What TOEFL score do you need for Duke University?

Graduate applicants send scores to institution code 5156; any department code works. The score must not be more than two years old from 1 August of the application year, so for fall 2027 entry the report must be dated 1 August 2024 or later. Duke does not accept personal, attested or notarised copies.

Undergraduate admissions uses your highest score if you test more than once and has no preference among English tests. It accepts self-reported TOEFL scores.

For comparison, the Graduate School page seeks IELTS Academic 7.0, and the undergraduate page expects IELTS 7.

Neither page describes conditional admission for a low score. Every admitted international graduate student whose first language is not English takes placement exams run by the English Language Support Program at the start of the first term, even if the test requirement was waived, and may be placed into its courses. The graduate waiver requires two or more years of full-time study at an English-medium institution in a country where English is the primary spoken language.

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