What DET Score Do Top Universities Require? Minimums and Subscore Rules Explained
Duolingo English Test score requirements at Yale, Toronto, UBC, MIT, and Warwick: overall minimums, subscore rules, and how to plan your target DET score.
"What Score Do I Need?" Has Two Answers Now
Ask anyone who has applied abroad with the Duolingo English Test (DET) and they will tell you the same story: they hit the overall score their university asked for, then discovered a second line in the requirements about subscores.
Many universities publish rules like "120 overall and at least 110 in each skill." That means a single weak skill can block an application even when the overall number looks fine.
This guide looks at what five well-known universities actually publish on their official admissions pages, explains the patterns behind those numbers, and shows you how to turn a requirement into a realistic target score.
Important: Requirements change by admission cycle, degree level, and even by program. Everything below comes from each university's official page as of November 2026. Always re-check the page for your specific program before you book a test.
Quick Comparison
| University | Level | Overall DET | Subscore rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yale University (USA) | Undergraduate | Yale's most competitive applicants have at least 120 | None stated (a benchmark, not a hard minimum) |
| University of Toronto (Canada) | Undergraduate | 120 | 120 in Production |
| University of British Columbia (Canada) | Graduate | 125 | 115 Reading, 115 Listening, 120 Writing, 120 Speaking |
| MIT (USA) | Graduate | 135 recommended | Set by each department |
| University of Warwick (UK) | Postgraduate | 120 / 130 / 140 by band | Component minimums for every band |
Notice that only one of these five gives you a single number with no conditions attached, and even that one is a "competitive" benchmark rather than a cut-off.
University by University
Yale University: a competitive benchmark, not a cut-off
Yale's undergraduate testing page says that non-native English speakers without two or more years of enrollment in an English-medium school must submit an English proficiency test, in addition to meeting Yale's SAT or ACT requirement. The DET is one of the accepted options.
Yale does not phrase the DET number as a minimum. Instead it says its most competitive applicants have DET scores of at least 120. Read that carefully: 120 is where strong applicants usually are, not a guarantee and not a floor.
What it means for you: at highly selective schools that publish "competitive" ranges, aim above the number, not at it.
University of Toronto: watch the Production subscore
U of T's undergraduate English language requirements page states that, for tests completed on or after July 1, 2024, the minimum is an overall score of 120 with a score of 120 in Production.
Production is one of the DET's combined subscores. According to Duolingo's official scoring guide, it is the average of your Writing and Speaking subscores. So a test taker with 125 overall but Writing 110 and Speaking 120 (Production 115) would not meet this rule.
U of T also asks applicants not to send DET results until they have received their U of T applicant number, to avoid processing delays.
What it means for you: if your target is U of T, your writing and speaking matter more than your reading and listening.
University of British Columbia: DET accepted for graduate admission from 2027
UBC's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies states that the DET will be accepted for May and September 2027 admissions. The minimum scores for all graduate applicants are:
| Skill | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Overall | 125 |
| Reading | 115 |
| Listening | 115 |
| Writing | 120 |
| Speaking | 120 |
UBC adds that some programs require a higher score, and that the score must be sent electronically from the test provider.
What it means for you: UBC asks for higher Writing and Speaking than Reading and Listening. If you are applying for 2027 entry, plan your test date so the official score reaches UBC before your program's deadline.
MIT: the department decides
MIT's Office of Graduate Education allows applicants to submit DET scores to meet the English proficiency requirement. Graduate Admissions recommends a minimum of at least 135, but each department sets its own DET requirement, and department minimums take priority over the general recommendation.
MIT also notes that review committees may see the DET's subscore categories, and in some departments, some sections of the test itself.
What it means for you: 135 is a starting point. Open your program's page in MIT's degree program directory before you set a target.
University of Warwick: three bands, each with component rules
Warwick's postgraduate admissions page groups courses into English language bands. For the DET:
| Band | Overall | Components (Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing) |
|---|---|---|
| A | 120 | At least 110 in each |
| B | 130 | At least 110 in two and 130 in two |
| C | 140 | At least 120 in two and 140 in two |
Two more details are easy to miss:
- Only DET results that show individual Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening scores are accepted for meeting English conditions
- Results must be shared directly with Warwick's Postgraduate Admissions Service through your Duolingo dashboard. A PDF or screenshot uploaded to the applicant portal is not accepted
What it means for you: find out which band your course is in first. The difference between Band A and Band C is 20 overall points and much stricter component rules.
