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2024 Best Applied Linguistics Schools

9 Colleges in the United States
198 Applied Linguistics Degrees Awarded
When it comes to popularity, applied linguistics sits in the middle of the road, ranking #862 out of 1506 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 9 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Applied Linguistics Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 198 degrees in applied linguistics during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Applied Linguistics School

Best Applied Linguistics Schools Your choice of applied linguistics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for applied linguistics schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Applied Linguistics Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Applied Linguistics
Master's Degrees in Applied Linguistics
Doctor's Degrees in Applied Linguistics

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Applied Linguistics Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Applied Linguistics in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the applied linguistics degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Schools in Applied Linguistics

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
31.6% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Santa Cruz is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in applied linguistics. UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were roughly 19 applied linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in applied linguistics from University of California - Santa Cruz

2

Every student who is interested in applied linguistics has to take a look at University of Arizona. Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.More information about a degree in applied linguistics from University of Arizona

3

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in applied linguistics. Located in the city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 19th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.More information about a degree in applied linguistics from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OR
16.7% Growth in Graduates

University of Oregon is a good option for students pursuing a degree in applied linguistics. UO is a fairly large public university located in the city of Eugene. A Best Colleges rank of #195 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UO is a great university overall.

There were about 12 applied linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UO in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in applied linguistics from University of Oregon

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA

University of California - Irvine is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in applied linguistics. UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 4 applied linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in applied linguistics from University of California - Irvine

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WV
85.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Morgantown, WVU is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 28 colleges for overall quality in the state of West Virginia.

There were about 7 applied linguistics students who graduated with this degree at WVU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in applied linguistics from West Virginia University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA
39 Applied Linguistics Degrees Awarded

UMass Boston is a fairly large public university located in the city of Boston. This university ranks 24th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 39 applied linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UMass Boston in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in applied linguistics from University of Massachusetts - Boston

7

WSU is a large public university located in the city of Wichita. This university ranks 6th out of 47 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.More information about a degree in applied linguistics from Wichita State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MI
20.0% Growth in Graduates

GVSU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Allendale. This university ranks 9th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 5 applied linguistics students who graduated with this degree at GVSU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in applied linguistics from Grand Valley State University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA

UAGC is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #305 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UAGC is a great university overall.

There were about 23 applied linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UAGC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in applied linguistics from The University of Arizona Global Campus

Applied Linguistics by Region

View the Best Applied Linguistics Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 5 majors within the Linguistics & Comparative Literature area of study, Applied Linguistics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Linguistics 3,247
Modern Languages 2,871
Language Translation 971
Comparative Literature 964
Other Linguistic, Comparative, & Related Language Studies & Services 288

View All Applied Linguistics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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