The Centre for Language Studies, founded in 2001, has established an exceptional track record of excellence in foreign language teaching. The NUS has been ranked among the Top Ten of all universities worldwide in the QS World University Ranking for Modern Languages in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The CLS External Programmes will leverage on the expertise of its professional teaching faculty and its extensive research in language education to offer high-quality language courses to the public, both individual and corporate clients.

The Centre for Language Studies (CLS) teaches 13 languages in all: Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Spanish, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese. It offers a wide range of language courses in these languages, spanning all levels from elementary to advanced.