2025 Smaller Class Size and More Opportunities Rankings
The student to faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school divided by the number of teachers in the institution.
It is an important factor to evaluate colleges because the low student to faculty ratio tends to lead the smaller class sizes and giving more one-to-one learning Opportunities to students in classroom. Higher student to faculty ratio means that an instructor (professor) has more students to take care and the individual class size may be larger. In general, top ranked and well-known colleges have low level of students to faculty ratio and try to keep the ratio low.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the lowest number of students per faculty (3 to 1) and University of Chicago has the second lowest number of students (5) based on academic year 2022-2023 college academci data.
Below table ranks and compares the Smaller Class Size and More Opportunities having lowest students to faculty ratio (based on undergraduate rate). For the ranking, we only include 4-year colleges that more than 3,000 students have enrolled in.
Smaller Class Size and More Opportunities
| Rank | College Name | Student Population (undergraduate) | Number of Faculties | Student to Faculty Ratio | Tuition & Fees | Acceptance Rate | Graduation Rate | SAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | 4,657 | 1,681 | 3 to 1 | $60,156 | 4.7% | 96% | 1,550 |
| 5 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL | 7,595 | 2,867 | 5 to 1 | $65,619 | 4.8% | 95% | 1,550 |
| 3 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ | 5,604 | 1,205 | 5 to 1 | $59,710 | 4.5% | 97% | 1,540 |
| 18 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | 7,059 | 1,648 | 5 to 1 | $63,274 | 11.4% | 93% | 1,540 |
| 2 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | 8,049 | 4,224 | 5 to 1 | $62,484 | 3.9% | 93% | 1,550 |
| 1294 | Aspen University Phoenix, AZ | 4,086 | 376 | 5 to 1 | $7,010 | - | - | - |
| 8 | Yale University New Haven, CT | 6,645 | 3,460 | 6 to 1 | $64,700 | 4.5% | 96% | 1,540 |
| 1061 | University of the District of Columbia Washington, DC | 3,057 | 621 | 6 to 1 | $13,004 | - | 26% | - |
| 11 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | 8,993 | 2,665 | 6 to 1 | $65,997 | 7.2% | 96% | 1,530 |
| 23 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | 6,044 | 3,921 | 6 to 1 | $62,840 | 7.6% | 95% | 1,550 |
| 6 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY | 8,902 | 6,229 | 6 to 1 | $68,171 | 4.2% | 95% | 1,540 |
| 10 | Duke University Durham, NC | 6,640 | 4,305 | 6 to 1 | $65,805 | 6.8% | 96% | 1,550 |
| 12 | Brown University Providence, RI | 7,639 | 995 | 6 to 1 | $68,230 | 5.2% | 96% | 1,540 |
| 14 | Rice University Houston, TX | 4,494 | 847 | 6 to 1 | $58,128 | 7.9% | 96% | 1,550 |
| 72 | United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO | 4,085 | 232 | 7 to 1 | - | 13.9% | 88% | 1,350 |
| 62 | Wesleyan University Middletown, CT | 3,069 | 432 | 7 to 1 | $67,016 | 17.1% | 92% | 1,510 |
| 4 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA | 9,368 | 2,455 | 7 to 1 | $59,076 | 3.5% | 97% | 1,550 |
| 21 | Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO | 8,132 | 2,179 | 7 to 1 | $62,982 | 12.0% | 94% | 1,540 |
| 13 | Dartmouth College Hanover, NH | 4,458 | 891 | 7 to 1 | $65,511 | 6.2% | 96% | 1,540 |
| 70 | United States Military Academy West Point, NY | 4,393 | - | 7 to 1 | - | 14.0% | 85% | 1,330 |
| 15 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | 7,151 | 1,524 | 7 to 1 | $63,946 | 6.3% | 93% | 1,540 |
| 145 | University of Denver Denver, CO | 6,151 | 1,513 | 8 to 1 | $59,340 | 71.2% | 78% | 1,320 |
| 430 | University of Hartford West Hartford, CT | 3,969 | 790 | 8 to 1 | $47,647 | 83.0% | 58% | 1,200 |
| 36 | Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA | 8,785 | 1,901 | 8 to 1 | $65,538 | 14.6% | 89% | 1,450 |
| 54 | United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD | 4,450 | 334 | 8 to 1 | - | 9.4% | 92% | 1,300 |
