The survey, based on Fall 2006 enrollments at 2,795 institutions of higher learning, indicates Asian languages also are gaining in popularity -- Chinese in particular has risen in popularity by 50 percent since a 2002 survey, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Karin Ryding, a professor of Arabic at Georgetown University in Washington, said interest in the Mideastern language is likely to continue to grow.

"Young people today understand that the world is truly smaller, and they're coming to Arabic with specific interests," she said, listing careers in international organizations, the diplomatic corps, human rights groups, security firms and the media as examples.

The survey suggested Spanish remains the most often-studied foreign language, with 52 percent of students taking foreign languages choosing Spanish. Thirteen percent of foreign-language students take French and 6 percent take German, the survey said.