Do most universities require a foreign language?

I'm curious about foreign language requirements at universities. Do most colleges expect you to have taken a certain number of years of a foreign language in high school, and do they require it for graduation?

In terms of high school preparation, many colleges do have a foreign language requirement. Typically, selective colleges look for at least two or three years of the same foreign language in high school, though the more competitive colleges often prefer four years.

Once you're actually in college, the foreign language requirement varies significantly from one college to the next. Some institutions will have a language requirement as part of their general education or core requirements to ensure students have a well-rounded education. This usually means, that at some point during their college career, students will need to take a certain number of foreign language classes, or they must show proficiency at a certain level. The exact number of required courses or level of proficiency can vary widely, however. For example, some colleges may require only one semester of a language, while others require several years.

That said, there are also plenty of colleges that do not have a foreign language requirement once you're in college, especially those with a more focused or pre-professional curriculum. These schools might have other requirements that take the place of a language requirement, or they may simply prefer to give students more flexibility in choosing their courses.

If this is something that could impact your choice of college, I would encourage you to look up the specific requirements for the colleges you're interested in. You can typically find this information on the "Academics" or "Admissions" page of a college's website or reach out directly to the university's admission office to ask!