Foreign Languages and Linguistics colleges in California, ranked by graduates
28 colleges in California awarded at least 10 bachelor's degrees in foreign languages and linguistics in 2023: 1,562 degrees, 1% of all bachelor's degrees at those colleges (0.6% across every college CollegeCalcAI tracks). UC Santa Cruz graduated the most (181, 3.9% of its class). 23 of the 28 are public universities. The median acceptance rate among them is 76%; the most selective is Stanford University at 4%.
Foreign Languages and Linguistics colleges in California
Every California college awarding at least 10 bachelor's degrees in foreign languages and linguistics, ranked by 2023 graduates. Click a college for its foreign languages and linguistics page.
| # | College | Type | Degrees (2023) | Share of grads | Acceptance rate | SAT 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UC Santa Cruz | Public | 181 | 3.9% | 66% | 1180 |
| 2 | UCLA | Public | 158 | 1.6% | 9% | 1510 |
| 3 | UC Santa Barbara | Public | 141 | 2.2% | 33% | 1430 |
| 4 | University of California, Berkeley | Public | 121 | 1.3% | 11% | 1530 |
| 5 | UC Davis | Public | 96 | 1.2% | 42% | 1380 |
| 6 | San Diego State University | Public | 91 | 1.1% | 36% | 1340 |
| 7 | Cal State Long Beach | Public | 84 | 1% | 46% | 1280 |
| 8 | UC Riverside | Public | 84 | 1.6% | 76% | 1300 |
| 9 | Fresno State University | Public | 68 | 1.3% | 95% | 1160 |
| 10 | Cal State San Bernardino | Public | 52 | 1.2% | 94% | 1090 |
| 11 | Cal State Fullerton | Public | 49 | 0.5% | 91% | 1230 |
| 12 | UC Irvine | Public | 48 | 0.6% | 29% | 1420 |
| 13 | Cal State Northridge | Public | 47 | 0.6% | 93% | 1150 |
| 14 | University of Southern California | Private | 42 | 0.7% | 10% | 1530 |
| 15 | Stanford University | Private | 35 | 1.9% | 4% | 1570 |
| 16 | San Jose State University | Public | 30 | 0.5% | 85% | 1220 |
| 17 | San Francisco State University | Public | 29 | 0.6% | 96% | 1180 |
| 18 | Cal State Los Angeles | Public | 26 | 0.5% | 91% | 1150 |
| 19 | Sacramento State University | Public | 25 | 0.3% | 94% | 1170 |
| 20 | Cal State San Marcos | Public | 25 | 0.8% | 95% | 1190 |
| 21 | Cal State Monterey Bay | Public | 24 | 1.4% | 97% | 1130 |
| 22 | Cal State Stanislaus | Public | 24 | 1% | 98% | 1080 |
| 23 | Occidental College | Private | 19 | 4.7% | 44% | 1420 |
| 24 | Cal Poly Pomona | Public | 17 | 0.3% | 75% | 1300 |
| 25 | Cal State Chico | Public | 13 | 0.4% | 93% | 1170 |
| 26 | Cal State Dominguez Hills | Public | 12 | 0.4% | 93% | 1020 |
| 27 | Pomona College | Private | 11 | 2.4% | 7% | 1540 |
| 28 | Chapman University | Private | 10 | 0.5% | 65% | 1380 |
Questions about foreign languages and linguistics colleges in California
What is the best college for foreign languages and linguistics in California?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in 2023, the largest foreign languages and linguistics programs in California are UC Santa Cruz (181), UCLA (158), UC Santa Barbara (141). "Best" depends on your profile: this page ranks every California college in the field by output and shows each one's acceptance rate and admitted SAT so you can match it to your own numbers.
How many colleges in California offer foreign languages and linguistics?
28 four-year colleges in California awarded 10 or more bachelor's degrees in foreign languages and linguistics in 2023, 23 public and 5 private, for 1,562 graduates in total.
Is in-state status an advantage for foreign languages and linguistics in California?
At the 23 public universities on this list, California residents are usually admitted at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants and pay in-state tuition. CollegeCalcAI applies the residency effect when you set your home state, and the per-major adjustment when you set the major.
Foreign Languages and Linguistics elsewhere
The same field in other states, and the national ranking.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 Completions (bachelor's degrees, first majors, CIP 2-digit series), joined to CollegeCalcAI's admissions dataset. Built 2026-09-19. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are not predictions or guarantees.