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World Languages & Linguistics

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

These majors focus on the mechanics of human communication, developing fluency in a target language, and studying its literature. Linguistics majors study the science and structure of language itself. Most programs require study abroad, and upper-level classes are taught entirely in the target language. These are reading, writing, and speaking-intensive degrees.

What you'll do after college

Graduates work in translation, education, international business, diplomacy, and localization. Bilingual skills are heavily recruited in healthcare, social work, and national security. Linguistics grads are increasingly sought after in the tech sector for Natural Language Processing (NLP) and AI development.

Famous graduates

  • Jodie Foster — Academy Award-winning actress; B.A. in Literature in French from Yale University
  • J.K. Rowling — Author of the Harry Potter series; B.A. in French and Classics from the University of Exeter

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$49,745
560
100–82%
$51,681
1,136
82–70%
$53,602
1,121
70–55%
$53,307
1,129
55–40%
$53,707
1,116
40–15%
$62,217
574
15–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings

By SAT median

$47,693
407
400–1070
$54,229
821
1070–1187
$53,953
820
1187–1285
$57,604
812
1285–1380
$57,025
822
1385–1450
$63,216
389
1450–1600
Median SAT · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl 5yr Earn
World Languages & Linguistics 761 10,585 31% / 69% 3% $54,412
Spanish 616 3,989 24% / 76% 3% $55,322
Linguistics 133 1,761 30% / 69% 4% $49,988
Foreign Languages 126 1,156 31% / 69% 1% $53,141
French 333 782 25% / 75% 3% $56,249
Japanese 88 446 52% / 48% 6% $54,604
German 194 418 49% / 51% 3% $63,805
Classical Languages 93 354 40% / 60% 3% $43,421
Chinese 84 294 40% / 60% 4% $55,479
Russian 78 164 55% / 45% 1%
Modern Languages 22 156 26% / 74% 1% $71,785
Arabic 21 112 48% / 52% 2% $60,266
Italian 66 97 36% / 64% 3% $60,533
Romance Languages 27 82 22% / 78% 5% $56,850
World Languages 4 66 24% / 76% 3% $62,493
Asian Languages 3 62 40% / 60% 3% $40,456
Applied Linguistics 8 59 29% / 71% 5% $50,409
Language Interpretation and Translation 7 54 24% / 76% 6% $62,084
Korean 9 52 23% / 77% 6% $53,685
East Asian Languages 10 50 44% / 56% 2% $52,697
Portuguese 13 40 35% / 65% 0% $59,304
Applied Language and Intercultural Studies 1 36 47% / 53% 6%
Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism 1 36 39% / 61% 3% $37,017
Modern and Classical Languages 1 30 30% / 70% 0%
Near Eastern Languages 6 26 42% / 58% 8%
Latin 20 24 42% / 58% 4%
Biblical Languages 9 22 73% / 27% 0% $60,266
Languages and Cultures 4 21 38% / 62% 0%
Hawaiian Language 1 15 67% / 33% 7%
Slavic Languages 10 14 14% / 86% 0%
Language Studies 1 14 21% / 79% 14% $46,365
Languages 3 12 8% / 92% 8%
Translation and Interpreting 2 12 42% / 58% 0% $46,744
Languages and Culture Studies 1 12 25% / 75% 0% $48,302
Classics 1 11 18% / 82% 0%
Near Eastern and Semitic Languages 2 10 70% / 30% 20% $89,747
French and Italian 2 9 22% / 78% 11%
Classical Studies 1 9 44% / 56% 11%
Filipino/Tagalog Language 1 9 33% / 67% 0%
Latin American Languages 3 8 25% / 75% 0% $64,636
Norwegian 3 8 62% / 38% 0%
Greek 6 7 43% / 57% 14%
Russian and East European Studies 3 7 57% / 43% 0% $47,562
Polish 2 5 40% / 60% 0%
Spanish and Portuguese 1 5 0% / 100% 0% $69,048
Ancient Greek 3 4 0% / 100% 0%
Scandinavian Languages 2 4 25% / 75% 0%
Persian 2 3 67% / 33% 0%
Germanics 1 3 0% / 100% 0%
Hebrew 4 2 50% / 50% 0%
Modern Greek 2 2 50% / 50% 50%
Language and Culture Studies 1 2 0% / 100% 0%
Languages and Linguistics 1 2 100% / 0% 0%
African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Classics and Mediterranean Studies 1 1 100% / 0% 0%
Danish 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Francophone, Italian and Germanic Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
French Area Studies 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Japanese Language 1 1 0% / 100% 0%
Native American Languages 1 1 0% / 100% 0%