Three advantages of Duolingo certificate when applying to US universities

All you need is a laptop, a good internet connection and $59 to take the Duolingo test - an English certificate accepted by more than 3,000 US universities.

The Duolingo English Test (DET) is an online English test from the world's most popular language learning platform, Duolingo. Along with TOEFL and IELTS, the DET certificate is recognized by nearly 4,800 universities worldwide, two-thirds of which are in the United States.

US News , a prestigious information site on American higher education, points out some advantages of Duolingo English certificates in university applications.

Take the test online anywhere at low cost

Luis von Ahn, founder and CEO of Duolingo, said the company has invested in AI-based security systems so test takers can take the test anywhere.

“This is the only way to ensure that everyone, no matter where in the world, can demonstrate their abilities and access the best education,” said Mr. Ahn.

Elaine Zhu, a Cybersecurity and Criminal Justice major at Northeastern University in Massachusetts, said she decided to take the Duolingo English certification because of its accessibility and low cost. When Zhu was preparing her application to study abroad, her home country of Indonesia was under strict social distancing due to Covid-19.

"The Duolingo test has a clear structure and instructions, so it's easy to do on your own. Thanks to that, I was able to complete the test in less than an hour at home," she shared.

Candidates for TOEFL and IELTS certificates must go to a testing center, take the test for 2-3 hours and pay more than 200 USD in fees. The DET certificate exam costs only 59 USD, the results are available after 2 days and can be sent to many universities for free.

Daniel Doerr, director of admissions at the University of Colorado-Boulder, said Duolingo offers an affordable online test that is increasingly accepted by colleges.

Duolingo app icon. Photo: istock — Duolingo app icon. Photo: *istock*

Tests customized to the candidate's level

Similar to TOEFL and IELTS, DET focuses on assessing four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The difference here is that the difficulty of the questions will be customized according to the candidate's level, based on whether the candidate answered the previous questions correctly or incorrectly.

According to Zhu, DET is time-saving and less stressful than other tests, helping candidates effectively demonstrate their English skills.

Additionally, instead of using long reading and writing passages, Duolingo creates short questions that test similar skills. Some types of questions include filling in the blanks in a passage, identifying errors, and describing a given photo through speech or writing.

The test is scored on a 160-point scale. In the US, many top schools such as Yale University, Johns Hopkins University or Massachusetts Institute of Technology have a minimum score of 120/160 and encourage applicants to achieve 125 points or higher (equivalent to 6.5 IELTS or B2 level).

Accepted by many universities

Nearly 4,800 universities worldwide accept Duolingo English certificates in the admissions process, including prestigious Ivy League schools in the US such as Yale, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford...

According to Jennifer Dewar, DET's chief strategy officer, both applicants and universities benefit from using online tests like Duolingo.

“Universities have learned more about DET over the course of many admissions cycles and they have concluded that DET is an option for applicants, alongside traditional tests,” Ms Dewar said.

According to Angus Bowers, associate professor at Duke University (North Carolina), their Pratt School of Engineering especially prioritizes Duolingo English certificates when recruiting students.

“We found that DET really tests language skills, not test-taking skills,” said Mr Bowers. Since accepting the certificate, his school has been able to reach many talented candidates who could not afford to take other exams.

However, applicants should also note that some schools no longer accept this certificate, such as Georgia State University, or some schools only consider the DET certificate as a supplement to TOEFL or IELTS. Therefore, international students should carefully research the school they choose to consider taking an English certificate exam.

Phuong Anh (According to US News and World report )

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