| 1 | Baker College Owosso, MI | 3,778 | 1,101 | 8 to 1 | $12,810 | 87.5% | 31% | 1,080 |
| 25 | New York University New York, NY | 29,401 | 9,952 | 8 to 1 | $60,438 | 9.4% | 88% | 1,530 |
| 2 | School of Visual Arts New York, NY | 3,533 | 992 | 8 to 1 | $49,140 | 91.3% | 75% | 1,330 |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | 11,250 | 2,536 | 8 to 1 | $66,104 | 5.9% | 97% | 1,540 |
| 210 | University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA | 3,145 | 627 | 8 to 1 | $62,600 | 23.3% | 88% | 1,470 |
| 27 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | 20,699 | 3,708 | 9 to 1 | $68,237 | 10.0% | 92% | 1,510 |
| 33 | Emory University Atlanta, GA | 7,101 | 2,568 | 9 to 1 | $60,774 | 11.1% | 92% | 1,520 |
| 766 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL | 4,207 | 528 | 9 to 1 | $22,726 | 70.4% | 17% | - |
| 19 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | 8,971 | 1,370 | 9 to 1 | $62,693 | 12.4% | 97% | 1,500 |
| 82 | Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO | 10,662 | 1,741 | 9 to 1 | $53,244 | 81.5% | 80% | 1,340 |
| 67 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY | 3,130 | 356 | 9 to 1 | $67,024 | 12.0% | 91% | 1,480 |
| 17 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | 15,735 | 2,013 | 9 to 1 | $66,014 | 8.2% | 95% | 1,520 |
| 3 | Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn, NY | 3,934 | 1,047 | 9 to 1 | $59,683 | 53.2% | 73% | 1,330 |
| 64 | University of Rochester Rochester, NY | 6,767 | 2,784 | 9 to 1 | $64,348 | 35.9% | 84% | 1,480 |
| 351 | Touro University New York, NY | 4,860 | 1,242 | 9 to 1 | $19,528 | 63.0% | 65% | 1,360 |
| 78 | Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH | 6,017 | 1,462 | 9 to 1 | $64,678 | 28.7% | 87% | 1,490 |
| 461 | University of Portland Portland, OR | 3,390 | 518 | 9 to 1 | $54,900 | 95.4% | 80% | 1,260 |
| 115 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | 3,747 | 415 | 9 to 1 | $64,772 | 32.0% | 86% | 1,370 |
| 122 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA | 14,021 | 2,193 | 9 to 1 | $60,663 | 77.5% | 77% | 1,330 |
| 4 | Renton Technical College Renton, WA | 3,072 | 201 | 9 to 1 | $7,257 | - | 55% | - |
| 269 | Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA | 3,348 | 1,072 | 10 to 1 | $43,600 | 79.5% | 64% | 1,145 |
| 5 | Berklee College of Music Boston, MA | 7,499 | 831 | 10 to 1 | $50,270 | 49.9% | 66% | - |
| 81 | Brandeis University Waltham, MA | 3,687 | 547 | 10 to 1 | $64,946 | 35.3% | 86% | 1,470 |
| 94 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA | 3,083 | 329 | 10 to 1 | $60,850 | 21.1% | 90% | 1,340 |
| 6 | MCPHS University Boston, MA | 3,522 | 926 | 10 to 1 | $38,850 | 85.2% | 63% | 1,205 |
| 32 | Tufts University Medford, MA | 6,815 | 1,426 | 10 to 1 | $67,844 | 10.1% | 93% | 1,510 |
| 219 | Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ | 3,169 | 487 | 10 to 1 | $38,900 | 79.4% | 63% | 1,210 |
| 24 | Barnard College New York, NY | 3,442 | 324 | 10 to 1 | $66,246 | 8.0% | 93% | 1,510 |
| 491 | Ithaca College Ithaca, NY | 4,619 | 646 | 10 to 1 | $50,070 | 69.9% | 74% | 1,270 |
| 114 | Molloy College Rockville Centre, NY | 3,271 | 686 | 10 to 1 | $37,840 | 75.6% | 72% | 1,170 |
| 354 | The New School New York, NY | 7,171 | 2,040 | 10 to 1 | $56,311 | 62.5% | 71% | - |
| 84 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC | 5,447 | 2,258 | 10 to 1 | $64,758 | 21.6% | 91% | 1,460 |
| 58 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA | 5,624 | 636 | 10 to 1 | $62,180 | 29.3% | 89% | 1,430 |
| 306 | Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia, PA | 5,071 | 575 | 10 to 1 | $51,340 | 86.4% | 80% | 1,250 |
| 66 | Villanova University Villanova, PA | 6,989 | 1,118 | 10 to 1 | $64,701 | 25.1% | 92% | 1,460 |
| 246 | Seattle University Seattle, WA | 4,046 | 676 | 10 to 1 | $54,285 | 76.1% | 73% | 1,260 |
| 668 | University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK | 9,925 | 842 | 11 to 1 | $21,693 | 66.5% | 29% | - |
