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Best English Language & Literature Schools

2023 Best English Language & Literature Schools

587 Colleges
$30,352 Avg Salary
$23,972 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best English Language & Literature School for You

In 2020-2021, 54,635 people earned a degree or certificate in English language and literature, making the major the #17 most popular in the United States.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best English Language & Literature Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 587 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best English Language & Literature Schools in the United States

The following schools top our list of the Best English Language & Literature Colleges.

Top 25 Top Schools in English Language & Literature

Our 2023 rankings named Manhattan School of Computer Technology the best school in the United States for English language and literature students. Manhattan School of Computer Technology is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Brooklyn,.

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#2

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Stanford University is a great place for English language and literature students. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full English Language & Literature at Stanford University Report

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#3

Colgate University

Hamilton, NY

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Colgate University is a great place for English language and literature students. Colgate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hamilton.

After completing their degree, English language and literature graduates from Colgate carry an average student debtload of $16,543.

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#4

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

Out of the 587 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Wake Forest University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem.

The average amount in student loans that English language and literature majors at Wake Forest University take out is $21,500.

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#5

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

The excellent programs at University of Notre Dame helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best English language and literature schools in the United States. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

The average amount in student loans that English language and literature majors at Notre Dame take out is $19,000.

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Virginia Military Institute came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best English Language & Literature Schools ranking. Located in the town of Lexington, VMI is a public college with a small student population.

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#7

Yale University

New Haven, CT

With a ranking of #7, Yale University did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.

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#8

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College ranked #8 on this year’s Best English Language & Literature Schools list. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hanover.

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The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best English language and literature programs. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York.

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#10

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

With a ranking of #10, Santa Clara University did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students. Located in the city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

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#11

Duke University

Durham, NC

Duke University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best English Language & Literature Schools ranking. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

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#12

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NY

With a ranking of #12, Vassar College did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students. Vassar is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Poughkeepsie.

On average, English language and literature graduates from Vassar take out $19,405 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#13

Lafayette College

Easton, PA

With a ranking of #13, Lafayette College did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students. Located in the large suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that English language and literature majors at Lafayette take out is $19,500.

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#14

Georgetown University

Washington, DC

With a ranking of #14, Georgetown University did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

On average, English language and literature graduates from Georgetown take out $14,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

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With a ranking of #15, University of Washington - Bothell Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students. UW Bothell is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Bothell.

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#16

Gettysburg College

Gettysburg, PA

Gettysburg College ranked #16 on this year’s Best English Language & Literature Schools list. Located in the city of Gettysburg, Gettysburg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

English Language & Literature majors at Gettysburg take out an average of $25,974 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#17

St. Mary's University

San Antonio, TX

St. Mary’s University ranked #17 on this year’s Best English Language & Literature Schools list. St. Mary's is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Antonio.

On average, English language and literature graduates from St. Mary's take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#18

Trinity College

Hartford, CT

Trinity College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best English language and literature programs. Located in the midsize city of Hartford, Trinity Bantams is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, English language and literature graduates from Trinity Bantams carry an average student debtload of $22,592.

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#19

Monmouth University

West Long Branch, NJ

Monmouth University ranked #19 on this year’s Best English Language & Literature Schools list. Located in the suburb of West Long Branch, Monmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, English language and literature graduates from Monmouth carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

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#20

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best English language and literature programs. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

On average, English language and literature graduates from UPenn take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#21

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA

Wellesley College landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best English language and literature programs. Located in the suburb of Wellesley, Wellesley is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, English language and literature majors at Wellesley accumulate an average of around $10,539 in student debt.

Full English Language & Literature at Wellesley College Report

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#22

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for English language and literature students. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

After completing their degree, English language and literature graduates from UChicago carry an average student debtload of $17,166.

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#23

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for English language and literature students. It came in at #23 on the list. Villanova is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Villanova.

After completing their degree, English language and literature graduates from Villanova carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

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#24

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for English language and literature students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.

English Language & Literature majors at University of Virginia take out an average of $14,026 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#25

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best English Language & Literature Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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Rest of the Top 50 Best English Language & Literature Schools

#26

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD
#28

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX
#30

McDaniel College

Westminster, MD
#31

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI
#32

Williams College

Williamstown, MA
#33

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
#34

Middlebury College

Middlebury, VT
#35

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN
#37

Loras College

Dubuque, IA
#38

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI
#39

Saint Johns University

Collegeville, MN
#40

Brown University

Providence, RI
#42

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH
#43

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA
#45

Occidental College

Los Angeles, CA
#46

Augustana University

Sioux Falls, SD
#47

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA
#48

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph, MN
#50

Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Additional Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best English Language & Literature Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 587 different United States English language and literature schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Rice University Houston, TX
52 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
53 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
54 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
55 Iowa State University Ames, IA
56 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
57 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
58 National University La Jolla, CA
59 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
60 Drake University Des Moines, IA
61 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
62 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
63 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
64 University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, WI
65 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
66 Carleton College Northfield, MN
67 Towson University Towson, MD
68 Westmont College Santa Barbara, CA
69 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
70 Northeastern University Boston, MA
71 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
72 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
73 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
74 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
75 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
76 University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR
77 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
78 Tufts University Medford, MA
79 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
80 University of Dallas Irving, TX
81 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
82 Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN
83 The Creative Circus Atlanta, GA
84 Amherst College Amherst, MA
85 American University Washington, DC
86 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
87 Miami University - Hamilton Hamilton, OH
88 Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Indiana, PA

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for English Language & Literature students that almost earned our Best English Language & Literature Schools award.

Rank College Location
89 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
90 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
91 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
92 North Central College Naperville, IL
93 Emory University Atlanta, GA
94 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
95 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
96 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
97 Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, MI
98 Augusta University Augusta, GA
99 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
100 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
101 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
102 Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL
103 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI
104 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD
105 Wofford College Spartanburg, SC
106 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
107 Denison University Granville, OH
108 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
109 Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA
110 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
111 St Mary’s College of Maryland St. Mary’s City, MD
112 Washington & Jefferson College Washington, PA
113 University of Houston Houston, TX
114 St Lawrence University Canton, NY
115 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
116 American Public University System Charles Town, WV
117 Auburn University Auburn, AL

English Language & Literature by Region

View the Best English Language & Literature Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

English Language & Literature Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General English Literature 40,481
Writing Studies 12,529
English Literature (Other) 942
Literature 683

Majors Similar to English Language & Literature

Related Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 556,813
Visual & Performing Arts 149,215
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 33,333
Theology & Religious Vocations 27,459
Philosophy & Religious Studies 19,993

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Mike Hazard.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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