University of Washington Raises DET Requirements for 2027: 115 vs 130 Explained

Planning to use the Duolingo English Test (DET) to apply to the University of Washington for graduate school?

There's an important change coming. 🎓

For students enrolling Winter 2027 or later, the University of Washington Graduate School is increasing both its minimum and recommended DET scores.

The biggest thing applicants need to understand is this:

DET 115 may get you past the Graduate School's minimum—but DET 130 is the score UW recommends for satisfying its English proficiency requirement without additional conditions.

And some individual graduate programs can require even higher scores.

Here's what is changing and what it means for DET applicants.

What To Know About The Duolingo English Test (DET) Scoring System

📈 University of Washington DET Scores: What's Changing?

UW's current and revised policies look like this:

The revised policy applies to students enrolling Winter 2027 or later.

That date matters. If you're researching UW online, you may still find pages displaying the older 110 minimum / 125 recommended numbers because those apply under the current policy.

For Winter 2027 and later, however, the new Graduate School figures are:

Minimum: 115
Recommended: 130+

That's the first number future applicants should put on their preparation plan.

⚠️ But DET 115 and DET 130 Don't Mean the Same Thing

This is probably the most important part of UW's policy.

The university describes 115 as its minimum required score under the revised policy.

But it labels 130 or higher as the recommended score, which satisfies the Graduate School's English Language Proficiency requirement without conditions.

So don't interpret the two numbers like this:

115 = acceptable
130 = just a nicer score to have

The difference can have practical consequences.

UW says an admitted applicant scoring below the recommended level may be required to successfully complete one or two Academic English Program (AEP) courses.

Those courses must begin during the student's first quarter, and UW notes that additional fees apply.

In other words, that extra 15 points could potentially affect more than your application.

It could affect what you're required to do after arriving at UW.

🎯 Your Graduate Program Can Require More Than 115

There's another catch.

115 is a Graduate School minimum—not a guaranteed admission score for every UW graduate program.

UW explicitly allows individual graduate programs to establish higher standards.

And some already do.

For example, UW's Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate program currently lists:

DET: 130

So a student applying to that program shouldn't prepare for 115 simply because that's the Graduate School minimum.

Other programs can establish their own requirements or even have different policies regarding which English tests they accept.

Before choosing your target score, check:

1. The UW Graduate School requirement
2. Your specific graduate program requirement

If the program's requirement is higher, that's the number that matters for your application.

UW Also Added an Unusual Warning About DET

The score increase isn't actually the most interesting part of the new policy.

UW has added a specific note about the type of English measured by the DET.

The university describes DET as emphasizing shorter, real-time, general-use language tasks. It contrasts that with TOEFL and IELTS, which UW says include more extended academic reading, listening, and source-based writing.

UW then raises a concern that students admitted using DET may be comfortable with everyday classroom communication but could find certain demanding academic situations more challenging without technological assistance.

Examples UW gives include:

✍️ In-class writing
📚 Complex untranslated readings
💬 Real-time academic discussions
🧠 High-cognitive-load work without technology

That's an unusually direct statement to find in a university English-proficiency policy.

📊 What Does the Research Say About DET Students?

There is research pointing in a different direction.

A large analysis at UNC Charlotte examined more than 1,200 international graduate students admitted using DET, TOEFL, or IELTS.

Their average first-year GPAs were remarkably similar:

Those differences were very small, and the reported confidence intervals overlapped.

In other words, in that population, students admitted with DET scores did not show meaningfully worse first-year academic performance than students admitted with TOEFL or IELTS.

Another multi-institution analysis involving more than 700 undergraduate and graduate students also found positive relationships between DET scores and GPA, while average GPAs for DET, IELTS, and TOEFL test takers did not differ significantly.

And a separate peer-reviewed study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa examined 397 international students and similarly found no statistically significant differences in average GPA among DET, IELTS, TOEFL, and test-exempt groups.

So the evidence deserves some nuance.

Does This Mean UW Is Wrong?

Not necessarily.

UW is raising a legitimate question about test design.

DET, TOEFL, and IELTS don't present students with exactly the same types of tasks. A one-hour adaptive digital test is obviously a different testing experience from a longer exam containing extended academic reading and writing activities.

But test format and university performance aren't the same thing.

Existing outcome studies suggest that students admitted with DET can perform academically at levels comparable to students admitted with IELTS and TOEFL.

