Foreign Language Requirements for College Admission
One would think that high school graduation requirements in the area of foreign language would match those of the nation’s premier colleges and universities.
Sadly, that would be giving the public educational system far too much credit. Presently, 23 U.S. states do not require the two years of foreign language study that is required for admittance into many colleges. Therefore, an unfortunate number of high school students may mistakenly think that they do not need to take a language to get into their dream university—after all, their high school must know what it’s doing, right? Before a teenager decides whether or not to say “bonjour,” “hola,” or “hallo” to the language of their choosing, they should be fully aware of the standards for admission at their prospective schools. Below, College Transitions has put together a list of foreign language requirements at many of the top institutions in the United States.
*Data collected from institution websites and 2022-23 Common Data Set (CDS) forms.
Table updated November 2023
Institution | Foreign Language Units (Required) | Foreign Language Units (Recommended) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
138600 | Agnes Scott College | - | 2 | |
210669 | Allegheny College | 2 | - | |
131159 | American University | AU | 2 | 3 |
164465 | Amherst College | - | 3 | |
197869 | Appalachian State University | App State | 2 | - |
104151 | Arizona State University | ASU | 2 | - |
100858 | Auburn University | - | 1 | |
164580 | Babson College | - | 4 | |
189088 | Bard College | 4 | 4 | |
189097 | Barnard College | - | 3 | |
160977 | Bates College | 2 | 4 | |
223232 | Baylor University | - | 2 | |
238333 | Beloit College | - | 2 | |
230816 | Bennington College | - | 3 | |
164739 | Bentley University | 3 | 3 | |
156295 | Berea College | - | 2 | |
164748 | Berklee College of Music | Not Reported | Not Reported | |
196079 | Binghamton University | 3 | - | |
142115 | Boise State University | - | 2 | |
164924 | Boston College | BC | 4 | 4 |
164988 | Boston University | BU | 2 | 4 |
161004 | Bowdoin College | - | 4 | |
165015 | Brandeis University | - | 4 | |
230038 | Brigham Young University-Provo | BYU | 2 | 2 |
217156 | Brown University | 3 | 4 | |
217165 | Bryant University | 2 | 2 | |
211273 | Bryn Mawr College | 4 | 4 | |
211291 | Bucknell University | 2 | 4 | |
150163 | Butler University | 2 | - | |
110404 | California Institute of Technology | Caltech | - | 3 |
111081 | California Institute of the Arts | - | 2 | |
110422 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | Cal Poly | 2 | 4 |
110529 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 2 | - | |
110556 | California State University-Fresno | 2 | - | |
110565 | California State University-Fullerton | 2 | 2 | |
110583 | California State University-Long Beach | 2 | 2 | |
110592 | California State University-Los Angeles | 2 | - | |
173258 | Carleton College | - | 3 | |
211440 | Carnegie Mellon University | CMU | 2 | 2 |
201645 | Case Western Reserve University | 2 | 3 | |
131283 | Catholic University of America | 0 | 3 | |
156408 | Centre College | 2 | 4 | |
230852 | Champlain College | 2 | 3 | |
111948 | Chapman University | 2 | 4 | |
112260 | Claremont McKenna College | CMC | 3 | 3 |
165334 | Clark University | - | 2 | |
190044 | Clarkson University | Not Reported | Not Reported | |
217882 | Clemson University | 3 | 3 | |
161086 | Colby College | 3 | 3 | |
190099 | Colgate University | 3 | 4 | |
217819 | College of Charleston | 2 | - | |
160959 | College of the Atlantic | - | 2 | |
166124 | College of the Holy Cross | - | 4 | |
231624 | College of William and Mary | W&M | - | 4 |
126678 | Colorado College | CC | 0 | 0 |
126775 | Colorado School of Mines | 1 | 2 | |
126818 | Colorado State University | CSU | 1 | 2 |
