Why the test you take is not up to your scholarship

Most scholarship funders do not set an English test requirement themselves. The university or program you are applying to sets it, and the scholarship body usually defers to that. Chevening is a clear example. Its FAQ page states that “the Chevening English language requirement was removed in 2020,” and that “candidates will still need to meet all requirements from their chosen university and secure an unconditional offer from one of their three course choices by the deadline.”

That means the real question is not whether your scholarship accepts the Duolingo English Test, PTE Academic, or a Cambridge English qualification. It is whether the university’s own admissions office does. Check that page before you register for anything, since a cheaper or faster test is no bargain if the program you are targeting will not take it.

If you have not already compared IELTS and TOEFL directly, that guide covers the two most widely required tests. This one covers what to do if neither fits your budget, your test-center access, or your timeline.

The Duolingo English Test

The Duolingo English Test is fully online. You take it on your own computer with webcam and microphone monitoring instead of going to a test center. Duolingo’s own scoring page states the test “is scored on a scale from 10 to 160,” reflecting overall proficiency across reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with “all scores… reported on a 10-160 scale, in 5-point increments,” alongside four individual subscores and four combined skill scores.

Turnaround is fast: Duolingo’s homepage advertises “results in 2 days,” about the same as IELTS on computer, which IELTS says usually reports within 1 to 2 days, and faster than IELTS on paper or IELTS Online (compared in the IELTS vs TOEFL guide). On reach, Duolingo’s own homepage states it is “trusted by 6,500+ institutions worldwide,” and its searchable institutions page lets you check a specific university and programme directly rather than trusting that general figure. Some listed programmes carry a footnote that they “accept the Duolingo English Test and use results in the admissions process, but some applicants may be required to submit additional proof of English proficiency,” so search your own target programme by name rather than assuming a university-wide policy from one department.

On price, be careful. Several test-prep blogs quote different current fees, and they disagree with each other, which is exactly the kind of secondhand figure this guide will not repeat as fact. Check Duolingo’s own pricing page immediately before you register, since the fee has changed more than once and blog posts go stale fast.

PTE Academic

PTE Academic, run by Pearson, is a computer-based test taken at a test center rather than at home. Pearson’s own page describes it as “a single 2-hour test with results typically in two days,” scored “on a 10-90 scale, using the Global Scale of English,” and states it is “accepted for study by 4,000+ universities and colleges worldwide.”

Two details worth knowing before you book. First, PTE Academic is entirely computer-scored: Pearson’s own explanation of its scoring says “each test is fully computer-based and taken in one of our global test centers. That means you don’t have to face a human examiner.” If the idea of a live speaking interview makes you nervous, that is a genuine point in PTE’s favor; if you would rather have a human evaluate nuance in your speaking, it is a point against. Second, a PTE Academic score is valid for two years from the test date, per Pearson’s own FAQ, the same window as TOEFL and IELTS, not an advantage over either.

On fees, Pearson is upfront that there is no single global price: its own site has you “select where you’ll take your test to view your local price.” In the United States, PTE Academic currently lists at $265.00 USD; look up your own test-center country rather than assuming that figure applies elsewhere.

Cambridge English qualifications (C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency)

Cambridge English exams work differently from the other three. Instead of a test score that expires, you earn a qualification. Cambridge’s own support site states plainly that “your Cambridge English exam result and certificate are valid indefinitely.” That is a real structural difference from IELTS and TOEFL, where ETS’s own page tells test takers that “your scores are valid for 2 years,” and from IELTS, where the test’s own research arm found that “the recommended two-year validity period is overwhelmingly the norm” among the institutions that require it.

Read the fine print before treating that as a permanent advantage, though. The same Cambridge support page that confirms indefinite validity also warns that “individual institutions… can choose how long to accept results for. Some institutions will only accept certificates taken within the last 2 or 3 years.” The certificate itself never expires; whether a specific university will still take it does.

The catch on format is the speaking component. Cambridge’s own exam-format page for C1 Advanced says “your speaking test will be conducted usually face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners.” That means you generally need to sit the speaking paper in person, often alongside another candidate, rather than recording answers alone into a microphone. If your nearest Cambridge exam center is far away, or you would rather not perform a speaking test in front of a stranger and another candidate, budget extra time and possibly travel for this one.

Because a Cambridge certificate does not expire on its own timetable, it can still be a reasonable choice if you are applying years before you actually enroll, or if you are the kind of applicant covered in this site’s guide on applying years after graduating and do not want a score clock running down while you get other parts of an application together. Just confirm with each university that they treat a Cambridge qualification as current and equivalent to IELTS or TOEFL for admission purposes, since not all do, and not all honor the “indefinite” framing on their own terms.

Where your undergraduate language of instruction fits in

If your previous degree was taught in English, a number of programs will waive the English test requirement entirely, English test or not. That is a separate question from which test to take, and it can save you the fee altogether if it applies to you. This site’s guide to credential evaluation walks through how universities check and document your prior language of instruction, which is worth reading before you assume you need any of the four tests above.

A practical order of operations

Before you register for any English test, work through these steps in order.

  • Open the admissions or English-requirements page for the specific program you are applying to, not a general university page, since requirements can differ by department.
  • Check whether your prior degree’s language of instruction qualifies you for a waiver.
  • If a test is required, confirm the program’s page explicitly names which tests it accepts. A program that lists “IELTS, TOEFL” and nothing else may not recognize the Duolingo English Test even though Duolingo calls itself widely accepted.
  • Compare current, official prices and typical result turnaround for each accepted test against your application deadline, using each test administrator’s own site rather than a blog.
  • If you are applying well ahead of enrollment, weigh a Cambridge qualification’s indefinite validity, and the institution-by-institution caveat on that, against the extra logistics of an in-person speaking exam.

None of the four tests is universally better. Each trades speed, cost, format, and acceptance differently, and the only opinion that matters is the admissions office you are applying to.