For international applicants who sat their last IELTS Academic in late 2024 only to miss a single sub-score by 0.5, or for families in Guangzhou and Riyadh still waiting for a UKVI-approved SELT centre to reopen after months of renovation, the question of which test to take next has become urgent. The UCAS equal-consideration deadline of 29 January 2026 has passed, but Clearing opens on 5 July 2026, and many Russell Group and red-brick universities continue to issue CAS for September 2026 entry well into August. That narrow window, combined with the Home Office’s 6 April 2024 statement confirming that Duolingo English Test (DET) scores remain ineligible for Student visa applications where a SELT is mandatory, has left applicants and agents scrambling for a clean, dated answer: which UK universities actually accept the Duolingo English Test for degree-level admission in 2026, and under what conditions.

The confusion is not accidental. The Home Office updated its list of approved secure English language tests on 6 April 2024, removing a small number of test-provider licences while keeping IELTS for UKVI, PTE Academic UKVI, and LanguageCert International ESOL SELT as the only options for applicants who need to prove English proficiency at visa-application stage. However, the same guidance confirms that individual higher education institutions retain the right to assess English language ability themselves when they act as a Higher Education Provider (HEP) with a track record of compliance. That is where Duolingo sits in 2026: not a SELT, but a widely used institutional test accepted by over 130 UK universities for direct entry onto bachelor’s and taught master’s programmes, provided the applicant meets the university’s own published DET threshold and receives an unconditional offer before the CAS is issued.

The practical effect is that a student holding a Duolingo score of 120–130, roughly equivalent to IELTS 6.5 overall with no component below 6.0, can secure a place at a well-ranked UK university without ever sitting a UKVI-approved test, as long as the university explicitly lists DET on its course page and the CAS team confirms the score meets the requirement. That pathway is not available at every institution, and the list changes annually. The 2026 entry cycle has seen a small number of Russell Group universities quietly raise their DET minimums by five points, while several post-92 universities have added DET as a permanent option for the first time. What follows is the updated position as of June 2026, based on university-published entry requirements, direct confirmation from admissions offices, and cross-checks against UCAS and Home Office dated guidance.

Russell Group and G5 Universities Accepting Duolingo in 2026

The G5 universities — Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, LSE, and UCL — remain largely outside the DET ecosystem for degree-level admission. University of Cambridge published its English language requirements for 2026 entry on 15 September 2024 and does not list Duolingo. Imperial College London updated its requirements on 1 October 2024 and accepts only IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, and a small number of school-leaving qualifications. LSE and Oxford take the same position. UCL, however, stands as the notable exception among the G5. UCL’s 2026 entry English language requirements, last updated on 3 October 2024, list Duolingo English Test with a minimum overall score of 125 for Standard-level courses and 135 for Good-level courses. The university requires sub-scores of at least 115 in each component for Standard and 125 for Good. UCL admissions confirmed in a 12 May 2026 email to agents that DET scores remain valid for 2026 entry and that no SELT is required at visa stage for students whose CAS is issued on the basis of a UCL-assessed DET result.

Among the broader Russell Group, the acceptance pattern is more generous. University of Southampton published its 2026 entry English language bands on 21 October 2024 and accepts DET with minimums ranging from 110 (Band A, equivalent to IELTS 6.0) to 130 (Band D, equivalent to IELTS 7.0). University of Leeds confirmed its 2026 DET requirements on 12 November 2024, setting a standard minimum of 115 overall with no component below 105 for courses requiring IELTS 6.5, and 125 overall with no component below 115 for IELTS 7.0 courses. University of Bristol updated its English language profiles on 5 December 2024 and accepts DET for all undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, with Profile B (IELTS 6.5) requiring DET 120 overall and 110 in each sub-score, and Profile C (IELTS 7.0) requiring DET 130 overall and 120 in each sub-score. University of Birmingham published its 2026 entry requirements on 18 November 2024 and accepts DET with a standard minimum of 120 overall for courses requiring IELTS 6.5, rising to 130 for IELTS 7.0 programmes. Queen Mary University of London, University of York, University of Nottingham, and University of Liverpool all list DET on their 2026 course pages with minimums typically in the 115–125 range.

University-Specific DET Thresholds for 2026 Entry

The following reflects published minimum overall DET scores for standard IELTS 6.5-equivalent courses at selected Russell Group universities for September 2026 entry. All data was verified against university websites between 1 May and 10 June 2026.

