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2025 Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in California

21 Colleges in California
6,013 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$33,626 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.

College Factual looked at 21 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 6,013 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
299 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$28,328 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Los Angeles is a great option for students pursuing a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 299 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program earn about $28,328 in their early career salary.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
254 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$30,919 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Santa Barbara is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. 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 #47 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 254 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, foreign languages & linguistics degree recipients usually make about $30,919 in the first five years of their career.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
219 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$23,525 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Santa Cruz is a good option for students interested in a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were about 219 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, foreign languages & linguistics degree recipients usually earn around $23,525 in the first five years of their career.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
271 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$32,635 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 271 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. After graduation, foreign languages & linguistics degree recipients usually earn an average of $32,635 in the first five years of their career.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
117 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded

USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 116.99999999999999 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
244 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$27,843 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 243.99999999999997 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, foreign languages & linguistics degree recipients generally make an average of $27,843 in their early careers.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$36,692 Median Starting Salary

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were roughly 51.99999999999999 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics program at University of California - Irvine get $3,066 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
63rd Most Popular In CA

USD is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego. This university ranks 35th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 14 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at USD in the most recent data year.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
163 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
2.5% Growth in Graduates

CSULB is a very large public university located in the city of Long Beach. This university ranks 36th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 163 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at CSULB 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 $19,690.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from California State University - Long Beach

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
4.8% Growth in Graduates

SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 165 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program state that they receive average early career income of $26,177.

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

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

Explore all the Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools 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 2,753
Linguistics & Comparative Literature 1,534
American Sign Language 609
East Asian Languages 587
Second Language Learning 138
Classical Languages & Literature 103
Germanic Languages 86
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages 85
Foreign Language, Literature & Linguistics (Other) 72
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages 38

View All Foreign Languages & Linguistics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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