Five Patterns Behind the Numbers
Looking at these pages side by side, a few patterns stand out:
- 120 is a common floor for selective universities. Three of the five set or describe 120 as the baseline for their most common route
- Graduate programs often ask for more. UBC graduate asks for 125, MIT recommends 135, and Warwick's stricter bands go up to 140
- Subscores are now part of the requirement, not just extra information. Toronto, UBC, and Warwick all set skill-level conditions
- Productive skills get extra weight. Toronto checks Production (Writing + Speaking), and UBC sets Writing and Speaking higher than Reading and Listening
- The program can override the university. MIT and UBC both state that individual programs may require more
How to Find the Real Requirement for Your Program
Use this checklist before you register for the test:
- Find the official admissions page (university domain, not an agent's blog)
- Confirm the degree level: undergraduate and graduate rules are often different
- Check for a program- or department-specific requirement that overrides the general one
- Note the overall score and every subscore condition (each skill, or combined subscores like Production)
- Check the admission cycle the rule applies to (for example, UBC's DET acceptance starts with 2027 admissions)
- Check the test date rules (for example, Toronto's rule applies to tests taken on or after July 1, 2024)
- Read how to send scores: many universities (for example Toronto, UBC, and Warwick) want scores sent from your DET account, not uploaded as a PDF
- If you are applying with a scholarship, check the scholarship's own English rules too. Scholarships may set their own list of accepted tests, so confirm that the DET is accepted
- Write down the highest requirement across all your target programs. That is your real target
Turning a Requirement Into a Target Score
Your test-day score will not match your practice score exactly, so give yourself a buffer. A simple way to plan:
| If your program requires | Aim for this in practice | Pay special attention to |
|---|---|---|
| 120 overall, no subscore rule | 125+ | Your weakest skill, since all four count equally toward the overall score |
| 120 overall + 120 Production | 125+ overall, Writing and Speaking both 120+ | The photo tasks and extended writing/speaking |
| 125 overall + skill minimums (UBC style) | 130+ overall, every skill 5+ points above its minimum | Whichever skill sits closest to its minimum |
| 130-140 with component rules (Warwick B/C) | 5-10 points above the band | Consistency across all four skills |
Why a buffer? The overall DET score is the average of your four main subscores, rounded up to the nearest 5. Small dips in one skill on test day can pull you below a cut-off that you were hitting in practice. You can read more in our guide to DET subscores.
A sample gap analysis
Imagine your practice results look like this, and you are aiming for UBC graduate admission:
| Skill | Your score | UBC minimum | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 125 | 115 | +10 |
| Listening | 120 | 115 | +5 |
| Writing | 115 | 120 | -5 |
| Speaking | 110 | 120 | -10 |
| Overall | 120 (rounded up from 117.5) | 125 | -5 |
Your reading and listening are already safe. Every hour of study should go to Speaking first, then Writing. More reading practice here would feel productive but would not change the outcome.
Raising Writing and Speaking Specifically
Because so many requirements lean on Writing, Speaking, or Production, the tasks where you produce your own English deserve focused practice. Two of the most practical ones to train are:
- Write About the Photo: describe a photo in writing under a short timer. It rewards specific details, varied vocabulary, and accurate grammar
- Speak About the Photo: describe a photo out loud. It rewards fluency, organization, and avoiding long pauses
A focused routine for the last four weeks before the test:
- Week 1: Do untimed answers and learn a simple structure: overview, details, impression
- Week 2: Switch to the real timer and fix your most common grammar error
- Week 3: Work on vocabulary range: avoid repeating big, nice, good in the same answer
- Week 4: Run mixed timed sessions, writing and speaking back to back, then take the test
Wono DET is an independent practice tool (not affiliated with Duolingo) built for exactly these two tasks. You answer a photo under a timer and get AI feedback with an estimated score, grammar corrections, and a stronger sample answer, so you can see whether your Writing and Speaking are moving toward your program's minimum. New accounts get 5 free corrections.
Conclusion
- Read the whole requirement, not just the overall number. Subscore rules are becoming common
- Graduate programs and individual departments often ask for more than the university-wide minimum
- Plan with a buffer of at least 5 points above every minimum
- Spend your study time on the skill closest to its cut-off, which for many test takers is Writing or Speaking
- Re-check the official page for your program and admission cycle before you book the test
Official sources used
- Yale University, Standardized Testing: https://admissions.yale.edu/standardized-testing
- University of Toronto, English Language Requirements: https://future.utoronto.ca/apply/english-language-requirements/
- UBC Graduate School, English Language Test: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/english-language-test
- MIT Office of Graduate Education, Duolingo English Test (DET): https://oge.mit.edu/graduate-admissions/applications/standardized-tests/det
- University of Warwick, Accepted English Language Tests (Postgraduate): https://warwick.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/english/english-language-alternative
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