190150 | Columbia University in the City of New York | 3 | 4 | |
128902 | Connecticut College | Not Reported | Not Reported | |
190372 | Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | - | 2 | |
153162 | Cornell College | 0 | 2 | |
190415 | Cornell University | - | 3 | |
181002 | Creighton University | 2 | 3 | |
190512 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | 2 | 2 | |
190594 | CUNY Hunter College | - | 2 | |
182670 | Dartmouth College | - | 4 | |
198385 | Davidson College | 2 | 4 | |
202523 | Denison University | - | 4 | |
144740 | DePaul University | 0 | 2 | |
150400 | DePauw University | 2 | 2 | |
212009 | Dickinson College | 2 | 3 | |
153269 | Drake University | - | 2 | |
184348 | Drew University | 2 | 2 | |
212054 | Drexel University | - | 1 | |
198419 | Duke University | - | 3 | |
212106 | Duquesne University | 2 | - | |
150455 | Earlham College | 2 | 2 | |
198464 | East Carolina University | ECU | 2 | 2 |
133492 | Eckerd College | - | 2 | |
212197 | Elizabethtown College | 2 | 2 | |
198516 | Elon University | 2 | 3 | |
133553 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | - | 1 | |
165662 | Emerson College | 3 | 3 | |
165671 | Emmanuel College | 2 | 3 | |
139658 | Emory University | - | 4 | |
129242 | Fairfield University | 2 | 4 | |
191126 | Fashion Institute of Technology | FIT | Not Reported | Not Reported |
133669 | Florida Atlantic University | FAU | 2 | - |
133881 | Florida Institute of Technology | 0 | 2 | |
133951 | Florida International University | FIU | 2 | - |
134079 | Florida Southern College | - | 2 | |
134097 | Florida State University | FSU | 2 | 4 |
191241 | Fordham University | 2 | 4 | |
212577 | Franklin and Marshall College | F&M | 2 | 4 |
441982 | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | - | 2 | |
218070 | Furman University | 2 | 3 | |
232186 | George Mason University | GMU | 2 | 3 |
131469 | George Washington University | GWU | 2 | 4 |
131496 | Georgetown University | 2 | 4 | |
139861 | Georgia College & State University | 2 | 2 | |
139755 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia Tech | 2 | - |
139940 | Georgia State University | 2 | 2 | |
212674 | Gettysburg College | 3 | 4 | |
235316 | Gonzaga University | 2 | 3 | |
162654 | Goucher College | 2 | 4 | |
153384 | Grinnell College | - | 3 | |
212805 | Grove City College | - | 3 | |
173647 | Gustavus Adolphus College | 2 | - | |
191515 | Hamilton College | - | 3 | |
166018 | Hampshire College | 3 | 4 | |
150756 | Hanover College | 2 | 4 | |
166027 | Harvard University | - | 4 | |
115409 | Harvey Mudd College | HMC | - | 2 |
212911 | Haverford College | 3 | 3 | |
107080 | Hendrix College | 2 | 2 | |
170286 | Hillsdale College | 0 | 3 | |
191630 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | 2 | 3 | |
191649 | Hofstra University | 2 | 3 | |
170301 | Hope College | 4 | 4 | |
131520 | Howard University | HU | 2 | 2 |
145725 | Illinois Institute of Technology | IIT | 0 | 2 |
145646 | Illinois Wesleyan University | - | 3 | |
151351 | Indiana University-Bloomington | IUB | 4 | - |
153603 | Iowa State University | 2 | 3 | |
191968 | Ithaca College | 2 | 3 | |
232423 | James Madison University | JMU | 3 | 3 |
162928 | Johns Hopkins University | JHU | - | 4 |
213251 | Juniata College | 2 | 2 | |
170532 | Kalamazoo College | 2 | 3 | |
155399 | Kansas State University | 2 | - | |
203535 | Kenyon College | 3 | 4 | |
169983 | Kettering University | 0 | 0 | |
146427 | Knox College | - | 3 | |
213385 | Lafayette College | 2 | 2 | |
146481 | Lake Forest College | 2 | 4 | |
239017 | Lawrence University | - | 2 | |
192323 | Le Moyne College | - | 3 | |
213543 | Lehigh University | 2 | 2 | |
209056 | Lewis & Clark College | 0 | 2 | |
159391 | Louisiana State University | LSU | 2 | - |
117946 | Loyola Marymount University | LMU | - | 3 |
