Dutch

With 24 million speakers globally—and growing—Dutch is an important language in the European Union and beyond. The Dutch have maintained world-wide connections for many centuries, and the language is an important vehicle for communication and research across a number of fields. Given the close relationship among Germanic languages, it is relatively easy for speakers of English to become proficient in Dutch. After completing just the third semester of the Dutch language series, students are ready to study at a Dutch university abroad, including through UW’s signature program in Utrecht.