Languages at Dartmouth

A photo of students in a Spanish class

Explore ideas, issues, and challenges in their local contexts and cultural norms to gain an unmatched depth of understanding.


An image of a student standing in front of a blackboard with Asian characters on it running drill while a student sits in a chair opposite them

Some cultures, ideas, or moments in history are so inextricably linked to their context that they must be explored and shared within it. Language learning at Dartmouth happens in many ways (and in many places), but all of them give students a new lens on the world, the way they study it, or both.

An image of Dartmouth students studying away in Morocco

The Language Study Abroad (LSA) and Advanced Language Study Abroad (LSA+) programs have been developed in response to the College's commitment of understanding, and communication with people of other cultures. To this end, Dartmouth maintains programs in a number of countries. Undergraduates live with local families on most LSA and LSA+ programs. Life with local families gives students a personal context through which they gain access to the culture as a whole. Studying the language, literature, and civilization gives them an intellectual grasp of historical and contemporary cultural patterns. Browse the LSA and LSA+ programs offered at Dartmouth.

At Dartmouth, financial aid travels with you! Students receiving need-based financial aid pay the same net price for a term on a Dartmouth off-campus study program as they would for a term in Hanover.

Learning Languages at Dartmouth

Dive deeper into the student experience with foreign languages at Dartmouth by exploring stories and profiles from our admissions magazine, 3D.

An image of a plaza in Berlin, Germany

Green City, Sustainable Engineering and Full-Immersion German in Berlin

German Studies and Dartmouth Engineering Join Forces

In this first-of-its-kind program, students live with host families in Berlin, have the choice of three of four German courses and two engineering courses. They participate in field trips and other enrichment activities that showcase the importance of language and cultural understanding to effective engineering solutions.

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An image of a spread of September 2022 3D Magazine entitled Walking the Walk

Gabe ’23: Unlimited Possibilities

LINGUISTICS AND NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES (NAIS) DOUBLE MAJOR

"Indigenous communities are on the front lines of language revitalization, fighting to preserve their endangered languages in a rapidly globalizing world. It felt right when I chose my linguistics and Native American and Indigenous Studies double major."

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An image of a spread of September 2022 3D Magazine entitled Courses of Study

Diana '23: Pushing The Boundaries

Government modified with Economics; Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages with a focus in Chinese

"Professor Washburn is a leading expert on Japanese translation and set aside class time for us to read his translation of The Tale of Genji, the world’s first novel! To this day, it remains one of my favorite classes."

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An image of a spread of April 2022 3D Magazine profiling professor El-Ariss

Professor El-Ariss: Creating Common Experience

THE JAMES WRIGHT PROFESSOR AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE PROFESSOR OF MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES

Professor Tarek El-Ariss collaborates with artists, scientists, and scholars in too many disciplines to count. That’s what’s special about teaching here at Dartmouth, he says. “I would like my students to see connections between the sciences and the humanities and literature and physics.”

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An image of a spread of April 2022 3D Magazine entitled Courses of Study

Elina '22: Engaging Class

Biology with a minor in Spanish on the Pre-Health Track

"Professor del Pino did an excellent job of engaging the small class in discussion about how 'The Spanish Craze' has shaped the relationship between Spain and the U.S. to this day. Fun fact: the author of the textbook we read for this course visited one of our classes!"

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