UC Global Language Network (GLN)

“One UC. One Network. 100+ Languages.”

Overview

Organized by a coalition of UC systemwide Humanities Deans and supported by UC Online, the Global Language Network (GLN) aims to expand and bolster undergraduate access and high-quality engagement in world languages. Through innovative online courses, students across all UC campuses will be able to fulfill language campus requirements and learn about different cultures while exploring more than 100 languages. Primarily focused on less commonly taught languages (LCTLs), GLN fosters collaboration and innovation, ensuring that UC students gain the tools to thrive as global citizens while ensuring that even low-enrollment courses remain strong and sustainable for the long term. 

Our Bold Commitment

The GLN initiative seeks to increase the number of UC undergraduates studying foreign languages. By expanding access and sustaining programs, GLN is opening doors to global citizenship, giving students a powerful linguistic skill set, deepening cultural understanding, and offering academic pathways that might otherwise remain out of reach.

Expanding Access & Sustaining Languages

With nearly 300,000 undergraduates across the UC system, students bring with them an incredible diversity of backgrounds and aspirations. Already, many of the languages taught at UC have small, dedicated enrollments, and yet they are vital to global understanding, cultural preservation, and academic excellence. GLN is breaking down barriers so that every student has the opportunity to earn foreign language credit in any of the 100+ languages offered across UC campuses. Whether it’s Arabic or Swahili, ASL or Ukrainian, we’re working to make world languages truly accessible systemwide. These languages are taught by world-class instructors with deep experience in online and hybrid language teaching. 

Sustaining Languages for the Future

Many of the languages taught at UC have small, dedicated enrollments, and yet they are vital to global understanding, cultural preservation, and academic excellence. By connecting students across campuses.

 

Initiative Goals

The Global Language Network aims to expand access, improve instruction, streamline enrollment, and measure impact across UC campuses.

Proposed Timeline

The GLN initiative is launching in phases, building infrastructure and collaboration first, then scaling to a systemwide model for language instruction.