The top foreign language colleges in India in 2024 are Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jadavpur University, Banaras Hindu University and more. Students can choose to take up BA (Honors), MA, M.Phil, PhD, Diploma or a certificate programme in their choice of language. Languages such as French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian and others can be pursued at these esteemed institutions.

List of Top Foreign Language Colleges in India 2024

With the growing demand for studying languages, students are eager to know the top foreign language colleges in India in 2024, which will help them build their careers. Multiple opportunities and doors open up academically and career-wise when students opt to learn proficiency in a particular language.  

Some of the top foreign language colleges in India in 2024 are mentioned below:

1. Jawaharlal Nehru University
2. Jamia Millia Islamia
3. Jadavpur University
4. Banaras Hindu University
5. Manipal Academy of Higher Education
6. Aligarh Muslim University
7. University of Hyderabad
8. University of Delhi
9. Calcutta University
10. Savitribai Phule Pune University

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, has secured the second position in the NIRF 2024 University ranking. The School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies is known for its twelve centres, namely,

• Centre of Arabic and African Studies (CAAS)
• Centre for Chinese and South-East Asian Studies (CCSEAS)
• Centre for English Studies (CES)
• Centre for French and Francophone Studies (CFFS)
• Centre of German Studies (CGS), Centre of Indian Languages (CIL)
• Centre for Japanese Studies (CJS), Centre for Korean Studies (CKS)
• Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies (CPCAS)
• Centre of Russian Studies (CRS)
• Centre of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Latin American Studies (CSPILAS)

All the schools mentioned above have language labs and multimedia complex facilities. JNU ranks in the top foreign language colleges in India 2024 list as it has the reputation of producing the top scholars in the field of linguistics. 

Programmes offered at JNU, Delhi are certificate courses, diploma, advanced diploma, BA (Hons), MA, MPhil and PhD.

Also Read: JNU Admit Card: Download JNU Entrance Exam Admit Card PDF

Jamia Millia Islamia: A Central University

Jamia Millia Islamia has been ranked third in the NIRF 2024 University ranking list. The University leads its foreign languages department, offering regular and part-time courses. Aspirants can study UG courses, advanced diploma programmes, and diploma and certificate programmes at JMI, which makes it one of the top foreign language colleges in India in 2024. Given below are a few of the courses offered:

• B.A.(H) French
• B.A.(H) Turkish Language & Literature
• B.A.(H) Korean Language
• Advanced Diploma in French (part-time)
• Advanced Diploma in Turkish (Part-time)
• Diploma in Chinese Language (Part-time)
• Intensive Diploma in Chinese Language
• Diploma in Korean Language
• Diploma in Uzbek
• Diploma in Turkish (Part-time)
• Diploma in French (part-time)
• Certificate in Chinese Language (Part-time)
• Certificate in Korean Language
• Certificate in Uzbek
• Certificate in Turkish (Part-time)
• Certificate in French (part-time)

Also Read: Jamia Millia Islamia Notable Alumni: List, Association, Official Portal

Jadavpur University

The School of Languages and Linguistics (SLL) under the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Law and Management (FISLM), Jadavpur University, is known to be one of the top foreign language colleges in India in 2024. Moreover, the University ranks 4 with a score of 66.07 in the NIRF 2024 University category.

Aspirants can study certificate courses, diplomas and advanced diplomas in the following foreign languages.

• Certificate course in French/ German/ Italian/ Portuguese/ Spanish/ Korean/ Japanese/ Chinese/ Communicative English
• Diploma in French/ German/ Italian/ Portuguese/ Spanish/ Korean/ Japanese
• Advanced Diploma-I in French/ Portuguese/ Japanese

These courses aim at both off and on-campus students who wish to improve their language skills for career and cognitive benefits.

Also Read: Jadavpur University Notable Alumni: List, Association, Official Portal

Banaras Hindu University

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is on the list of top foreign language colleges in India in 2024. Courses offered at BHU are at undergraduate, postgraduate, research and diploma levels. Details of the same are mentioned in the pointers below:

• B.A. (Hons.) Chinese and Russian
• MA Chinese and Russian
• Ph.D. Chinese and Russian
• Part-time Diploma Courses in Chinese, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Sinhalese, Polish

Seven languages are taught at the Banaras Hindu University, supported by a proficient faculty.