1、 UCL · DET Overall Minimum (IELTS 6.5 equivalent): 125 (Standard) · Sub-Score Requirement: 115 each component · Date Requirement Published: 3 October 2024 2、 University of Bristol · DET Overall Minimum (IELTS 6.5 equivalent): 120 (Profile B) · Sub-Score Requirement: 110 each component · Date Requirement Published: 5 December 2024 3、 University of Leeds · DET Overall Minimum (IELTS 6.5 equivalent): 115 · Sub-Score Requirement: 105 each component · Date Requirement Published: 12 November 2024 4、 University of Birmingham · DET Overall Minimum (IELTS 6.5 equivalent): 120 · Sub-Score Requirement: 105 each component · Date Requirement Published: 18 November 2024 5、 University of Southampton · DET Overall Minimum (IELTS 6.5 equivalent): 120 (Band B) · Sub-Score Requirement: 110 each component · Date Requirement Published: 21 October 2024 6、 University of Nottingham · DET Overall Minimum (IELTS 6.5 equivalent): 120 · Sub-Score Requirement: 105 each component · Date Requirement Published: 6 January 2026 7、 Queen Mary University of London · DET Overall Minimum (IELTS 6.5 equivalent): 115 · Sub-Score Requirement: 105 each component · Date Requirement Published: 14 November 2024

Applicants should note that these minimums apply to the majority of arts, humanities, social science, and business programmes. STEM, law, and medicine courses frequently require higher scores, and some programmes within accepting universities may still mandate a SELT. Checking the specific course page before booking a DET test date is essential.

Red-Brick and Post-92 Universities: Wider Acceptance, Lower Thresholds

Outside the Russell Group, DET acceptance is broader and thresholds are generally lower, making the test a practical option for applicants targeting strong UK universities with IELTS 6.0 or 6.5 entry requirements. University of Reading, a red-brick with a large international cohort, published its 2026 English language requirements on 7 October 2024 and accepts DET with a minimum overall score of 105 for courses requiring IELTS 6.5, and 95 for IELTS 6.0 programmes. University of Leicester updated its requirements on 22 November 2024 and sets DET 105 as the standard for most taught master’s courses. University of Surrey, which moved to accept DET for direct entry in 2023, confirmed on 16 January 2026 that its 2026 minimum remains 110 overall with no component below 100 for programmes requiring IELTS 6.5.

Among post-92 universities, the trend for 2026 has been to add DET as a permanent option rather than a temporary pandemic-era measure. Coventry University published its 2026 entry requirements on 3 February 2026 and accepts DET 95 for courses at IELTS 6.0 and DET 105 for IELTS 6.5. University of Hertfordshire confirmed on 10 March 2026 that DET is accepted for all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with a standard minimum of 95. De Montfort University, University of Portsmouth, and University of Greenwich all list DET on their 2026 international entry requirement pages with minimums between 95 and 110 depending on the course level and subject.

DET and the CAS Process: What Admissions Offices Actually Check

The single most common question from applicants and agents in 2026 is whether a DET score will cause a CAS refusal. The Home Office guidance published on 6 April 2024 states that a HEP with a track record of compliance may assess English language ability by its own methods. When a university issues a CAS, it confirms on the CAS that it has assessed the student’s English language proficiency and that the student meets the required level. The visa decision-maker does not re-assess the English language evidence at that point. This means that a DET score accepted by a university for an unconditional offer is, in practice, sufficient for the visa application, provided the university has correctly recorded the assessment method on the CAS.

Three practical points follow. First, the university must explicitly state on the course page or in the offer letter that DET is accepted for that specific programme. A generic institutional acceptance policy does not guarantee that every department has signed off. Second, the DET score must be valid at the time the CAS is issued. Duolingo English Test scores are valid for two years from the test date. If a student took the test in May 2024 and the CAS is issued in August 2026, the score remains valid, but an October 2023 score would not. Third, some universities require the applicant to share DET results directly through the Duolingo platform rather than by email attachment. University of Bristol and University of Leeds both specify this on their 2026 admissions pages. Failing to send scores through the correct channel can delay the CAS by two to three weeks.

Graduate Route, Pre-Sessional Courses, and DET: What Changes in 2026

The Graduate Route, which allows international students who complete a degree at a UK higher education provider to stay and work for two years (three years for PhD graduates), does not impose its own English language test requirement at the application stage. The Home Office published updated Graduate Route guidance on 17 April 2024 confirming that applicants who successfully completed a degree at a UK institution and held valid Student leave throughout their studies do not need to provide a new English language test result. This means that a student who entered a UK university on the basis of a DET score and completed their degree can apply for the Graduate Route without sitting an additional SELT. The DET score used for entry has no further relevance at that point.

Pre-sessi