This hermeneutic phenomenological study's purpose was to explore the meaningfulness and essence of Diaspora Igbo Nigerian college students' lived experiences in being faced with limited access to the learning of Igbo as a foreign language, and the factors that they believe have motivate them for choosing to learn only Igbo in college. Research questions addressed how students perceived their lived experiences in having limited access to the learning of Igbo; what the students' lived experiences were like; how students interpreted lived experiences. Dewey's concept of experience in terms of feelings was applied, the content theory, Abraham Maslow's theory of motivation which is also known as the need's theories emphasize the needs that stimulate behavior. The content approach focused on the assumption that individuals are motivated by the desire to satisfy their inner needs. Needs that reflect either physiological or psychological deficiencies used to find motivations of Igbo students to learn Igbo were like needs that align with other theories of foreign language motivations. Negative lived experiences were Igbo students' perceptions, such as feelings of disappointment, inequitable treatment by administration. Motivations to learn Igbo were dreams of future business opportunities, connection to cultural roots, preservation and propagation of Igbo culture, and traveling security. It is recommended for U.S. universities create interventions for alternative educational methods, such as Igbo language online courses; U.S. higher education institutions can partner with United States Embassy Foreign Mission Section to Nigeria to recruit Igbo instructors to teach Igbo in U.S. institutions of higher education, just as the same United States Embassy Foreign Mission to Nigeria recruited instructors to teach two other Nigerian languages, Hausa and Yoruba, in U.S. institutions of higher education. This dissertation argues that lack of access to learn Igbo as a for-credit foreign language course in U.S. institutions of higher widens the gap in equitable access to Igbo educational opportunity. The study's benefits include: an increased awareness of the need for Igbo language inclusion in all higher institutions, greater business opportunities with Igbo Nigerians worldwide, increased interests in the need for professional development opportunities for Igbo language teachers, creation of employment opportunities for Igbo language educators in US educational institutions, creation of Igbo language instructional and learning materials as well as mitigate for translations and interpretations of Igbo language for various agencies. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]