Duolingo English Test in Thailand (2026): price, score you need, IELTS equivalents and which Thai universities accept it

What is the Duolingo English Test?

The DET is Duolingo's online English proficiency test. It is adaptive — the questions get harder or easier as you answer — and you take it on your own computer at home, at any time, after an ID check. Duolingo describes it as a 1-hour test process:

• Setup and ID verification: 5 minutes.
• Scored assessment: 45 minutes.
• Writing and speaking samples: 10 minutes.
• Results: in about 2 days, with unlimited sharing to institutions.
• Scores: 10–160 overall, with Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening subscores (which average to the overall score) and four integrated subscores — Production, Literacy, Comprehension and Conversation.
• Validity: Duolingo English Test results are valid for two years.

How much does the Duolingo English Test cost?

Duolingo's official preparation guide, updated in July 2026, says the test costs US$70. Its Help Center adds the rules that matter when you buy: you purchase through your DET account and can pay with any major credit card; one test gives you one credit with up to three attempts to complete and upload the test; and you must use it within 21 days of purchase. A two-test bundle is sold at a discount, but bundles are not refundable.

Prices can change, so check the price shown at checkout before you pay — and only buy once your practice scores are close to your target, because the 21-day window cannot be extended.

DET scores vs IELTS: Duolingo's official concordance

Duolingo publishes this comparison between its overall score and IELTS overall bands. Use it to set a target, not to replace the exact DET score a programme asks for.

What Duolingo English Test score do you need?

There is no pass mark. Each university or programme sets its own minimum overall score, and some also set subscore minimums. Read through Duolingo's table, a programme that asks for IELTS 6.0 sits in the DET 105–115 range and one that asks for IELTS 6.5 sits in the 120–125 range. In Thailand, MUIC's regular-admission page for the 2026–2027 intake lists a Duolingo overall score of 100 among its English options. Requirements change each intake — confirm with the programme.

Duolingo also aligns its scores with the CEFR: 155–160 is C2, 130–150 is C1, 100–125 is B2, 60–95 is B1 and 10–55 is A1–A2.

Where can you use the DET in Thailand?

Duolingo says the test is trusted by 6,500+ institutions worldwide, and its acceptance search shows 600+ in Asia. Searching it on 6 October 2026 for three Thai universities returned these listings:

• Chulalongkorn University: EBA Program, Faculty of Economics; Chemical and Process Engineering (ChPE), Faculty of Engineering; BALAC, Faculty of Arts; B.A. in Communication Management; CommDe, Faculty of Architecture; and the School of Integrated Innovation (ScII) — all undergraduate.
• Mahidol University: Mahidol University (undergraduate), Mahidol University International College (undergraduate) and the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Mahidol University (undergraduate).
• Thammasat University: the B.E. International Program (undergraduate) and Thammasat Business School (graduate).

How to check whether your programme accepts the DET

• Open Duolingo's accepting-institutions search on englishtest.duolingo.com and type the university's name.
• Find your exact programme or faculty — acceptance is listed programme by programme. An asterisk means the institution accepts the DET but some applicants may need extra proof of English.
• Open the programme's own admission page for the minimum overall score, any subscore rule and the deadline for receiving results.
• If your programme is not listed, ask the admissions office before you buy a test, or take the test it names, such as IELTS.
• When you apply, share your result from your DET account — Duolingo says sharing through its website is the only official way to send results.

Practise for the DET free on engforedu.com

The DET is adaptive and timed, so practise the real question types against the clock and speak out loud every day:

• engforedu.com/duolingo — practice for every current DET question type, including Interactive Speaking, Interactive Writing, Read & Select, Read & Complete, Listen & Type, Interactive Reading and Interactive Listening, with AI feedback. Start free.
• engforedu.com/pine-speak — a free speaking game: you talk to story characters out loud and your voice moves the story, from beginner (A1) to advanced (C2).
• engforedu.com/journey — a free daily practice path across all four skills, so your Reading, Listening and Writing subscores rise with your Speaking.
• Duolingo's free official practice test on englishtest.duolingo.com — take it at the start to find your level and again before you buy the real test.