Germanic Languages isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #222 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Germanic Languages Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,105 degrees in germanic languages to qualified students.
Your choice of germanic languages school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Germanic Languages School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
The german school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Germanic Languages Schools.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Schools for Germanic Languages in the United States
The schools below may not offer all types of german degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is hard to beat University of Washington - Seattle Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in germanic languages. UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. This university ranks 1st out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.
There were approximately 21 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year.
Duke University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in germanic languages. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were roughly 17 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available.
It's difficult to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you wish to pursue a degree in germanic languages. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were roughly 13 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.
University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great decision for students interested in a degree in germanic languages. UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.
There were approximately 47 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.
Every student who is interested in germanic languages has to check out University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.
There were approximately 5 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year.
It is hard to beat University of Massachusetts Amherst if you want to pursue a degree in germanic languages. UMass Amherst is a fairly large public university located in the city of Amherst. This university ranks 10th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were about 9 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent data year.
Vanderbilt University is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in germanic languages. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were about 2 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good choice for students interested in a degree in germanic languages. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were about 39 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. After graduation, german degree recipients usually make around $41,286 in their early careers.
URI is a large public university located in the suburb of Kingston. This university ranks 5th out of 9 colleges for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.
There were approximately 5 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at URI in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the germanic languages degree program at University of Rhode Island get $19,743 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
UCONN is a very large public university located in the fringe town of Storrs. This university ranks 3rd out of 18 colleges for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.
There were roughly 7 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at UCONN in the most recent data year.
Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.
There were about 8 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year.
Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were about 12 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year.
Located in the medium-sized city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.
There were roughly 7 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at CU - Boulder in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 8 germanic languages students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
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Your choice of germanic languages school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Germanic Languages School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