| 109 | University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK | 5,636 | 544 | 11 to 1 | $26,404 | - | 32% | - |
| 900 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR | 5,825 | 611 | 11 to 1 | $22,067 | 57.7% | 41% | 1,040 |
| 324 | University of La Verne La Verne, CA | 3,365 | 577 | 11 to 1 | $49,450 | 48.5% | 65% | 1,115 |
| 76 | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA | 7,299 | 1,024 | 11 to 1 | $58,489 | 40.3% | 80% | - |
| 468 | Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT | 6,073 | 964 | 11 to 1 | $53,090 | 77.0% | 77% | 1,200 |
| 1079 | Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT | 6,920 | 1,039 | 11 to 1 | $26,104 | 81.1% | 48% | - |
| 600 | Western Connecticut State University Danbury, CT | 3,799 | 590 | 11 to 1 | $16,095 | 81.4% | 50% | 1,010 |
| 92 | American University Washington, DC | 7,917 | 1,531 | 11 to 1 | $56,543 | 47.4% | 78% | 1,380 |
| 398 | The Catholic University of America Washington, DC | 3,011 | 674 | 11 to 1 | $55,834 | 83.8% | 81% | - |
| 26 | Georgetown University Washington, DC | 7,900 | 2,218 | 11 to 1 | $65,081 | 13.1% | 94% | 1,500 |
| 244 | Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach, FL | 3,027 | 326 | 11 to 1 | $37,990 | 88.3% | 59% | 1,090 |
| 7 | Rasmussen University-Florida Ocala, FL | 7,937 | 1,257 | 11 to 1 | $15,485 | - | 51% | - |
| 769 | Spelman College Atlanta, GA | 3,102 | 246 | 11 to 1 | $30,058 | 34.1% | 76% | 1,180 |
| 290 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL | 8,000 | 1,189 | 11 to 1 | $13,244 | 90.4% | 56% | 1,020 |
| 557 | Butler University Indianapolis, IN | 4,427 | 453 | 11 to 1 | $45,980 | 85.9% | 80% | 1,260 |
| 713 | University of Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN | 3,715 | 534 | 11 to 1 | $36,136 | 72.8% | 56% | - |
| 42 | Boston University Boston, MA | 18,459 | 3,946 | 11 to 1 | $65,168 | 10.9% | 90% | 1,470 |
| 672 | University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI | 3,156 | 652 | 11 to 1 | $32,300 | 80.1% | 68% | 1,120 |
| 195 | Hope College Holland, MI | 3,251 | 328 | 11 to 1 | $37,670 | 75.9% | 82% | 1,200 |
| 8 | Northwestern Michigan College Traverse City, MI | 3,098 | 320 | 11 to 1 | $12,762 | - | 25% | - |
| 167 | Creighton University Omaha, NE | 4,290 | 944 | 11 to 1 | $47,000 | 72.3% | 81% | 1,320 |
| 190 | Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ | 4,070 | 435 | 11 to 1 | $60,952 | 43.4% | 90% | 1,440 |
| 576 | Manhattan College Riverdale, NY | 3,066 | 464 | 11 to 1 | $50,850 | 78.5% | 66% | 1,260 |
| 816 | SUNY at Purchase College Purchase, NY | 3,107 | 434 | 11 to 1 | $18,863 | 72.8% | 62% | 1,270 |
| 384 | Elon University Elon, NC | 6,337 | 582 | 11 to 1 | $44,536 | 67.3% | 83% | 1,210 |
| 995 | Ashland University Ashland, OH | 3,083 | 517 | 11 to 1 | $26,390 | 80.6% | 61% | 1,080 |
| 248 | Xavier University Cincinnati, OH | 4,852 | 795 | 11 to 1 | $48,126 | 87.7% | 71% | 1,190 |
| 282 | Providence College Providence, RI | 3,996 | 480 | 11 to 1 | $60,848 | 48.7% | 88% | 1,330 |
| 578 | Rhode Island College Providence, RI | 4,719 | 613 | 11 to 1 | $26,519 | 81.1% | 46% | 1,010 |
| 9 | Del Mar College Corpus Christi, TX | 9,725 | 685 | 11 to 1 | $6,050 | - | 13% | - |
| 154 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | 7,056 | 1,146 | 11 to 1 | $64,460 | 61.2% | 83% | 1,410 |
| 10 | NUC University Bayamon, PR | 25,400 | 1,479 | 11 to 1 | $9,884 | - | 56% | - |
| 11 | Paradise Valley Community College Phoenix, AZ | 5,676 | 548 | 11 to 1 | $8,959 | - | 20% | - |
| 12 | GateWay Community College Phoenix, AZ | 4,699 | 389 | 12 to 1 | $8,959 | - | 20% | - |
| 127 | Chapman University Orange, CA | 7,869 | 1,175 | 12 to 1 | $62,784 | 55.6% | 80% | 1,340 |
| 69 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA | 6,115 | 858 | 12 to 1 | $59,241 | 43.8% | 88% | 1,420 |
| 224 | Fairfield University Fairfield, CT | 4,757 | 618 | 12 to 1 | $56,360 | 45.0% | 84% | 1,310 |
| 13 | Delaware Technical Community College-Terry Dover, DE | 11,726 | 977 | 12 to 1 | $11,828 | - | 19% | - |