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2024 Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in California

27 Colleges in California
6,190 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$28,024 Avg Early-Career Salary
Foreign Languages & Linguistics degree programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major ranks #24 out of the 38 majors we look at each year. This may make is a little harder to find a school that is a good fit for you.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 27 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 6,190 degrees in foreign languages & linguistics to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Foreign Languages & Linguistics School

Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in California Your choice of foreign languages & 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 foreign languages & 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.

Pick Your Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Foreign Languages & Linguistics
Master's Degrees in Foreign Languages & Linguistics
Doctor's Degrees in Foreign Languages & Linguistics

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Foreign Languages & Linguistics in California

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the foreign languages & linguistics degree levels they offer.

10 Top California Schools in Foreign Languages & Linguistics

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
337 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$31,599 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Los Angeles is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 337 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics program at University of California - Los Angeles make $3,575 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of California - Los Angeles

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
122 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
18.0% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 122 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Those foreign languages & linguistics students who get their degree from University of Southern California make $8,014 more than the standard foreign languages & linguistics student.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of Southern California

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
273 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
1.8% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 273 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics major at University of California - Berkeley earn $6,848 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of California - Berkeley

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$57,928 Median Starting Salary

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. Middlebury Institute is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Monterey. This school ranks 34th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 43 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Middlebury Institute in the most recent year we have data available. Those foreign languages & linguistics students who get their degree from Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey receive $29,904 more than the typical foreign languages & linguistics grad.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
258 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$30,575 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 258 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Foreign Languages & Linguistics degree recipients from University of California - Davis receive an earnings boost of about $2,552 over the typical income of foreign languages & linguistics graduates.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of California - Davis

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
270 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
8.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 270 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, foreign languages & linguistics degree recipients generally earn an average of $24,904 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of California - Santa Barbara

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
11.6% Growth in Graduates

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 86 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program make an average of $25,354 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of California - San Diego

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
256 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$26,577 Median Starting Salary

UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small 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 about 256 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program state that they receive average early career wages of $26,577.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of California - Santa Cruz

9

USD is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #187 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USD is a great university overall.

There were about 23 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at USD in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics degree program at University of San Diego make $7,921 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of San Diego

9

Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Marymount is a great university overall.

There were approximately 18 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount 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 $28,780.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Loyola Marymount University

Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 37 603
Oregon 37 565
Hawaii 36 198
Nevada 35 130
Alaska 33 34

View All Rankings >

Foreign Languages & Linguistics Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Romance Languages 2,855
Linguistics & Comparative Literature 1,644
American Sign Language 613
East Asian Languages 584
Germanic Languages 119
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages 88
Classical Languages & Literature 84
Foreign Language, Literature & Linguistics (Other) 70
Second Language Learning 68
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages 63

View All Foreign Languages & Linguistics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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