Gallaudet University is the premier institution of learning, teaching and research for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. For more than 150 years, Gallaudet has produced leaders and innovators who have influenced history. There is no other place like this in the world.

When President Abraham Lincoln signed Gallaudet's charter as created by Congress, our country created a beacon in the world for visual learning, visual language, social justice and full rights for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. This singular act recognized the importance of higher education to advance the lives and opportunities of deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Consequently, Gallaudet is the go-to source of knowledge about the deaf and signing community - a hub of history, achievement and inspiration.

A comprehensive liberal arts university with the feel of a small college, Gallaudet is distinctive in that our students learn in American Sign Language and English, a bilingual approach built into our mission and identity. Science has since proven the powerful value of both languages as a foundation for lifelong learning and literacy. Gallaudet is a rich multicultural and multilingual community; our students are from all over the world. They come from private, public and state schools; they sign, are learning to sign, can hear, can hear with technology, and do not hear at all. Everyone who comes seeks the bilingual learning and multicultural community here at Gallaudet.

Gallaudet is rooted in academic excellence, discovery and transformation of knowledge and possibilities. It was here that American Sign Language was first recognized as a language, advancing sign languages all over the world. It was here that young people led a seminal movement for the right of deaf people to lead at Gallaudet. It was here that students led national awareness about the rights of people with disabilities, accelerating the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Gallaudet offers exemplary education at every level - from graduate degrees to programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in high school, elementary school and infancy. Our learners experience remarkable self-discovery and clarity in their growth. Undergraduate students have challenging choices across more than 40 majors and can engage in every element of campus life and work opportunities. Our home in the nation's capital provides our students with the opportunities of an international city. Our graduates have great success moving into careers or advanced education, and our alumni work in every field and influence attitudes around the globe.

A Gallaudet degree is an exceptional value. Affordability and access for American students are achieved by keeping our cost to attend Gallaudet below the national average for a liberal arts college. Most students receive financial aid and finish with low debt.

This is Gallaudet: An American institution that teaches and transforms like nowhere else. The world comes to us to learn. And our students learn to discover their world.