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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Linguistics

165 Ranked Colleges
3,247 Degrees Awarded
$34,100 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Linguistics Major

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Linguistics Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 3,247 people earned their degree in linguistics, making the major the 206th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Linguistics Major” ranking looked at 165 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in linguistics. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in linguistics.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Linguistics Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Well Attended Linguistics Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for linguistics students.

1

Out of the 165 schools in the Most Well Attended Linguistics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #1 spot on the list. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 78 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Linguistics at University of California - Santa Barbara

2

Out of the 165 schools in the Most Well Attended Linguistics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 76 ’s linguistics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - San Diego Linguistics Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Linguistics Major. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 61 ’s linguistics degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Linguistics at UC Berkeley

4

Out of the 165 schools in the Most Well Attended Linguistics Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 58 ’s linguistics degrees in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Linguistics Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 58 degrees to qualified ’s linguistics students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Linguistics at Ohio State University - Main Campus

6
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Georgetown University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking, coming in at #6. Georgetown is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 56 ’s linguistics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Georgetown Linguistics Report

7

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 51 diplomas to qualified ’s linguistics students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Linguistics at UT Austin

7

University of California - Davis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 ’s linguistics degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Davis Linguistics Report

9
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #9, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 76 degrees to qualified ’s linguistics students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 97%.

Full University of Florida Linguistics Report

10
Montclair State crest
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey

Montclair State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. Montclair State University is located in Montclair, New Jersey and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 ’s linguistics degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Montclair State University Linguistics Report

10

Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 49 degrees to qualified ’s linguistics students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Linguistics at Brigham Young University - Provo

10

University of Colorado Boulder came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. Boulder, Colorado is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s linguistics degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Colorado Boulder Linguistics Report

13
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York

Stony Brook University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. Located in Stony Brook, New York, this large public school handed out 48 degrees to qualified ’s linguistics students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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%.

Full SUNY Stony Brook Linguistics Report

13

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking, coming in at #13. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Linguistics at Indiana University - Bloomington

13

University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s linguistics degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

Full UMass Amherst Linguistics Report

16
WWU crest
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington

With a ranking of #16, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major list. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this fairly large public school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified ’s linguistics students 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%.

Read more about Linguistics at WWU

17

California State University - Long Beach landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s linguistics degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read full report on Linguistics at CSULB

18

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 45 ’s linguistics degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 full report on Linguistics at UCLA

19
Georgia State crest
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia State University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Linguistics Major list. Georgia State is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Linguistics at Georgia State

20
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 43 ’s linguistics degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 100%. 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 full report on Linguistics at University of Chicago

21
Rutgers New Brunswick crest
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey

Rutgers University - New Brunswick came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. Rutgers New Brunswick is a public institution located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees 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 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Linguistics at Rutgers University - New Brunswick

22

California State University - Northridge came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 39 ’s linguistics degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read full report on Linguistics at CSUN

22

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Linguistics Major list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s linguistics degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 Linguistics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

24
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking, coming in at #24. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 37 ’s linguistics degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Linguistics at University of Arizona

25

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Linguistics Major ranking, coming in at #25. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 36 ’s linguistics degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 91%.

Read more about Linguistics at UCR

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References

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