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2025 Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in Illinois

10 Colleges in Illinois
948 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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 948 degrees in foreign languages & linguistics annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Foreign Languages & Linguistics School

Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools in Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

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 Illinois Schools in Foreign Languages & Linguistics

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
7.4% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you wish to pursue a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. Located in the 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 receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program make about $34,746 in their early career salary.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
41 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat Loyola University Chicago if you want to pursue a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 colleges 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 data year.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
39 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat University of Illinois at Chicago if you want to pursue a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were about 39 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from University of Illinois at Chicago

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
$37,025 Median Starting Salary

Wheaton College Illinois is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in foreign languages & linguistics. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Wheaton. A Best Colleges rank of #407 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wheaton College Illinois is a great college overall.

There were approximately 31 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent data year. Those foreign languages & linguistics students who get their degree from Wheaton College Illinois receive $3,399 more than the standard foreign languages & linguistics graduate.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Wheaton College Illinois

5
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$24,208 Median Starting Salary

Augustana is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Rock Island. This college ranks 21st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 26 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Augustana in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program make an average of $24,208 for their early career.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Augustana College

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Awarded
2.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 41 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Foreign Languages & Linguistics degree recipients from Illinois State University earn a boost of about $15,822 over the average income of foreign languages & linguistics majors.

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

7
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$35,622 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Lake Forest, Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 33rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 16 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Lake Forest 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 $35,622.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Lake Forest College

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
26th Most Popular In IL

Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 19th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 7 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent year we have data available.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$40,586 Median Starting Salary

NIU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb. This university ranks 20th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 24 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent year we have data available. Foreign Languages & Linguistics degree recipients from Northern Illinois University earn a boost of around $6,960 above the typical earnings of foreign languages & linguistics graduates.

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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,921 Median Starting Salary

SIUC is a large public university located in the distant town of Carbondale. This university ranks 36th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 30 foreign languages & linguistics students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the foreign languages & linguistics program report average early career wages of $25,921.

More information about a degree in foreign languages & linguistics from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Foreign Languages & Linguistics Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

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

View All Rankings >

Foreign Languages & Linguistics Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Romance Languages 440
Linguistics & Comparative Literature 212
American Sign Language 107
Classical Languages & Literature 65
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages 37
East Asian Languages 33
Germanic Languages 27
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages 20
South Asian Languages 6
Foreign Language, Literature & Linguistics (Other) 1

View All Foreign Languages & Linguistics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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