2026 Best Value Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in District of Columbia
[Foreign Languages & Linguistics](/majors/foreign-languages-linguistics/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 6 schools to find the best return on investment for foreign languages & linguistics students.
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2026 Best Value Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in District of Columbia
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in foreign languages & linguistics, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools
For return on investment in foreign languages & linguistics, no school beat Gallaudet University this year. Gallaudet University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. In-state tuition and fees average $19,654. Foreign Languages & Linguistics graduates carry a median of $30,500 in student loans. Foreign Languages & Linguistics graduates of Gallaudet University earn a median of $49,520 early in their careers. Set against $30,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 58% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Georgetown University earned it the #2 place for foreign languages & linguistics. Set in the city of Washington, Georgetown University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $68,089. Foreign Languages & Linguistics graduates carry a median of $17,500 in student loans. Soon after graduation, foreign languages & linguistics degree recipients from Georgetown University generally make around $37,092. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Georgetown University admits about 13% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in foreign languages & linguistics will find it at American University, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Washington, American University is a large private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $58,771. Students borrow a median of $24,250 to complete the foreign languages & linguistics program here. Foreign Languages & Linguistics graduates of American University earn a median of $52,493 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. American University admits about 62% of applicants.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
