Colleges That Accept ASL As A Foreign Language

Sign Language is becoming increasingly popular, and there are more and more colleges that accept 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.

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.

If you don’t have a GED or high school diploma, you may benefit from the free GED online classes and practice tests that are available on BestGEDClasses.

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! If you don’t have a GED yet, take free online GED classes 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 that Accepting ASL as a Foreign Language

1. Abilene Christian University
2. American University
3. Antioch College, Ohio
4. Arizona State University
5. Augsburg College, Minneapolis
6. Baylor University
7. Bethel College, Indiana
8. Brown University
9. Brigham Young University
10. Butler University, Indiana
11. Cabrillo College, California
12. California State University, Hayward
13. California State University, Fresno
14. California State University, Northridge
15. California State University, Monterey Bay
16. California State University, San Marcos
17. California State University, Sacramento
18. Catholic University
19. Central Washington University
20. Centralia College
21. Clark University, Worcester
22. Clemson University
23. College of St. Catherine, Minnesota
24. College of Southern Idaho
25. College of Staten Island
26. College of St. Rose, Albany
27. Dallas Baptist University
28. East Central Oklahoma State University
29. Eastern Illinois University
30. Eastern Washington University
31. Elms College, Chicopee
32. The Evergreen College, Washington
33. Florida A & M University
34. Florida Atlantic University
35. Florida Atlantic University
36. Florida Gulf Coast University
37. Florida International University
38. Florida State University
39. Fresno Pacific University
40. Gardner-Webb University
41. George Mason University
42. Georgetown University
43. Holy Cross College, Worcester
44. Howard University
45. Howard Payne University
46. Illinois State University
47. Indiana University
48. Kent State University
49. Lamar University
50. Loyola University
51. Lubbock Christian University
52. Madonna University
53. MacMurray College, Jacksonville, IL
54. Maryville College
55. Mary Hardin Baylor University
56. Mass. Institute of Technology
57. Michigan State University
58. New College of Florida
59. Neumann College, Aston, PA
60. New York University, School of Education
61. National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester, NY
62. Northeastern University
63. Ohio State University
64. Oklahoma State University
65. Oklahoma Baptist University
66. Purdue University
67. Pacific Lutheran University
68. Radford University, Radford, VA
69. Russell Sage College, Troy, NY
70. Sacramento Community College
71. San Antonio College
72. San Diego State University
73. Scripps College, Claremont, CA
74. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
75. Southwest Texas State University
76. Stanford University
77. SUNY Buffalo
78. SUNY Brockport
79. SUNY Oswego
80. SUNY Geneseo
81. Stephen F. Austin University
82. Texas A & M University, Commerce
83. Texas A & M University, Corpus Christi
84. Tennessee Temple University
85. Texas Tech University
86. Texas Woman’s University
87. Texas Wesleyan University
88. The University of Akron
89. The University of Alaska, Fairbanks
90. The University of Arkansas, Little Rock
91. The University of Arizona
92. The University of California, Berkeley
93. The University of California, San Diego
94. The University of California, Davis
95. The University of Central Florida
96. The University of Chicago
97. The University of Cincinnati
98. The University of Colorado, Boulder
99. The University of Florida
100. The University of Georgia, Athens
101. The University of Hawaii, Manoa
102. The University of Iceland
103. The University of Iowa
104. The University of Kansas
105. The University of Louisville, Kentucky
106. The University of Maryland
107. The University of Massachusetts
108. The University of Maine at Machias
109. The University of Michigan
110. The University of Minnesota
111. The University of New Hampshire, Durham
112. The University of New Hampshire, Manchester
113. The University of New Mexico
114. The University of North Carolina, Charlotte
115. The University of North Carolina, Greensboro
116. The University of North Carolina, Wilmington
117. The University of North Florida
118. The University of North Texas, Denton
119. The University of Northern Iowa
120. The University of Pennsylvania
121. The University of Pittsburgh
122. The University of Rochester
123. The University of South Florida
124. The University of Southern Florida
125. The University of Texas-Austin
126. The University of Texas-Pan American
127. The University of Texas-San Antonio
128. The University of Tulsa
129. The University of Utah
130. The University of Virginia
131. The University of Washington
132. The University of West Florida
133. The University of Wyoming
134. Utah State University
135. Utah Valley State College
136. Vassar College
137. Washington State University
138. West Virginia University, School of Journalism majors
139. Western Oregon University
140. Western Washington University
141. William Woods University
142. Wright State University, Ohio
143. Xavier University, Cincinnati
144. Xavier University, Louisiana
145. Yale University

About the list: The list began some 20 years ago and was published by Sherman Wilcox from the University of New Mexico. We think it’s the most actual list so far.

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.

And what is also worth mentioning: 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.