146719 | Loyola University Chicago | LUC | 2 | 2 |
163046 | Loyola University Maryland | 3 | 4 | |
173902 | Macalester College | - | 3 | |
161299 | Maine Maritime Academy | - | 2 | |
192819 | Marist College | 2 | 3 | |
239105 | Marquette University | - | 2 | |
166683 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT | - | 2 |
140447 | Mercer University | 2 | - | |
204024 | Miami University-Oxford | - | 2 | |
171100 | Michigan State University | MSU | 2 | 2 |
171128 | Michigan Technological University | - | 2 | |
230959 | Middlebury College | - | 3 | |
239318 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | MSOE | 0 | - |
176080 | Mississippi State University | - | - | |
178411 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | MUST | 2 | - |
180461 | Montana State University | - | 2 | |
140553 | Morehouse College | 0 | 2 | |
166939 | Mount Holyoke College | MHC | - | 3 |
214175 | Muhlenberg College | 2 | 4 | |
262129 | New College of Florida | 2 | 4 | |
185828 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | NJIT | - | 2 |
187967 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | NMIT | 0 | 2 |
193900 | New York University | NYU | 3 | 4 |
199193 | North Carolina State University | NC State | 0 | 2 |
167358 | Northeastern University | 2 | 4 | |
147767 | Northwestern University | - | 2 | |
204501 | Oberlin College | 3 | 3 | |
120254 | Occidental College | Oxy | - | 3 |
204796 | Ohio State University | OSU | 2 | 3 |
204857 | Ohio University | OU | 2 | - |
204909 | Ohio Wesleyan University | 0 | 2 | |
209542 | Oregon State University | OSU | 2 | - |
214777 | Pennsylvania State University | PSU; Penn State | 2 | 3 |
121150 | Pepperdine University | - | - | |
121257 | Pitzer College | - | 3 | |
121345 | Pomona College | 3 | 3 | |
194578 | Pratt Institute-Main | - | - | |
186131 | Princeton University | - | 4 | |
217402 | Providence College | 3 | 4 | |
243780 | Purdue University-Main Campus | 2 | - | |
130226 | Quinnipiac University | 2 | 3 | |
186201 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | 2 | 2 | |
209922 | Reed College | - | 3 | |
194824 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | RPI | Not Reported | Not Reported |
217493 | Rhode Island School of Design | RISD | Not Reported | Not Reported |
221351 | Rhodes College | 2 | - | |
227757 | Rice University | 2 | - | |
195003 | Rochester Institute of Technology | RIT | 0 | 1 |
136950 | Rollins College | 2 | 3 | |
152318 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | RHIT | - | - |
184782 | Rowan University | 2 | - | |
186371 | Rutgers University-Camden | 2 | - | |
186380 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | RU | 2 | 2 |
186399 | Rutgers University-Newark | 2 | - | |
183239 | Saint Anselm College | 2 | 4 | |
179159 | Saint Louis University | SLU | 3 | 3 |
231059 | Saint Michael's College | 2 | 4 | |
122409 | San Diego State University | SDSU | 2 | - |
122755 | San Jose State University | SJSU | 2 | 2 |
122931 | Santa Clara University | SCU | 2 | 3 |
195304 | Sarah Lawrence College | SLC | 2 | 4 |
123165 | Scripps College | 3 | - | |
236595 | Seattle University | 2 | 2 | |
195474 | Siena College | 2 | 3 | |
167783 | Simmons University | 3 | 4 | |
195526 | Skidmore College | - | 4 | |
167835 | Smith College | - | 3 | |
399911 | Soka University of America | - | 2 | |
228246 | Southern Methodist University | SMU | 2 | 3 |
228343 | Southwestern University | 2 | 3 | |
195216 | St Lawrence University | SLU | - | 3 |
174844 | St Olaf College | - | 4 | |
163976 | St. John's College | 2 | 4 | |
245652 | St. John's College | 2 | 4 | |
163912 | St. Mary's College of Maryland | - | 4 | |
243744 | Stanford University | - | 3 | |
196176 | State University of New York at New Paltz | 2 | 4 | |
137546 | Stetson University | 2 | 2 | |
186867 | Stevens Institute of Technology | 2 | 4 | |
