Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University (/ˌɡæləˈdɛt/ GAL-ə-DET) is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school for the advanced education of the deaf and hard of hearing in the world and remains the only higher education institution in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Hearing students are admitted to the graduate school and a small number are also admitted as undergraduates each year. The university was named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a notable figure in the advancement of deaf education.

Gallaudet University is officially bilingual, with American Sign Language (ASL) and written English used for instruction and by the college community. Although there are no specific ASL proficiency requirements for undergraduate admission, many graduate programs require varying degrees of knowledge of the language as a prerequisite. It is classified among "Doctoral/Professional Universities".

To ensure that the university's leadership team can understand the student population needs, the staff is predominantly deaf. In 2025, the President, the chief of staff and the chief academic, bilingual, communications and undergraduate admissions, financial, legal, and operating officers, the dean of student affairs and the Clerc Center chief academic officer are deaf. In line with the same goal of student representativeness, the majority of executive-level appointees are women.