Duolingo overall 120 with Production 120 for tests on or after July 1, 2024); McGill University’s official undergraduate English proficiency page (Duolingo 125 or better, 130 for B.Ed. (TESL) and B.Com.) and McGill School of Continuing Studies language policy (115 for listed certificates); Duolingo English Test official reporting on Canadian acceptance (14 of the U15 research universities; 9 of the 10 colleges receiving the most study permits), via the Duolingo English Test blog; Duolingo’s official accepting-institutions search at englishtest.duolingo.com; and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s study permit proof of financial support page (funds structure and annually updated living-expense amounts). Where a university-wide figure could not be tied to a single official page, this guide gives the commonly published range and instructs you to confirm on the program page, rather than presenting a range as a guarantee.

Disclaimer: English test requirements, scholarship values and deadlines change yearly. Always confirm scores, deadlines and amounts on the official university and government websites before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency. We never promise selection, admission or visa approval.