What Duolingo score do you need for Columbia University?

Columbia says you must be comfortable with rapid and idiomatic spoken English. You have already met the requirement, and need no test, if English is your home language, if English has been your primary language of instruction for all of secondary school, or if you scored 700 or more on SAT Reading and Writing or 29 or more on the ACT English or Reading section.

Otherwise you must take an accepted exam and have the score reported directly by the testing service. The page gives no Duolingo subscore minimums and does not state a validity period. If questions arise about your English, admissions may contact you for more information.

For comparison, the same page asks for IELTS Academic (or IELTS Academic for UKVI) of 7.5, TOEFL iBT 105 for tests up to 20 January 2026 or 5.5 from 21 January 2026, and Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency of 191.

The page lists no conditional admission or pathway route. The alternatives it gives are the SAT or ACT subsection scores above, or another accepted exam at Columbia's level.

Requirements vary by programme and change between admissions cycles. The score that binds you is the one on your Columbia programme page and in your offer letter, so check it there before you book a test.