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2023 Most Focused Colleges for French Language & Literature

560 Ranked Colleges
2,544 Degrees Awarded
$33,100 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

French Language & Literature is the 257th most popular major in the country with 2,544 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major” ranking looked at 560 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in French language and literature. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in French language and literature.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The french language 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 “Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major”.

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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for french language students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for French Language & Literature

1
Hamilton crest
Hamilton College
Clinton, New York

Out of the 560 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Hamilton College landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Clinton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified ’s French language students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Hamilton French Language & Literature Report

2
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Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grinnell College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. Grinnell, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s French language degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Grinnell French Language & Literature Report

3
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Centenary College of Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Centenary College of Louisiana. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major. Centenary Louisiana is a small school located in Shreveport, Louisiana that handed out 4 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Centenary College of Louisiana French Language & Literature Report

4
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont

Out of the 560 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Middlebury College landed the #4 spot on the list. Middlebury College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Middlebury, Vermont. It awarded 21 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on French Language & Literature at Middlebury

5
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Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vassar College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. Poughkeepsie, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s French language degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Vassar College French Language & Literature Report

6
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Washington & Jefferson College
Washington, Pennsylvania

Washington & Jefferson College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking. Washington & Jefferson College is a small school located in Washington, Pennsylvania that handed out 7 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about French Language & Literature at W&J

7
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Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Kalamazoo College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking. Located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s French language students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Kalamazoo College

8

Sewanee - The University of the South ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. This small school is located in Sewanee, Tennessee, and it awarded 9 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Sewanee

9
Davidson crest
Davidson College
Davidson, North Carolina

Davidson College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking. This small school is located in Davidson, North Carolina, and it awarded 11 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Davidson College

10
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Wofford College
Spartanburg, South Carolina

With a ranking of #10, Wofford College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. This small school is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and it awarded 9 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Wofford College

11
Covenant crest
Covenant College
Lookout Mountain, Georgia

With a ranking of #11, Covenant College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. This small school is located in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and it awarded 4 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Covenant

12
Goucher crest
Goucher College
Baltimore, Maryland

Goucher College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking, coming in at #12. Goucher is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Goucher French Language & Literature Report

13
Kenyon crest
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio

Kenyon College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking, coming in at #13. Gambier, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s French language degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Kenyon College

14
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St Lawrence University
Canton, New York

St Lawrence University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. St. Lawrence is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Canton, New York. It awarded 11 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on French Language & Literature at St. Lawrence

15
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts

Williams College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking. Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on French Language & Literature at Williams College

16
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Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg College ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. Gettysburg College is located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s French language degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Gettysburg French Language & Literature Report

17
Smith crest
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts

Smith College landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking. Smith is located in Northampton, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s French language degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Smith College

18
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Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina

Furman University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. Furman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greenville, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Furman University

19
Puget Sound crest
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington

University of Puget Sound did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking, coming in at #19. University of Puget Sound is a small school located in Tacoma, Washington that handed out 9 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full University of Puget Sound French Language & Literature Report

20
Oglethorpe crest
Oglethorpe University
Atlanta, Georgia

Oglethorpe University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. This small school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 4 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on French Language & Literature at Oglethorpe

21
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota

St Olaf College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking, coming in at #21. St. Olaf is located in Northfield, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s French language degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full St Olaf College French Language & Literature Report

22
Colby crest
Colby College
Waterville, Maine

Colby College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking, coming in at #22. Colby is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Waterville, Maine. It awarded 9 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Colby

23
Centre College of Kentucky crest
Centre College
Danville, Kentucky

Centre College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking, coming in at #23. Danville, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s French language degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Centre College of Kentucky

24
Conn College crest
Connecticut College
New London, Connecticut

With a ranking of #24, Connecticut College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major list. Conn College is located in New London, Connecticut and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s French language degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on French Language & Literature at Connecticut College

25
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts

Wellesley College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major ranking. Wellesley College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It awarded 9 ’s French language degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about French Language & Literature at Wellesley

Rest of the Best 50 in Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Austin College crest
Austin College
Sherman, Texas
27
Earlham crest
Earlham College
Richmond, Indiana
28
Denison crest
Denison University
Granville, Ohio
29
Hendrix crest
Hendrix College
Conway, Arkansas
30
Bennington crest
Bennington College
Bennington, Vermont
31
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois
32
Lyon crest
Lyon College
Batesville, Arkansas
32
34
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
35
Bryn Mawr crest
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
36
Skidmore crest
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, New York
37
West Point crest
United States Military Academy
West Point, New York
38
Ursinus crest
Ursinus College
Collegeville, Pennsylvania
39
Mt. Holyoke crest
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, Massachusetts
40
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York
41
42
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Carroll College
Helena, Montana
43
Cornell College crest
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, Iowa
44
Allegheny crest
Allegheny College
Meadville, Pennsylvania
45
Nazareth crest
Nazareth College
Rochester, New York
46
47
Eckerd crest
Eckerd College
Saint Petersburg, Florida
48
Beloit crest
Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin
49
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
50
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Schools Highly Focused on French Language Major

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Whittier College Whittier, CA
52 Bates College Lewiston, ME
53 Hollins University Roanoke, VA
54 Mount St Mary’s University Emmitsburg, MD
55 Lawrence University Appleton, WI
56 Albright College Reading, PA
57 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA
58 Haverford College Haverford, PA
59 Albion College Albion, MI
60 Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA
61 Augustana College Rock Island, IL
62 Pomona College Claremont, CA
63 Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI
64 Trinity College Hartford, CT
65 Hope College Holland, MI
Rank College Location
66 Asbury University Wilmore, KY
67 Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA
68 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN
69 Roanoke College Salem, VA
70 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico - Ponce Ponce, PR
71 Dickinson College Carlisle, PA
72 Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN
73 Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR
74 Drury University Springfield, MO
75 Westminster College Missouri Fulton, MO
76 Augustana University Sioux Falls, SD
77 Whitman College Walla Walla, WA
78 Simpson College Indianola, IA
79 Lafayette College Easton, PA
80 Southwestern University Georgetown, TX
81 Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH
82 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
83 Drew University Madison, NJ
84 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL
85 Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA

Notes and References

References

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