As higher education becomes increasingly globalized, institutions must adapt to the diverse needs of students from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
That being said, a multi-langiage website serves as a powerful tool for breaking down language barriers and enabling global student recruitment.
To create a multi-language website, you must integrate translation tools that allow visitors to switch between languages.
With visible language selector, it shows content in more than one language.
As a result, a multilingual website attracts more visitors with significant advantages in search engines, improve website’s visibility by targeting keywords and phrases in different languages.
This not only drives more traffic to your site but also enhances your brand’s visibility and authority in global markets.
In this post, we will explore how some of the best higher education institutions have successfully transitioned from a local focus to a global reach with outstanding user experience for global student recruitment.
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Examples of Multilingual Websites for Student Recruitment
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- University of Amsterdam
- University of Hong Kong
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne
- University of Copenhagen
- Heidelberg University
- PSL University
6 Examples of Multilingual Websites for 2025
When building a multi-language website, remember it goes beyond simply translating existing content.
For this, you must create a cohesive and user-friendly experience, considering best practices to ensure smooth running of your website in different languages.
By doing so, institutions can enhance accessibility, engage global audience, and position themselves as inclusive and forward-thinking.
A successful multilingual website targeting international students demands strategic expertise, cultural insights, and technical prowess to ensure that localized content resonates with diverse audiences. Hiring a college digital marketing agency not only streamlines the process but also enhances credibility and returns on investment.
Here are the six examples of multilingual websites for 2025:
1. University of Amsterdam
About the University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is a globally recognized institution, consistently ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide and one of Europe's 20 best.
The University is known for its iconic public education; the UvA offers nationally ranked schools and programs, features a diverse and distinguished faculty, and is home to a major academic medical center. It boasts a proud history as a leading research university.
What Makes This Website Great
When you look at the homepage, you can see that the University of Amsterdam’s site utilizes visuals and copy that align with the university's identity.
Instead of clustered navigation, the University has opted for a minimalist design. It features five main categories that expand into the most important pages suitable for prospective students, current students, or alumni.
Moreover, given its recognition for research in diverse areas, the website has a section below the fold that provides all the relevant information about such programs.
With that, at the top right of the website, it offers language options catering to Dutch and English speakers, enhancing its accessibility for international students.
Also, the UvA’s website takes accessibility seriously, integrating features for users with disabilities, like screen reader compatibility and keyboard navigation.
As Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, the UvA site is fully responsive, adapting well to various devices and screen sizes to offer a seamless experience on smartphones and tablets.
Although accessibility is integrated, features like font size adjustment and dark mode could make the site more inclusive.
Key Website Technologies and Plugins
Website builder: Bloomreach
Available languages: Dutch, Flemish and English
Translation Tool: Microsoft Translator
Ad management: Google Ads
Content Delivery Network: Cloudflare
Security: HSTS
2. University of Hong Kong
About the University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a leading public research university in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong Island. It is known for its high academic standards, and HKU offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various faculties.
What Makes This Website Great
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) website offers a clean, visually appealing design that makes every visitor feel their dialect and culture.
This thoughtful design choice enhances its accessibility for international students and appeals to a culturally diverse audience, supporting HKU’s global recruitment goals.
Also, the site provides options for both traditional and simplified Chinese and English.
Scroll down the homepage, and you'll see that they’ve split their website layout into different sections, such as global acclaim and recognition, giving prospective students reasons to enroll.
Moreover, the clever use of scroll-in navigation creates an immersive experience, with different sections popping in and out of view as you go down the page.
Another key strength is that the website adapts well across devices, ensuring that users on mobile or tablet experience similar ease of navigation and visual consistency.
Furthermore, the website includes basic accessibility features, such as text resizing and contrasting colors, but does not yet fully meet all modern accessibility standards.
Key Website Technologies and Plugins
Website builder: WordPress
Available languages: Chinese, English
Traffic Analysis Tools: Google Analytics, Hotjar
Security: HSTS
Ad Management: Google Ads
3. PSL University
About the PSL University
Located in the heart of Paris, PSL is a leading French university known for its excellence in research and education. With 17,000 students and 2,900 researchers, PSL provides interdisciplinary collaboration across its nine component schools and two associate members.
For the second year running, Université PSL ranks 24th, confirming its place in the world's top 25. The university has produced numerous Nobel laureates and Fields medal winners, highlighting its academic prestige.
What Makes This Website Great
PSL University’s website follows a box design with intuitive navigation, significantly enhancing the user experience.
As you scroll down the page, the website use the three and two boxes layout to present a combination of infromation including text elements, images, and program search form.
In addition, the website allows users to immediately make a visual connection between the institution’s brand elements.
This strengthens the site's memorability and adds a layer of credibility, helping users associate the university with a sense of prestige.
Another important feature of the site is its availability in English and French.
This dual-language option is particularly beneficial for recruiting global students, as it caters to a wider audience and ensures that key information is accessible to a broader range of prospective applicants.
However, while the site does incorporate some useful accessibility features, such as a clear structure and font size adjustability, there are still areas for improvement.
For example, some images lack alternative text, which could hinder access for users who rely on screen readers.
