Is the Duolingo English Test Accepted for the Australia and New Zealand Student Visa?

Admission and visa are different questions

The Duolingo English Test (DET) is an online, at-home English test that many institutions worldwide accept for admission because it is fast and convenient. Some Australian and New Zealand universities and colleges may accept it as evidence of English for an offer of place.

Whether DET is accepted for the student visa is a separate question, decided by the immigration authority, not the university. It is entirely possible for a DET score to be good enough for your offer but not usable for your visa. This is general information, not immigration advice — verify the current rules officially.

Australia: DET is generally not on the subclass 500 list

For the Student visa (subclass 500), the Department of Home Affairs publishes a specific list of approved English tests, and the Duolingo English Test is not on that approved list. Home Affairs also states it does not accept scores from at-home or online tests for the visa — the test must be taken at a secure test centre. The DET's at-home format is therefore a direct mismatch with the visa rule.

This means that even if your Australian university accepts DET for admission, you will generally need a different, immigration-approved test for the visa itself — unless an English evidence exemption applies to you. This is general information, not immigration advice; confirm the current list on the official source.

New Zealand: defer to the recognised list

In New Zealand, English for most student visas is generally satisfied by your approved education provider confirming you meet the programme's entry English level, using tests and outcomes recognised through NZQA. The recognised set centres on established tests such as IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and others.

Duolingo is not part of that established recognised set for these purposes, so do not assume a DET score will carry your NZ visa even if a provider accepted it informally. Verify the current recognised outcomes with Immigration New Zealand and NZQA before relying on it.

Safer alternatives that work for both

If you want one test that clears both admission and the visa, choose from the in-centre tests the immigration authorities recognise. In Australia, the approved list includes IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT (the Australia option), Cambridge C1 Advanced, OET and several others. In New Zealand, the recognised outcomes likewise centre on tests like IELTS, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT.

Book a secure, in-centre sitting of one of these rather than relying on an online test, and confirm the exact current list, version and score on the official pages before you pay.

• Australia (subclass 500 approved): IELTS Academic/General Training, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT (Australia option), Cambridge C1 Advanced, OET, plus other listed options — verify the current list
• New Zealand: tests/outcomes recognised via NZQA (e.g. IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT) — verify the current table
• Book an in-centre sitting, not an at-home/online test, for visa purposes
• Check whether an English exemption applies to you before buying any test

How to confirm before you commit

Because test acceptance changes, treat any third-party claim that DET is visa-accepted with caution and check the primary source. For Australia, the authoritative list is on the Home Affairs and Study Australia pages; for New Zealand, on Immigration New Zealand and NZQA.

If you have already taken DET for admission, that is fine for the offer — just plan to sit an immigration-approved test for the visa if needed, with enough lead time before you lodge your application.