167996 | Stonehill College | 3 | 4 | |
196097 | Stony Brook University | - | 3 | |
196219 | SUNY at Purchase College | 3 | - | |
196167 | SUNY College at Geneseo | - | 4 | |
196103 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | - | 3 | |
216287 | Swarthmore College | - | 3 | |
196413 | Syracuse University | - | 3 | |
216339 | Temple University | 2 | 2 | |
228723 | Texas A & M University-College Station | 2 | 2 | |
228875 | Texas Christian University | TCU | 2 | 4 |
229115 | Texas Tech University | 2 | 2 | |
187134 | The College of New Jersey | TCNJ | 2 | 2 |
206589 | The College of Wooster | 2 | 2 | |
193654 | The New School | - | 4 | |
100751 | The University of Alabama | 1 | 2 | |
180489 | The University of Montana | - | 2 | |
137847 | The University of Tampa | 2 | 2 | |
221759 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | UTK | - | 2 |
228778 | The University of Texas at Austin | UT Austin | 2 | - |
228787 | The University of Texas at Dallas | UTD; UT Dallas | 2 | 3 |
221519 | The University of the South | 2 | 4 | |
124292 | Thomas Aquinas College | 2 | - | |
216366 | Thomas Jefferson University | 0 | 0 | |
164076 | Towson University | 2 | - | |
130590 | Trinity College | 3 | - | |
229267 | Trinity University | 2 | 2 | |
178615 | Truman State University | 2 | 2 | |
168148 | Tufts University | 3 | 4 | |
160755 | Tulane University of Louisiana | - | 4 | |
196866 | Union College | 2 | 3 | |
128328 | United States Air Force Academy | USAFA | 0 | 2 |
130624 | United States Coast Guard Academy | USCGA | 0 | 2 |
197027 | United States Merchant Marine Academy | - | 2 | |
197036 | United States Military Academy | USMA | - | 2 |
164155 | United States Naval Academy | - | 2 | |
196088 | University at Buffalo | 3 | 3 | |
100663 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | UAB | 1 | - |
104179 | University of Arizona | UA | 2 | 2 |
106397 | University of Arkansas | 0 | 2 | |
110635 | University of California-Berkeley | UCB: UC Berkeley | 2 | 3 |
110644 | University of California-Davis | UCD; UC Davis | 2 | 3 |
110653 | University of California-Irvine | UCI; UC Irvine | 2 | 3 |
110662 | University of California-Los Angeles | UCLA | 2 | 3 |
445188 | University of California-Merced | UC Merced | 2 | 3 |
110671 | University of California-Riverside | UCR; UC Riverside | 2 | 3 |
110680 | University of California-San Diego | UCSD; UC San Diego | 2 | 3 |
110705 | University of California-Santa Barbara | UCSB; UC Santa Barbara | 2 | 3 |
110714 | University of California-Santa Cruz | UCSC; UC Santa Cruz | 2 | 3 |
132903 | University of Central Florida | UCF | 2 | - |
144050 | University of Chicago | UChicago | - | 3 |
201885 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | - | - | |
126614 | University of Colorado Boulder | - | 1 | |
129020 | University of Connecticut | UConn | 2 | 3 |
224323 | University of Dallas | 2 | 3 | |
130943 | University of Delaware | UD | 2 | 4 |
127060 | University of Denver | UD | - | 2 |
134130 | University of Florida | UF | 2 | 4 |
139959 | University of Georgia | UGA | 2 | 3 |
225511 | University of Houston | - | 2 | |
142285 | University of Idaho | - | - | |
145600 | University of Illinois at Chicago | UIC | - | 2 |
145637 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | UIUC | 2 | 4 |
153658 | University of Iowa | 2 | 4 | |
155317 | University of Kansas | KU | - | 2 |
157085 | University of Kentucky | UK | 2 | - |
157289 | University of Louisville | 2 | 3 | |
161253 | University of Maine | - | 2 | |
232681 | University of Mary Washington | 3 | 4 | |
163268 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | UMBC | 2 | - |
163286 | University of Maryland-College Park | UMD | 2 | 2 |
166629 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | UMass Amherst | 2 | - |
