120 minimum; 125 recommended
Scope: First-year admissions English proficiency guidance.
| Policy | DET overall | IELTS requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 120 | 7.0 |
| Recommended | 125 | 7.5 |
These are the university’s own requirements for each test. The IELTS column is not a conversion of the DET column.
Subscores and program differences
MIT strongly recommends an English proficiency test for non-native speakers who have used English for fewer than five years or do not speak it at home or in school. No separate DET subscore minimum appears in this table. The SAT/ACT requirement is separate.
Sending your result and checking dates
Self-report your actual test sittings on the application. MIT verifies results upon enrollment; do not enter practice results or a self-calculated superscore as a test sitting. Check its testing deadlines for your application round.
Confirm the current instructions for your program and intake on the official MIT admissions page.
How the DET score compares with IELTS
DET 120 compares with IELTS 6.5 in Duolingo’s overall concordance. MIT sets its own test requirements, shown above; those requirements take precedence for your application.
Explore the DET 120 comparison or use the full DET to IELTS converter and its official sources.
Practice around your remaining requirement
Use 125 when planning around MIT’s recommended DET benchmark. Its IELTS recommendation is independently set: converting DET 125 to IELTS 6.5 does not change MIT’s published IELTS recommendation of 7.5.
PrepEx scores are independent practice estimates, not official DET results. Meeting a test threshold does not guarantee admission.
Check the policy before applying
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology — official admissions requirements. Reviewed by PrepEx on .
This is an independent summary of the stated policy. Recheck program, campus, exemption, and intake details with the university. Inclusion does not imply a partnership with or endorsement of PrepEx.
Considering TOEFL instead? Read the separate MIT TOEFL requirements. Each test’s policy is independently set.
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Also compare: Purdue · Penn State · ASU · Arizona · Michigan State.