Colleges That Accept ASL As A Foreign Language

Last Updated on April 25, 2024.

Sign Language is becoming increasingly popular, and more and more colleges are accepting ASL (American Sign Language) as a foreign language.

American Sign Language, or ASL, is a distinct and fully developed language that has, among others, its own unique grammar.

For most colleges to attend their academic programs, you’ll need to have a high school or GED® diploma. Our website has made GED prep accessible with free online GED classes and GED practice tests, including an extensive collection of Onsego’s lessons. The lessons include transcripts.

Today, in practically all television news programs, we can see somebody translating the messages into ASL. That’s an interesting development.

It’s not only that many colleges accept ASL as a foreign language, but your GED® diploma also allows you to go to college and study for a bachelor’s or master’s degree in ASL.

The fact of the matter is that more and more colleges and universities across the U.S. offer ASL programs.

This article’s purpose is to provide information and resources on American Sign Language to individuals who take an interest in studying the language, to persons who want to learn more interesting facts about ASL, and to people who are already engaged in ASL education, either as a student or as a teacher.

We understand that the topic of American Sign Language has an inherent relationship with many subjects of Deaf culture and deafness, and this post provides primary information related to ASL itself, while it offers only very limited information about other issues that surround the world of deafness.

ASL – a Distinct Language

ASL is distinct from English or any other foreign language and distinct from other sign systems as well, both foreign-based and English-based.

Over recent decades, quite a few states have passed legislation to recognize and identify ASL as a distinct foreign language.

This enabled universities, colleges, and high schools not only to accept but also to implement the language, therefore fulfilling all requirements regarding foreign languages with regard to hard-hearing and deaf students.

American Sign Language is a visual/gestural language that is distinct from English or any other foreign spoken language.

As stated above, if you pass the GED test, you can go to college, and if you score in the college-ready range (165-200), you may have SAT/ACT or other requirements waived!

Again, If you don’t have a GED yet, take our free online GED classes and GED practice tests to see if online studying is right for you. If so, sign up with Onsego’s GED prep course and pass the GED test quickly.

ASL is also distinct from any other sign language used in different countries, and the language is distinct from any other English language-based sign system used in America, e.g., English manually coded systems.

We don’t know the exact number of people who use ASL, but the language is the most widely used language in the U.S. for one-on-one communication.

ASL is used as a 1st or 2nd language by many Americans, and estimates range from 200,000 to nearly one million individuals, including deaf native signers, children of deaf parents, and/or adult deaf signers who learned ASL from other deaf individuals.

Is American Sign Language (ASL) a Foreign Language?

ASL is a fully developed and distinct language with its own one-of-a-kind grammar. As said above, the language is distinct from the English Language and also is distinct from sign systems, both English-based and foreign-based.

During the past decades, ASL education has been experiencing increased enrollment because more and more individuals have become interested in learning the language.

Studying ASL doesn’t require more effort than any other subject, but good study habits will help you deal with the entire curriculum in a timely manner, as it does with earning your GED diploma.

A growing number of universities and colleges are actually accepting ASL classes in foreign language requirements fulfillment, and an increasing number of universities and schools offer credit-bearing ASL programs.

ASL Developments

Over the past decades, quite a few states have passed legislation to recognize American Sign Language as a foreign language.

This enabled high schools, universities, and colleges to accept ASL in foreign language requirements fulfillment for both deaf and hard-hearing students.

By the last turn of the century, almost 30 states had passed relevant legislation, and numerous universities and community colleges, including Georgetown, Brown, MIT (The Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the University of Washington, and Purdue, were accepting American Sign Language as a distinct foreign language.

These days, when you’re watching any police reporting, there is practically always someone present who will interpret the given information into American Sign Language.

So also, when you’re considering joining the Police Force, ASL knowledge may open up more and more career opportunities.

After earning a college degree and having considerable experience, ASL students may even study further to earn an MBA degree and use their knowledge on a broader platform. Check here to learn more about earning a bachelor’s degree from an American college or university.