Also Read: BHU Full Form: Objectives, Qualifying Process, Famous Alumni

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

At the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, students can learn certificate courses and open electives in Asian and European languages at their renowned Department of Languages. The sixth top NIRF 2024-ranked University each year attracts 500 to 600 enrollments.

• European Languages - French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, English.
• Asian Languages - Japanese, Sanskrit, Kannada and Hindi.

Importantly, the University has partnered with Alliance Francaise for French language studies. Manipal is one of the top foreign language colleges in India in 2024 because all learners gain expertise through their courses. 

Moreover, the courses are open for applicants above the age of 14. All European language courses are built along the guidelines of the Common European Framework of Reference, an international standard for measuring the candidate’s language ability and skill.

Also Read: How to Score Good Marks in Exams? 15 Tips & Strategies

Aligarh Muslim University

The Department of Foreign Languages at the Aligarh Muslim University is deemed to be one of the top foreign language colleges in India in 2024. The programmes offered in foreign languages are BA (Hons) and MA. The University will also open the scope of PhD-level studies in the coming years. 

Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses offered are as mentioned below.

• BA (Hons) Chinese
• BA (Hons.) French
• B.A. (Hons) German
• B.A. (Hons) Russian
• BA (Hons) Spanish
• MA (Chinese)
• MA (French)
• MA (German)
• MA (Russian)
• MA (Spanish)

With limited seat intakes, ranging from 10 to 20 seats in PG and UG levels, the Aligarh Muslim University will be one of the most popular foreign language colleges in India in 2024.

Also Read: AMU Alumni

University of Hyderabad

The English and Foreign Languages University is under the University of Hyderabad, which is known to be one of the top foreign language colleges in India in 2024.

• Its two main branches are the School of European Languages which teaches French, German, Russian, Spanish and Italian.
• School of Arab and Asian Studies teaches Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Persian.
• The programmes are offered in a full-time and part-time curriculum. One can acquire degrees in foreign languages at the University of Hyderabad: BA (Hons), MA, M.Phil, PhD, COP, Diploma and Advanced Diploma.

It is one of the oldest departments, established in 1973.

Also Read: University of Hyderabad Notable Alumni

University of Delhi

One of the top foreign language colleges in India 2024, is the University of Delhi, which offers language courses in,

• French 
• Italian
• German
• Chinese
• Spanish
• Arabic
• Persian
• Russian
• Korean
• Portuguese
• Arabic
• Hebrew
• Swahili
• Kiswahili.

The colleges under DU which offer foreign language courses are,

As the University of Delhi is ranked 11th in the NIRF 2024 University category, students will get ample career advancement and personal development opportunities if they pursue foreign language courses here.

Also Read: DU Seat: Seat Availability for Delhi University Colleges

Calcutta University

Calcutta University is ranked 12th in the NIRF 2024 University ranking. Students who wish to pursue foreign languages must apply to the History department. The department is almost 100 years old. CU offers programmes in 9 foreign languages, namely, 

• Tibetan
• Spanish
• Arabic
• Chinese
• French
• Russian
• Korean
• German
• Persian

CU has certificate courses, diploma, MA, and PhD in foreign language courses. 

Diploma/Certificate Course - Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Persian, Russian, Spanish, Tibetan.

• MA in Russian
• BA (Hons) in Russian
• PhD in Russian

Also Read: Calcutta University Syllabus: Download PDF

Savitribai Phule Pune University

The Savitribai Phule Pune University is among the top foreign language colleges in India 2024, which offers courses in the following languages at MA, M.Phil, PhD, certificate and diploma levels.

• French
• German
• Russian
• Japanese
• Spanish

Foreign languages taught at certificate, intensive certificate, diploma, intensive diploma and special diploma are part-time and taught at centres across Pune. Whereas at the PG level, French, German and Russian are taught full-time.

Also Read: TestDAF VS DSH: Which Language Proficiency Exam to Take?

Other Foreign Language Institutes

Students can also take up their choice of foreign language at the below institutes, which are popular in the domain.

• Unico Corporate Training (Arabic, Japanese)
• Zabaan Language Classes (Arabic, Persian)
• Indian Cultural Institute (Italian)
• Institute of Indian and Foreign Languages (Italian)
• Nihongo-Basi (Japanese)
• India-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Chinese)
• The School of Chinese Language, Kolkata (Chinese)
• Goethe Institute (German)
• College of Vocational Studies (German)
• Inlingua (Spanish)
• Alliance Francaise (French)

Also Read: How to Learn English as a Second Language?