Best Foreign Languages Colleges in Massachusetts (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 17 colleges in Massachusetts that report a Foreign Languages earnings cohort, ordered by the median earnings of Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing. Brandeis University leads the list with median earnings of $78,746 four years after completing.
Across the listed schools, the figures range from $78,746 to $32,495, with a median of $56,609. For 6 of the 17 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
The list includes 4 public institutions and 13 private nonprofits. Bridgewater State University posts the lowest average net price on the page at $16,383.
Amherst College reports the highest six-year completion rate, graduating 94% of its students within six years. University of Massachusetts-Boston ranks 122nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Foreign Languages Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandeis University · Waltham, MA | $78,746 | $35,736 | $13,363 | 40.5% |
| Brandeis University reports median earnings of $78,746 for its Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (15 graduates) | |||||
| 2 | Tufts University · Medford, MA | $70,767 | $39,998 | $11,284 | 11.5% |
| With a six-year completion rate of 94%, Tufts University graduates nearly all of its students within six years. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (39 graduates), East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (9 graduates), Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (9 graduates) | |||||
| 3 | College of the Holy Cross · Worcester, MA | $67,950 | $38,782 | $14,343 | 17.6% |
| College of the Holy Cross admits 18% of applicants and posts median earnings of $67,950 for its Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (33 graduates), Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (18 graduates), East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (6 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics ($76,301) | |||||
| 4 | Wellesley College · Wellesley, MA | $65,036 | $25,496 | $2,546 | 14.1% |
| An average net price of $2,546 for families earning under $30,000 accompanies median earnings of $65,036 at Wellesley College. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (19 graduates), East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (11 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics ($65,036) | |||||
| 5 | Clark University · Worcester, MA | $60,649 | $28,714 | $18,188 | 39.5% |
| Clark University ranks 5th on this list, with a six-year completion rate of 77% and an admission rate of 40%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (14 graduates) | |||||
| 6 | Amherst College · Amherst, MA | $60,212 | $23,367 | $1,086 | 9.0% |
| Amherst College posts an average net price of $1,086 for families earning under $30,000 and a six-year completion rate of 94%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (21 graduates) | |||||
| 7 | Smith College · Northampton, MA | $58,304 | $27,579 | $1,363 | 21.0% |
| Graduates of Smith College earn a median of $58,304 four years after completing their Foreign Languages degree. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (27 graduates), Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (7 graduates), East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (6 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics ($58,304) | |||||
| 8 | Westfield State University · Westfield, MA | $58,290 | $16,721 | $10,751 | 81.4% |
| A public university in Westfield, Westfield State University reports an admission rate of 81% and a six-year completion rate of 54%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (5 graduates) | |||||
| 9 | Bridgewater State University · Bridgewater, MA | $56,609 | $16,383 | $10,007 | 87.8% |
| Bridgewater State University carries the lowest average net price on the list at $16,383, and its Foreign Languages graduates earn a median of $56,609 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (10 graduates) | |||||
| 10 | Gordon College · Wenham, MA | $53,475 | $24,883 | $21,829 | 69.2% |
| Gordon College ranks 1336th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $53,475 for its Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (9 graduates) | |||||
| 11 | Boston College · Chestnut Hill, MA | $52,107 | $41,704 | $4,284 | 16.4% |
| Boston College reports median earnings of $52,107 for its Foreign Languages graduates two years after completing, alongside an average net price of $4,284 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (18 graduates), Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (7 graduates), Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (6 graduates) | |||||
| 12 | Williams College · Williamstown, MA | $49,644 | $17,716 | -$2,610* | 8.3% |
| The most selective school on the page, Williams College admits 8% of applicants and graduates 94% of its students within six years. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (18 graduates), Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (13 graduates), Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (9 graduates) | |||||
| 13 | University of Massachusetts-Boston · Boston, MA | $39,153 | $17,707 | $14,070 | 83.8% |
| University of Massachusetts-Boston reports $39,153 in median earnings for its Foreign Languages graduates two years after completing, and holds an Azimuth composite rank of 122nd among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (15 graduates), Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (6 graduates) | |||||
| 14 | Stonehill College · Easton, MA | $38,289 | $33,016 | $23,605 | 66.3% |
| With a six-year completion rate of 76%, Stonehill College graduates 76% of its students within six years and lists a Foreign Languages earnings median of $38,289 two years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (6 graduates) | |||||
| 15 | Mount Holyoke College · South Hadley, MA | $34,450 | $26,441 | $10,882 | 36.0% |
| Mount Holyoke College admits 36% of applicants and its Foreign Languages graduates earn a median of $34,450 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (30 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics ($34,450) | |||||
| 16 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst · Amherst, MA | $33,099 | $22,383 | $10,164 | 59.7% |
| University of Massachusetts-Amherst, a public university in Amherst, shows an average net price of $22,383 alongside a Foreign Languages earnings median of $33,099 two years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (78 graduates), Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (47 graduates), East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (13 graduates) | |||||
| 17 | Boston University · Boston, MA | $32,495 | $24,402 | $9,500 | 11.1% |
| Boston University admits 11% of applicants and its Foreign Languages graduates earn a median of $32,495 two years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (32 graduates), East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (14 graduates), Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (14 graduates) | |||||
* Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only schools with a reported Foreign Languages earnings cohort in Massachusetts appear. The figure covers federally aided Foreign Languages graduates who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 6 of the 17 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range and median below cover the 17 schools with a published figure. Brandeis University leads Tufts University by $7,979, and the spread from top to bottom is $46,251.
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