Interactive planning tool

Duolingo English Test to IELTS Converter

Enter your figures or complete the checklist. Results are planning estimates, not official decisions.

The Duolingo English Test (DET) has become a popular alternative to IELTS and TOEFL since 2020. It's shorter (about 1 hour), cheaper ($65 vs $250+ for IELTS/TOEFL), can be taken from home, and results come in 48 hours. Over 5,000 institutions worldwide now accept DET scores.

This Duolingo to IELTS Converter provides approximate conversions between Duolingo English Test scores (10–160) and IELTS Academic bands. It helps you understand how your DET score compares to traditional test requirements.

How to use this converter

  • Select conversion direction — DET to IELTS, or IELTS to DET.
  • Enter your score — DET (10–160) or IELTS band (0–9).

Convert Duolingo English Test (DET) ↔ approximate IELTS band .

Understanding your results

Common equivalences: DET 100 ≈ IELTS 6.0, DET 110 ≈ IELTS 6.5, DET 120 ≈ IELTS 7.0, DET 130 ≈ IELTS 7.5. These conversions are based on published concordance data but are approximate — some universities may use slightly different equivalence tables.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, many top universities now accept DET, including Columbia, Yale, Stanford, MIT, University College London, and most Australian universities. However, some institutions still don't accept it — always verify with your target university.

DET is adaptive (questions get harder or easier based on your performance) and takes about 1 hour vs 2.75 hours for IELTS. Some students find it easier because it's shorter and can be taken at home. Others prefer IELTS's predictable format. The content difficulty is comparable.

Related tools

IELTS ↔ TOEFL converter

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How to interpret the result

Use the result to compare scenarios and identify questions. Schools, universities, testing bodies and government agencies may use different scales, rounding rules and eligibility criteria. An estimate on this page cannot override an official calculation.

Before you decide

  • Read the assumptions shown beside the tool.
  • Repeat the calculation with a lower and higher scenario.
  • Save the official requirement that applies to your case.
  • Ask the responsible institution to confirm any conversion in writing.