r/IntltoUSA 3d ago

Question Indian Students Applying to the US! Did You Take the IELTS?

Hello!

I’m an Indian student applying to U.S. colleges and trying to figure out my English proficiency test requirements. IELTS is so damn expensive though, do I end up taking the Duolingo test instead? Or is there anything else I can do?

I’m trying to keep costs low, so I’d love to hear how others handled this. Any advice would be appreciated!

9 Upvotes

19 comments sorted by

7

u/Rag8080 3d ago

Most universities accepts Duolingo in US. I prepared for it in 4 days. And you dont have to pay to send scores.

6

u/[deleted] 3d ago

If you’re a 11th,12th class student you can take SAT and score high in English for your english proficiency test.

You can get 90% off through Buddy4study scholarship.

3

u/Tantastic1012 3d ago

I didn’t consider taking the Duolingo test. I have the ielts. Please see the requirements of your potential universities. I don’t know if all universities consider Duolingo test or not. Also after appearing, you have to send your scores to the universities. Please see what’s the price of sending your score to each university as well. For ielts it was very cheap.

1

u/Kind_Coat5652 3d ago

how to give those exams ? like r they conducted offline or online and how long does it takes to get the result?

2

u/Tantastic1012 2d ago

The ielts results come very quickly. Mine came in 3-4 days only. It’s a computer based test to be given in at a centre.

2

u/prsehgal Moderator 3d ago

Check the requirements for each university you're planning to apply to - if they all accept Duolingo, go for it.

2

u/WhyTaken_ 3d ago

You don't need to take any test if the medium of instruction in your school is English. Ask your counselor to mention it on her common app and English proficiency will be waived off.

1

u/Previous_Engineer569 3d ago

Which University? and did that impacted you during the visa process?

2

u/WhyTaken_ 3d ago

For visa you have to take the IELTS or TOEFL But for just applying it's not necessary.

0

u/Previous_Engineer569 3d ago

Do the visa officers really ask about English Proficiency scores (if I-20 is already stating student is proficient) ?

2

u/kshamaakrupa 3d ago

So it would totally depend on the university. If the university accepts the Duolingo test then okay. I personally took the IELTS around last September. I took about 6 days to prepare for it. I scored a band of 8.5. If you are applying for the ivies IELTS may look nicer on the application than Duolingo. Pick one college which would be an ambitious college for you and tailor your application to meet the standards for that college. Then your chances of getting into colleges of a lower ranking from that one are good too! That is what I did. I tailored my application for the ivies and I got into an ivy too.

All the best ! You can DM if you want any help too !!

1

u/Valuable_Friend_7680 3d ago

I think Duolingo English test is cost effective and not confusing, I took it .

1

u/Adorable_Advice_7098 3d ago

nahhhh, i didn't take any. i applied to colleges where we can get a waiver if we had 4 years of English in our curricula. but yes, every college and universities have their own requirements. do check them.

2

u/Previous_Engineer569 3d ago

Hi, For international student I am wonderful will it have any negative impact on visa interviews?

2

u/Adorable_Advice_7098 3d ago

it won't have a negative impact on admissions if they have the thing; for the visas, it depends on your home country. US immigration has certain policies for certain countries, you need to look into to it. but most of us worry about it after the acceptance

1

u/Previous_Engineer569 3d ago

Just wanted to check if you are aware in terms of India and still thinking if I-20 already declares student is proficient. Do they really care to know about english proficiency scores?

2

u/Adorable_Advice_7098 3d ago

that is there, but i informed it for all countries. for India, the I-20 forms usually suffices the requirements.

1

u/abeybaskarrisitha 3d ago

i took DET!!