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2025 Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in the Great Lakes Region

38 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
4,815 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$33,626 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you're seeking a degree in foreign languages & linguistics, you will have fewer peers than average since the major degree program is the #24 one in the country in terms of popularity.As such, your educational options may be more limited than if you were in a more popular field.

College Factual looked at 38 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 4,815 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 the Great Lakes Region Your choice of foreign languages & linguistics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Foreign Languages & Linguistics School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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

Associate Degrees in Foreign Languages & Linguistics
Bachelor's Degrees in Foreign Languages & Linguistics
Master's Degrees in Foreign Languages & Linguistics
Doctor's Degrees in Foreign Languages & Linguistics

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Foreign Languages & Linguistics in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the foreign languages & linguistics degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Foreign Languages & Linguistics

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$46,459 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in foreign languages & linguistics needs to check out University of Notre Dame. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were roughly 120 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics major at University of Notre Dame get $12,833 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of Notre Dame

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
456 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$35,720 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in foreign languages & linguistics has to check out University of Wisconsin - Madison. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 456 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the foreign languages & linguistics major at University of Wisconsin - Madison get $2,094 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of Wisconsin - Madison

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
241 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$28,075 Median Starting Salary

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were roughly 241 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at U-M 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 wages of $28,075.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
7.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a good option for students pursuing a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 162 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program report average early career earnings of $34,746.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
251 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$27,905 Median Starting Salary

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 251 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program earn an average of $27,905 for their early career.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Ohio State University - Main Campus

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
229 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$31,407 Median Starting Salary

IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were about 229 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, foreign languages & linguistics degree recipients usually make around $31,407 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Indiana University - Bloomington

7
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
3.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #114 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Marquette is a great university overall.

There were about 31 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Marquette in the most recent year we have data available. Those foreign languages & linguistics students who get their degree from Marquette University make $7,407 more than the typical foreign languages & linguistics grad.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Marquette University

8
Butler crest
Butler University
Indianapolis, IN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$43,678 Median Starting Salary

Butler is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Indianapolis. This university ranks 10th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were roughly 49 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Butler in the most recent year we have data available. Foreign Languages & Linguistics degree recipients from Butler University get an earnings boost of around $10,052 above the average earnings of foreign languages & linguistics majors.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Butler University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
41 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 41 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Loyola University Chicago

10
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
85 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$33,940 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 85 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State 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 wages of $33,940.

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

Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Colleges by State

Explore the best foreign languages & linguistics schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 877
Michigan 38 1,002
Ohio 38 992
Illinois 38 954
Wisconsin 37 783

View All Rankings >

Foreign Languages & Linguistics Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Romance Languages 2,297
Linguistics & Comparative Literature 772
American Sign Language 457
East Asian Languages 384
Germanic Languages 299
Classical Languages & Literature 252
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages 134
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages 96
Foreign Language, Literature & Linguistics (Other) 81
Second Language Learning 15

View All Foreign Languages & Linguistics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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