31,236Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$33,626Avg Early-Career Salary
If you're seeking a degree in foreign languages & linguistics, you will have fewer peers than average since the major degree program is the #24 one in the country in terms of popularity.As such, your educational options may be more limited than if you were in a more popular field.
College Factual reviewed 217 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of foreign languages & linguistics. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 31,236 degrees in foreign languages & linguistics during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Choosing a Great Foreign Languages & Linguistics School
Your choice of foreign languages & linguistics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Foreign Languages & Linguistics School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools list to help you make the college 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.
Best Schools for Foreign Languages & 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 foreign languages & linguistics degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Any student pursuing a degree in foreign languages & linguistics needs to check out University of Notre Dame. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.
There were approximately 120 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics degree program at University of Notre Dame get $12,833 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
It's hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were roughly 299 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program state that they receive average early career income of $28,328.
Any student who is interested in foreign languages & linguistics needs to check out Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.
There were about 81 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year. Those foreign languages & linguistics students who get their degree from Vanderbilt University earn $13,582 more than the average foreign languages & linguistics graduate.
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were about 233 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Foreign Languages & Linguistics degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York receive an earnings boost of around $20,701 over the average earnings of foreign languages & linguistics majors.
Located in the large city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Georgia Tech is a great school overall.
There were roughly 60 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Georgia Tech in the most recent data year.
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.
There were about 161 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available. Those foreign languages & linguistics students who get their degree from University of Virginia - Main Campus earn $4,643 more than the standard foreign languages & linguistics student.
Tufts is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Medford. This university ranks 7th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were roughly 65 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Tufts in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics major at Tufts University earn $15,538 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 456 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics degree program at University of Wisconsin - Madison earn $2,094 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.
There were roughly 99 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program earn around $33,419 in their early career salary.
U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were approximately 241 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program report average early career wages of $28,075.
Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.
There were about 124 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year. Those foreign languages & linguistics students who get their degree from Georgetown University make $11,187 more than the standard foreign languages & linguistics grad.
Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 254 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program make around $30,919 in their early career salary.
Located in the small city of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were about 228 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, foreign languages & linguistics degree recipients usually earn about $20,334 in the first five years of their career.
UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the city of Santa Cruz. This university ranks 13th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 219 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program make an average of $23,525 in the first couple years of their career.
Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 162 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,746.
Holy Cross is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Worcester. This college ranks 9th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were approximately 61 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Holy Cross in the most recent data year. Those foreign languages & linguistics students who get their degree from College of the Holy Cross make $18,584 more than the typical foreign languages & linguistics graduate.
UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were about 271 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program make an average of $32,635 in their early career salary.
117Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 116.99999999999999 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were approximately 220 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program report average early career income of $29,238.
Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 185 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program report average early career earnings of $29,925.
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus. This university ranks 1st out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were roughly 251 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program make an average of $27,905 for their early career.
Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.
There were about 50 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year. Foreign Languages & Linguistics degree recipients from Villanova University earn a boost of approximately $11,462 above the typical earnings of foreign languages & linguistics graduates.
Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were about 536 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program earn around $33,129 in their early career salary.
Located in the distant town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 11th out of 103 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.
There were approximately 51 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics degree program at Bucknell University get $17,494 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Colgate is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Hamilton. This university ranks 11th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 45 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Colgate in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics program at Colgate University make $19,915 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools award.
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).