Some people are simply really good at languages. They immerse themselves and gain proficiency rapidly, and some even collect languages like they’re arcade prizes. If you are one of those people, you may be considering majoring in a foreign language (or two!) in college. College language programs aim towards a high level of proficiency or even fluency in reading, writing, speaking, and cultural awareness.
If you know what language(s) you want to study, make sure that the college you are interested in offers a major in the language — not simply a few courses or an immersion program. While you are in high school, you should also take as many courses as you can in the language or — if it isn’t available — the closest language you can access. If your school doesn’t offer these courses, look at local community colleges or immersion programs, like the Middlebury program below. Showing an interest in pursuing the language before arriving on campus is crucial, as is exhibiting an ability to learn languages in general through high grades in whatever languages you do take in high school.
If you are planning to study a foreign language in college and aren’t sure where is best, send us an email. We help students chart a course to a successful future.
Middlebury — Middlebury, Vermont
Middlebury is widely considered the best place to study a foreign language in America. They order majors and minors in numerous languages, and courses in even more. The programs build on Middlebury’s well-respected summer language schools, which offer multi-week immersive programs for students from high schoolers to geriatrics. If you’re thinking about majoring in a language in college that you don’t already study, consider doing one of the Middlebury summer programs to test the waters.
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) — Los Angeles, California
UCLA offers majors in Arabic, Central and East European Languages, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Russian, Spanish, and more. In the Slavic, East European & Eurasian Languages & Cultures program alone you can study Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Czech, Hungarian, Kazakh, Polish, Romanian, Russian, and Ukrainian. There are also a slew of linguistics majors, and you can get tutoring and support from the Center for World Languages.
Cornell University — Ithaca, New York
This Ivy League university offers courses in 40+ different languages ranging from the standards (French, Spanish, German) to the rare (Zulu, Nepali, Urdu) to the Ancient (Akkadian, Hieroglyphic Egyptian). The program is immensely broad, and is ideal for students looking to work or study internationally, especially in hospitality — one of Cornell’s most famous programs.
Harvard University — Cambridge, Massachusetts
Harvard offers modern and ancient language courses in 75+ languages, including African languages, Celtic languages, the classics, and South Asian languages. The list goes on and even includes Old English. Students can access the Language Center, which offers opportunities to practice, exchange, and immerse yourself in the languages you are studying.
University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, Wisconsin
It may be surprising for a land-locked state school, but the University of Wisconsin-Madison is known for producing a massive number of language majors. There are courses in over 40 languages ranging from Danish to American Sign Language to Hmong. Majors are available in over a dozen languages, and certificates in a dozen more.
University of Pennsylvania (Penn) — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Penn is another Ivy League language powerhouse, offering courses in 40+ languages including Tamil, Wolof, and Malagasy. The Penn Language Center supports students in their language learning journey, including business-focused language courses in Business Chinese, Business Korean, Business Japanese, Medical ASL, and more.
University of California Berkeley — Berkeley, California
If you’re interested in studying a rare language in college, Berkeley may be for you. They offer majors and minors in over 50 languages including both Modern Hebrew and Biblical Hebrew. They also offer a minor in Applied Language Studies, which is focused on how languages are learned, how they relate to cultural identity and the power that languages have to construct realities.
Yale University — New Haven, Connecticut
Yale offers a massive 53 languages and the Center for Language Study is focused on intensive tutoring opportunities and courses in career-focused language programs such as medical Chinese. Yale also offers the opportunity to apply for up to four semesters of funding for studying language outside of the university through the Distance Language Teaching Program.
Vanderbilt University — Nashville, Tennessee
Vanderbilt’s 16 language offerings may not be the most impressive list on this, well, light, but they include less common ones such as Haitian Creole and Classical Greek. There is also a partnership between Vanderbilt, Duke, and UVA for supporting less commonly taught languages such as Ki’che’ Maya and Swahili. The goal of the program is to preserve and spread the languages and students learn from all three schools through a ‘telepresence’ setup using videoconferencing.
University of Notre Dame — Notre Dame, Indiana
The University has programs in over a dozen languages including majors in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian. The Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures provides students with support as they tackle big challenges, and the Irish Language and Literature program is a unique experience tied to Notre Dame’s founding history.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but colleges with great language programs also tend to have impressive study abroad programs. If you’re considering making studying abroad a key part of your college experience, double-check that your schools of choice have programs that complement the language you’d like to study.
If you need help identifying your dream school, send us an email. We help students like you find, and get into, their perfect fit.