Moreover, contrast issues in certain site sections may make the content harder to read for visually impaired users.
Key Website Technologies and Plugins
Website builder: Drupal
Available languages: French, English
Translation Tool: eTranslation tool provided by the European Commission
Security: HSTS
Traffic Analysis Tool: Matomo
Content Delivery Network: jsDelivr
4. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne
About the EPFL
Located in Switzerland, EPFL is one of Europe’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan science and technology institutions. It is ranked 26th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2025.
EPFL is known for its cutting-edge research, innovative teaching, and strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration.
What Makes This Website Great
The EPFL website is well-designed and offers strong multilingual support, making it accessible to a global audience of students, researchers, and academics.
It provides information across different languages, essential for reaching diverse international users and creating an inclusive platform for global recruitment.
To maintain readability and ease of use, the website also mirrors its navigation structure in each language, making it user-friendly regardless of the selected language.
However, some accessibility improvements are needed.
Specifically, the website has some missing alternative text for images, which can limit screen reader usability for visually impaired users.
The website is mobile-responsive but could further optimize load times, especially for multilingual pages, to enhance the experience on mobile devices by reducing wait times and ensuring a consistent look across screen sizes.
Key Website Technologies and Plugins
Website builder: WordPress
Available languages: English, French, German
Translation solution:
Security: HSTS
Ad management: Google ads
Traffic tool analysis: Google Analytics
Content Delivery Network: Cloudflare, Google Hosted Libraries
5. University of Copenhagen
About the University of Copenhagen
Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the oldest university in Denmark and the second-oldest in Scandinavia.
The University has about 100 departments and research facilities and six faculties – Health and Medical Sciences, Humanities, Law, Science, Social Sciences, and Theology – which offer more than 200 programs at bachelor’s, master’s, and postgraduate degree levels.
What Makes This Website Great
The University of Copenhagen website is designed to support global users with a language selection tool, allowing easy switching between Danish and English.
For this, the website integrates Google Translate, enabling users to translate the content into their preferred language and making the website accessible to a wide audience.
Moreover, the site uses simple, clear language, which, when combined with high contrast and appropriate font sizes, significantly enhances readability for users.
These design elements contribute to an inclusive experience, making the site easier to navigate for both native and non-native English speakers.
As a result, the content becomes more user-friendly, ensuring that the most information is readily accessible to everyone.
This logical structure not only improves the user experience but also contributes to the efficiency of the site, reducing the time it takes to locate important sections like admissions, programs, and campus life.
In addition to these user-centric features, the site utilizes third-party technologies to gather user behavior statistics.
This data collection helps the university improve the service by understanding how users interact with the site.
Key Website Technologies and Plugins
Website builder: World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Available languages: Danish, English (UK)
Translation solution: Google Translate
Security: HSTS
Traffic Analysis Tool: Piwik Pro, Siteimprove
6. Heidelberg University
About the Heidelberg University
Founded in 1850, Heidelberg University is a student-centered university in Tiffin, Ohio. It is also one of the strongest research universities in Europe.
The University promotes and nurtures intellectual, personal, and professional development, leading to a life of purpose with distinction.
Heidelberg offers over 160 fields of study, providing students with a broad spectrum of subjects and opportunities. It offers degree programs in English and other languages to cater to a global audience.
What Makes This Website Great
If you’re planning to run a multilingual site, you can learn a lot from Heidelberg University's site. It offers multilingual support and a user-friendly design, which are key to its global student recruitment efforts.
These features work together to create an appealing experience for prospective students, regardless of their familiarity with the university or its location.
In addition to this, a clear and intuitive layout streamlines the user journey, making it easy for first-time visitors to find relevant sections such as admissions, programs, or campus life.
Moreover, content is structured to reduce the cognitive load for users exploring the website.
Adding to this, the design incorporates high-quality visuals, such as large, captivating images on the homepage, which provide a glimpse into student life at Heidelberg.
Complementing this, the use of interactive features, such as videos and sliders, which make the site engaging and leave a lasting impression on prospects.
The website is mobile-friendly, and the university has integrated data analytics to refine and optimize the user experience.
Key Website Technologies and Plugins
Website builder: Drupal
Available languages: German and English
Translation solution:
Traffic Analysis Tool: Matomo
Security: HSTS
Conclusion
To conclude, remember students today have high expectations for websites. They’re tech-savvy and expect a seamless, engaging online experience.
Consequently, to attract global students, your institution must make a positive impression with an easy-to-use website, visually appealing images, and language translator to ensure a wide reach.
Moreover, if your website is localized, prospective students will appreciate your understanding of their culture thus, earning their trust.
And as long as the multi-language website is set up properly, Google will rank it higher in search results.
Remember, multilingualism extend far beyond just enrollment numbers, it can significantly boost their brand awareness and reputation.
See how we help with student recruitment
Simply put, if you want to reach an international audience, you need to speak their language.
Manno Notermans
I’m Manno, co-founder and CSO at Think Orion. I work with universities, exam prep companies, and course creators to use insight-led marketing that reflects how people choose what to learn. Most of my work comes down to understanding those choices and helping education brands align with them. At Think Orion, we use research, creative strategy, and clear systems to help good programs reach the right students.
