The status of Tamil language study in the United States
Throughout the United States, we have over 30,000 youngsters studying spoken and written Tamil. Our children participate in heritage schools and are taught the language and culture by devoted and interested community volunteers. Approximately 300 independently run non-profit Tamil schools use various syllabi from the American Tamil Academy (ATA), International Tamil Academy (ITA), MNTS Tamil School, syllabi from Singapore and Tamil Nadu, Tamil Virtual Academy (TVA) or other indigenous syllabi.
US universities like UC Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Columbia University, Chicago University, University of Texas (Austin) have programs in Tamil studies and provide instruction in language and culture for undergrads.
While there are more than 40 accredited Tamil language schools in US, 39 states with approved Bilingual Seal of Literacy, and some of the schools in California, Texas and Virginia grant high school credits for the study of Tamil, we continually strive to increase these numbers.