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 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 the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.
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 $78,746 in median earnings for its Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing, and ranks 1st 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 posts median earnings of $70,767 for its Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing. | |||||
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 its Foreign Languages graduates earn a median of $67,950 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% |
| Wellesley College carries an average net price of $25,496 alongside median earnings of $65,036 for its Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing. | |||||
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% |
| Ranking 5th on this list, Clark University shows a six-year completion rate of 77% and median earnings of $60,649 for its Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing. | |||||
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 reports an average net price of $1,086 for families earning under $30,000, and its Foreign Languages graduates earn a median of $60,212 four years after completing. | |||||
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 the Foreign Languages program at Smith College earn a median of $58,304 four years after completing, and the school admits 21% of applicants. | |||||
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 posts median earnings of $58,290 for its Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $16,721. | |||||
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 ranks 9th on this list, with median earnings of $56,609 for its Foreign Languages graduates four years after completing and a six-year completion rate of 53%. | |||||
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% |
| With an admission rate of 69%, Gordon College 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 $41,704. | |||||
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% |
| Ranking 12th on this list, Williams College admits 8% of applicants and its Foreign Languages graduates earn a median of $49,644 two years after completing. | |||||
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, a public university in Boston, reports median earnings of $39,153 for its Foreign Languages graduates two years after completing and an average net price of $17,707. | |||||
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% |
| Stonehill College admits 66% of applicants and posts a six-year completion rate of 76%, with its Foreign Languages graduates earning a 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% |
| Graduates of Mount Holyoke College's Foreign Languages program earn a median of $34,450 four years after completing, and the college reports an average net price of $10,882 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
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 ranks 16th on this list, with median earnings of $33,099 for its Foreign Languages graduates two years after completing and a six-year completion rate of 83%. | |||||
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, while the university ranks 170th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
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, or two years for programs that report only a two-year figure, highest first. The figure covers federally aided Foreign Languages graduates who were working and not enrolled, measured 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. Brandeis University leads Tufts University by $7,979, and the spread from top to bottom is $46,251.
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