166638 | University of Massachusetts-Boston | UMass Boston | 2 | - |
166513 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | UMass Lowell | 2 | 2 |
135726 | University of Miami | UM | 4 | 4 |
170976 | University of Michigan | UMich | 2 | 4 |
174233 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | - | 2 | |
174251 | University of Minnesota-Morris | 2 | - | |
174066 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | UMN | 2 | 2 |
176017 | University of Mississippi | Ole Miss | - | - |
178396 | University of Missouri-Columbia | Mizzou | 2 | - |
181464 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | UNL | 2 | - |
182281 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | UNLV | - | - |
182290 | University of Nevada-Reno | UNR | - | - |
183044 | University of New Hampshire | UNH | 0 | 2 |
199111 | University of North Carolina at Asheville | UNC Asheville | 2 | - |
199120 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | UNC Chapel Hill | 2 | - |
199139 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | UNCC; UNC Charlotte | 2 | 3 |
199148 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | UNCG; UNC Greensboro | 2 | 2 |
199218 | University of North Carolina Wilmington | UNC Wilmington | 2 | - |
152080 | University of Notre Dame | UND | 2 | 4 |
207500 | University of Oklahoma | OU | - | 2 |
209551 | University of Oregon | 2 | - | |
215062 | University of Pennsylvania | UPenn | - | 4 |
215293 | University of Pittsburgh | 2 | 3 | |
209825 | University of Portland | 2 | 3 | |
236328 | University of Puget Sound | - | 2 | |
121691 | University of Redlands | 2 | 3 | |
217484 | University of Rhode Island | URI | 2 | - |
233374 | University of Richmond | 2 | 4 | |
195030 | University of Rochester | Not Reported | Not Reported | |
122436 | University of San Diego | USD | 3 | 4 |
122612 | University of San Francisco | USF | 2 | - |
215929 | University of Scranton | 2 | 2 | |
218663 | University of South Carolina | USC | 2 | - |
137351 | University of South Florida | USF | 2 | 2 |
123961 | University of Southern California | USC | 2 | 3 |
174914 | University of St Thomas (MN) | - | 4 | |
231174 | University of Vermont | UVM | 2 | - |
234076 | University of Virginia | UVA | 2 | 4 |
377555 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | 2 | - | |
236948 | University of Washington-Seattle | UW | 2 | - |
240444 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | UW-Madison | 2 | 3 |
216524 | Ursinus College | 2 | 3 | |
221999 | Vanderbilt University | Vandy | 2 | 2 |
197133 | Vassar College | - | 4 | |
216597 | Villanova University | 3 | 4 | |
234030 | Virginia Commonwealth University | VCU | 2 | 3 |
233921 | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | - | 3 |
152673 | Wabash College | - | 2 | |
199847 | Wake Forest University | 2 | 4 | |
234207 | Washington and Lee University | W&L; WLU | 3 | 4 |
164216 | Washington College | 2 | 4 | |
236939 | Washington State University | WSU | 2 | 2 |
179867 | Washington University in St Louis | WashU | 2 | 4 |
168218 | Wellesley College | - | 4 | |
168227 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | - | - | |
130697 | Wesleyan University | - | 4 | |
216764 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | - | 2 | |
238032 | West Virginia University | WVU | 2 | - |
125727 | Westmont College | 2 | 3 | |
149781 | Wheaton College | 2 | 3 | |
168281 | Wheaton College (MA) | - | 4 | |
237057 | Whitman College | - | 2 | |
125763 | Whittier College | 2 | 3 | |
210401 | Willamette University | - | 4 | |
168342 | Williams College | - | 4 | |
218973 | Wofford College | 3 | 3 | |
168421 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | WPI | - | 2 |
130794 | Yale University | 0 | - | |
197708 | Yeshiva University | YU | Not Reported | Not Reported |
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