List of Universities and Colleges Accepting ASL as a Foreign Language

1. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas
2. American University, Washington, DC
3. Anderson University, Anderson, South Carolina
4. Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio
5. Arcadia University, Glenside, Pennsylvania
6. Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
7. Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota
8. Augustana University, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
9. Austin College, Sherman, Texas
10. Baylor University, School of Education and College of Health & Human Sciences, Waco, Texas
11. Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana
12. Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
13. Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
14. Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts
15. Brigham Young University, Rexburg, Idaho
16. Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
17. Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana
18. Cabrillo College, Aptos, California
19. California State University All 23 campuses
20. Capital University, Columbus, Ohio
21. Catholic University, Washington, DC
22. Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut
23. Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington
24. Centralia College, Centralia, Washington
25. Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts
26. Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
27. College of St. Catherine, Saint Paul, Minnesota
28. College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho
29. College of Staten Island, Staten Island, New York
30. College of St. Rose, Albany, New York
31. Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Texas
32. East Central Oklahoma State University, Ada, Oklahoma
33. Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois
34. Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington
35. Elms College, Chicopee, Massachusetts
36. The Evergreen College, Olympia, Washington
37. Florida A & M University, Tallahassee, Florida
38. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
39. Florida Atlantic University, Wilkes Honors College, Jupiter, Florida
40. Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Florida
41. Florida International University, Miami, Florida
42. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
43. Framingham State University, Framingham, Massachusetts
44. Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, California
45. Gardner-Webb University, Boiling Springs, North Carolina
46. George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
47. Georgetown University, Washington, DC
48. Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana
49. Holy Cross College, Worcester, Massachusetts
50. Howard University, Washington, DC
51. Howard Payne University, Brownwood, Texas
52. Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
53. Indiana University. Bloomington, Indiana
54. Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
55. Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas
56. Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois
57. Lubbock Christian University, Lubbock, Texas
58. Madonna University, Livonia, Michigan
59. MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Illinois
60. Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee
61. Mary Hardin Baylor University, Belton, Texas
62. Mass. Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
63. McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland
64. Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
65. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
66. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
67. Montclair State University, Montclai, New Jersey
68. New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida
69. New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, New Mexico
70. Neumann College, Aston, Pennsylvania
71. New York University, School of Education, New York City, New York
72. National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester, New York
73. North Greenville University, Greenville, South Carolina
74. Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
75. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
76. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
77. Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
78. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
79. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
80. Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma
81. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
82. Pacific Lutheran University, Parkland, Washington
83. Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
84. Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
85. Radford University, Radford, Virginia
86. Russell Sage College, Troy, New York
87. Sacramento Community College, Davis, California
88. San Antonio College, San Antonio, Texas
89. San Diego State University, San Diego, California
90. Saint Francis University, Loretto, Pennsylvania
91. Scripps College, Claremont, California
92. Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut
93. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
94. Southern Methodist University, University Park, Texas
95. Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon
96. Southwest Texas State University
97. Stanford University, Stanford, California
98. SUNY Albany
99. SUNY Brockport
100. SUNY Buffalo
101. SUNY Empire State
102. SUNY Fredonia
103. SUNY Geneseo
104. SUNY Oneonta
105. SUNY Oswego
106. SUNY Plattsburgh
107. SUNY Stony Brook
108. Stephen F. Austin University, Nacogdoches, Texas
109. Tennessee Temple University, Chattanooga, Tennessee
110. Texas A&M University-Central Texas, Killeen, Texas
111. Texas A & M University-College Station
112. Texas A & M University-Commerce
113. Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi
114. Texas Tech University, Lubbock
115. Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth
116. Texas Woman’s University, Denton
117. Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri
118. Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
119. University of Akron, Ohio
120. University of Alaska, Fairbanks
121. University of Arizona, Tucson
122. University of Arkansas, Little Rock
123. University of Buffalo, New York
124. University of California, Berkeley
125. University of California, San Diego
126. University of California, Davis
127. University of California, Los Angeles
128. University of Central Florida, Orlando
129. University of Chicago, Illinois
130. University of Cincinnati, Ohio
131. University of Colorado, Boulder
132. University of Connecticut
133. University of Findlay, Ohio
134. University of Florida, Gainesville
135. University of Georgia, Athens
136. University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu
137. University of Illinois-Chicago
138. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
139. University of Iowa, Iowa City
140. University of Kansas, Lawrence
141. University of Louisville, Kentucky
142. University of Maryland, College Park
143. University of Massachusetts, Amherst
144. University of Maine, Machias
145. University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
146. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
147. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
148. University of Missouri, All Campuses
149. University of Nevada, Reno
150. University of New Hampshire, Durham
151. University of New Hampshire, Manchester
152. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
153. University of North Carolina, Asheville
154. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
155. University of North Carolina, Charlotte
156. University of North Carolina, Greensboro
157. University of North Carolina, Wilmington
158. University of North Florida, Jacksonville
159. University of North Texas, Denton
160. University of Northern Colorado, Greeley
161. University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls
162. University of Oregon, Eugene
163. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
164. University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
165. University of Rochester, New York
166. University of San Francisco, California
167. University of South Florida, Tampa
168. University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
169. University of Texas-Austin
170. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg
171. University of Texas-San Antonio
172. University of Tulsa, Oklahoma
173. University of Utah, Salt Lake City
174. University of Vermont, Burlington
175. University of Virginia, Charlottesville
176. University of Washington, Seattle
177. University of West Florida, Pensacola
178. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
179. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
180. University of Wyoming, Laramie
181. Utah State University, Logan
182. Utah Valley State College, Orem
183. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
184. Washington State University, Pullman
185. Weber State University, Ogden, Utah
186. West Virginia University, Reed College of Media, Morgantown, West Virginia
187. Western Oregon University, Monmouth
188. Western Washington University, Bellingham
189. William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, Illinois
190. William Woods University, Fulton, Missouri
191. Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio
192. Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio
193. Xavier University, New Orleans, Louisiana
194. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

