Duolingo English Test (DET) — taken from home
The Duolingo English Test is taken online from a laptop with a webcam — no test centre, no travel. It costs far less than IELTS/TOEFL (around US$65), results come back in about 2 days, and a growing list of universities accept it. For students in Gaza or with restricted movement, this is usually the single most practical option.
Fee waivers and refugee/displaced-student programs
IELTS and TOEFL are expensive, but fee reductions and vouchers exist — the Duolingo English Test regularly offers free test vouchers, and several NGOs and university sanctuary/at-risk schemes cover or reimburse test costs for refugee and displaced students. If a scholarship is worth applying to, ask the provider directly whether they sponsor the test.
MOI — Medium of Instruction letters
If you studied (or are studying) in English, many universities will waive the English test entirely in exchange for a Medium of Instruction letter from your school or university confirming English was the language of instruction. This is one of the fastest ways to remove the requirement — no exam at all.
Conditional offers — apply now, prove English later
Plenty of programs make a conditional offer: they admit you now and let you submit the English score (or take a pre-sessional English course) before you enrol. You do not need the test in hand to start applying — a strong academic profile can secure the offer first.
Ready to sit a test after all?
If a waiver is not available for the scholarship you want, these are the free preparation materials published by the organisations that run the tests themselves.
Browse scholarships that need no test →Free preparation, from the official sources
- Free IELTS preparation· British CouncilFree
From one of the organisations that runs IELTS — practice tests and lessons at no cost.
- Duolingo English Test — official practice· DuolingoFree
Taken at home in about an hour, and far cheaper than IELTS. Many universities accept it — check the scholarship page first.
- Official free TOEFL preparation· ETSFree
Published by the organisation that writes the TOEFL itself.
- Official free GRE preparation· ETSFree
Needed for some graduate scholarships. Free official practice tests.
- Free German practice (A1–B2)· Goethe-InstitutFree
Germany hosts a lot of fully funded places; some ask for German rather than English.
Every link goes straight to the official organisation. We take no commission and we do not sell prep courses.
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