English Language Testing

International applicants must submit official test scores unless eligible for a waiver

All international students may be required to take English placement exams prior to the start of classes, pending their language score submission provided in their application for admission to the Pratt School of Engineering. 

Submitting Duolingo English Test scores will allow students to waive additional placement exams. Depending on placement results, students are either exempt from or placed into English course(s). Students with English course requirements must make satisfactory progress toward completing these requirements while in the program.

It can take several weeks for scores to arrive at schools, so you should plan to take the test or order prior scores at least one month before the deadline you seek.

Read about waiver opportunities »

Duolingo is Preferred

The Duolingo English Test is the preferred language testing option of the Admissions & Recruiting team at the Pratt School of Engineering. For more information on the Duolingo English Test, visit the Duolingo website at englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants.

Why Duolingo?

  • Costs a fraction of the other leading language assessments
  • Offers reduced test time
  • It is a convenient, secure at-home exam
  • It is accepted by universities around the world
  • Provides results within 48 hours of exam completion
  • Your results can be shared with unlimited institutions at no extra cost

Plus, Duolingo seamlessly integrates with your application to the Pratt School of Engineering. It provides a further dimension to your candidacy by allowing for video interviews and writing samples to be captured and viewed by the admissions committee. As such, if you do attend Pratt School of Engineering, you will not have to be additionally assessed for language classes when you submit a Duolingo English Test as part of your application.

Important Notice

If you opt to submit scores from other standardized assessments, you may be required to complete additional language testing upon acceptance into our programs.

Reporting Your Score

Duolingo

Report official scores and subscores:

  • "Graduate" program type, and
  • “Duke University Graduate Programs: Graduate School; Divinity; Engineering; Environment; Public Policy; Duke Kunshan”
    — Important notes: There is no institution code. Also, score reports without subscores will not be accepted. If you are not sure how to include subscores in your score report, please contact Duolingo English Test support on the Duolingo English Test website.

Other Tests

TOEFL

Report official scores to Institution Code 5156 (Duke University). [Note: There is no department code.]

IELTS

Report official scores to "Duke University Pratt School of Engineering."

Name Discrepancies

We receive TOEFL scores electronically from the Educational Testing Service and IELTS results via mail from Cambridge ESOL, British Council, and IDP: IELTS Australia. Because we match scores by an applicant's name, the name on the application and on your test scores must be the same. If it is not, you must contact us.

Waivers

We offer waivers to those who:

  • Are citizens of any of the following countries—

    American Samoa

    India

    Saint Kitts and Nevis

    Antigua and Barbuda

    Ireland

    Saint Lucia

    Australia

    Jamaica

    Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

    Bahamas

    Kenya

    Samoa

    Belize

    Kingdom of Eswatini

    Seychelles

    Bermuda

    Kiribati

    Sierra Leone

    Botswana

    Lesotho

    Singapore

    Cameroon

    Malawi

    Tonga

    Canada

    Namibia

    Trinidad and Tobago

    Dominica

    Nauru

    Tuvalu

    Fiji

    New Zealand

    Uganda

    Gambia, The

    Nigeria

    United Kingdom

    Ghana

    Northern Mariana Islands

    United Republic of Tanzania

    Grenada

    Papua New Guinea

    Virgin Islands (British & U.S.)

    Guam

    Rwanda

    Zambia

    Guyana

     

     
  • Have studied full-time for two years or more at a college or university where the sole language of instruction is English and in a country where English is the primary spoken language. The two years of study must be completed prior to the start of the program, or
  • Have  earned an undergraduate degree at Duke Kunshan University (DKU), or
  • Have worked full-time for a minimum of two years in Australia, Canada, the United States, or the United Kingdom after receipt of undergraduate degree

Waivers based on citizenship are automatic. 

If you believe you qualify for a waiver based on the education or work criteria, indicate this and then answer the questions in the waiver section of your online application that require you to state where you completed the study or work requirement. 

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we will not examine, confirm the status of, or grant any waiver requests prior to extending an offer of admission.  If your request is not granted, we will notify you as soon as possible to give you time to take the test.  Therefore, it is in your best interest to apply in the earliest round for each admission cycle. 

English Placement Exams

All international students may be required to take oral and written English placement exams administered at Duke prior to the start of classes.

These exams are independent of the score submission requirement.

Depending on placement results, students are either exempt from, or placed into, English course(s). Students with English course requirements must make satisfactory progress toward completing these requirements while in the program.