There's also an important limitation to remember:

English proficiency tests aren't perfect predictors of university grades in the first place.

Academic success depends on far more than English proficiency.

Study habits, previous education, motivation, subject knowledge, time management, financial pressure, academic support, mental workload, and many other factors can affect university performance.

So the useful question isn't whether DET is a “good” or “bad” test.

For applicants, the useful question is:

🎓 Admission English vs. Academic English

This is the bigger lesson behind the University of Washington's policy change.

Preparing for the Duolingo English Test naturally involves learning the test format. You need to understand how Interactive Reading and Interactive Listening work, practice speaking within DET's time limits, and learn how to organize an Interactive Writing response quickly. Those skills are essential for earning a strong score.

However, your English development shouldn't stop at learning the test itself. A good DET score helps demonstrate your English proficiency, but graduate school expects you to use English in much more demanding academic situations.

You may be asked to read a 30-page research paper, follow a fast-moving seminar discussion, defend your ideas without preparation, write clearly without grammar software, understand technical vocabulary, take notes while listening, and explain complex concepts spontaneously. These are everyday academic skills at English-medium universities, not just at the University of Washington.

That's why it's important to think beyond your target DET score. The test helps you get admitted, but your long-term goal should be developing English that you'll confidently use after you arrive on campus.

Don't Forget the Two-Year Rule ⏰

UW also states that English-language test scores are valid for two years.

Under the revised policy, your score must still be valid when you submit your application or when your program requests a deferral petition.

That means students taking DET far in advance should calculate their application timeline carefully.

Taking the test early can give you plenty of time for another attempt, but taking it too early could create a score-validity problem later.

What About Teaching Assistantships?

Graduate students hoping to work as Teaching Assistants should pay particular attention.

UW has additional spoken-English requirements for TAs who are not native speakers of English.

Meeting the normal Graduate School DET requirement doesn't automatically mean you've satisfied every requirement for a teaching appointment.

This is particularly important for international graduate students whose funding plans depend on teaching.

Check the TA English requirements separately before assuming your admission score covers both purposes.

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Det Study BlogsLance Graney

✅ What UW Applicants Should Do Now

If you're planning to apply using DET for Winter 2027 or later, start with your exact graduate program—not simply a Google result showing “University of Washington DET requirement.”

Confirm that the program accepts DET and check whether it sets a score above the Graduate School's 115 minimum.

Then build your preparation target around the highest requirement that applies to you.

For many applicants, that may mean treating 130 as the practical target rather than 115.

And remember that UW's revised policy is about students enrolling Winter 2027 or later. Applicants for earlier enrollment periods should check which version of the policy applies to them.

🎯 Preparing for a UW DET Target?

If UW or another university on your shortlist requires DET 125–130+, identify which skills are preventing you from reaching that level before simply taking more full practice tests.

DET Study lets you practice individual DET question types across Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking and use AI feedback to identify areas that need more work.

If you're already scoring around 120 but one skill keeps pulling your performance down, targeted practice can be more useful than repeatedly practicing areas where you're already strong.

Does the University of Washington accept the Duolingo English Test?

Yes. The UW Graduate School accepts DET as an English-language proficiency test. Individual graduate programs can establish additional requirements, so applicants should check their specific program.

What DET score does University of Washington require for 2027?

For students enrolling Winter 2027 or later, the revised Graduate School policy sets the minimum DET score at 115 and the recommended score at 130 or higher.

Is DET 115 enough for University of Washington?

115 meets the revised Graduate School minimum, but it doesn't automatically satisfy the English Language Proficiency requirement without conditions. Students below the recommended level may be required to complete Academic English Program coursework. Individual programs can also require higher scores.

Is DET 130 enough for University of Washington?

DET 130+ meets the revised Graduate School recommended level and satisfies its ELP requirement without conditions. However, applicants must still check whether their individual graduate program has additional requirements.

When does UW's new DET requirement begin?

The revised policy applies to students enrolling Winter 2027 or later.

Does UW require English courses if my DET score is below 130?

Under the revised policy, an admitted applicant below the recommended English proficiency level may be required to complete one or two UW Academic English Program courses, beginning during the first quarter.

Can UW graduate programs require a higher DET score?

Yes. Individual graduate programs can establish requirements above the Graduate School minimum.

How long is a DET score valid at UW?

UW states that English-language test scores are valid for two years and, under the revised policy, must be valid when the application is submitted or when a program requests a deferral petition.