Multilingual StudentsWho are multilingual students?
Multilingual students are a diverse group of international and domestic students who use English in addition to other languages.
Other terms are commonly used to describe this population, such as ESL (English as a Second Language) or NNS (non-native speaker); however, we prefer using the term multilingual because it promotes an equality of languages rather than a hierarchy of languages.
Multilingual students bring unique languages and diverse cultures, perspectives, and experiences to campus. In the higher education context, what unites multilingual students is that regardless of their linguistic backgrounds, they are all being asked to communicate and produce work using English and may be evaluated on the ways they do so.
At Gustavus, there are currently around 200 students who self-identify as multilingual. A little over half are international students, and a little under half are domestic students.
This group makes up approximately 10 % of our current student population. They speak 40 languages, including Spanish, Hmong, Amharic, Twi, French, and American Sign Language.
We want to help students make the most of their multilingual background, as well as better support faculty and staff in providing wraparound support.