• California – All California State University campuses accept ASL.
• Kentucky – Kentucky State Colleges and Universities offering ASL must accept it as modern language credits.
• Maryland – The University System of Maryland accepts ASL as a foreign language.
• Washington – ASL meets 4-year admission and foreign language high school graduation requirements.

About the list: The list began some 25 years ago and was published by Sherman Wilcox from the University of New Mexico. We think it’s the most actual list so far. We owe credit to Sherman Wilcox, Ph.D. University of New Mexico, for providing parts of this overview.

Best ASL Learning ASL Apps and Websites

• The ASL app
• ASL coach
• Ace ASL: Learn Fingerspelling-> This app uses AI (artificial intelligence) to provide immediate feedback on users’ signing.

What is also worth mentioning is that the website deafalphabet.com allows you to convert text into sign language. You can then share them with anyone by downloading an image of your translation.

Let’s look at a few questions that are often asked when it comes to ASL:

Is ASL a language?

Well, ASL is a fully developed, distinct language. ASL is just one of the world’s several hundreds of natural sign languages, including a complex grammatical structure.

ASL is US-based. How can it be a foreign language?

ASL is a language that’s indigenous to the U.S. and parts of our northern neighbor, Canada. In the academic world, however, the place of origin of a language has little or nothing to do with whether it’s considered a foreign language.

To give you an example, Navajo and other American Indian languages are all across America accepted in fulfillment of foreign language requirements by numerous colleges and universities.

Many programs are now referred to as second language programs instead of foreign language programs, as many native students were born here.

Is there much ASL literature?

There is an extensive writing system for ASL, but none of these systems are used on a large scale for recording ASL literature.

There is, however, a lot of ASL literature available in videotapes, movies, and CDs issued by companies like Sign Enhancers and Dawn Sign Press.

Another excellent source of information on the folklore and heritage of Deaf people is available at the bookstore of Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.

Is learning ASL easier than other foreign languages?

ASL was developed as a gestural/visual language, so its grammar and structure differ from that of other languages, including English, that were developed as aural/oral languages.

American Sign Language (ASL) comes with a more complex classifier system and verbal aspect than English or other foreign languages.

Many ASL students feel it is more difficult and complex to learn than other oral languages.