2026 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 Yale University has the second lowest number of students (5) based on academic year 2023-2024 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 | 4,535 | 1,716 | 3 to 1 | $62,396 | 4.6% | 96% | 1,560 |
| 6 | Yale University New Haven, CT | 6,814 | 3,700 | 5 to 1 | $67,250 | 3.9% | 96% | 1,540 |
| 9 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL | 7,598 | 3,195 | 5 to 1 | $69,324 | 4.5% | 96% | 1,550 |
| 5 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ | 5,813 | 1,241 | 5 to 1 | $62,688 | 4.6% | 98% | 1,550 |
| 11 | Duke University Durham, NC | 6,523 | 4,421 | 5 to 1 | $68,758 | 5.7% | 97% | 1,540 |
| 20 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | 7,377 | 1,748 | 5 to 1 | $65,636 | 11.7% | 94% | 1,540 |
| 13 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | 9,399 | 2,859 | 6 to 1 | $68,322 | 7.7% | 95% | 1,540 |
| 18 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | 6,356 | 4,113 | 6 to 1 | $64,730 | 6.4% | 94% | 1,550 |
| 7 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY | 9,164 | 7,286 | 6 to 1 | $70,517 | 4.0% | 96% | 1,550 |
| 725 | United States Military Academy West Point, NY | 4,473 | 245 | 6 to 1 | - | 12.5% | 87% | 1,330 |
| 12 | Brown University Providence, RI | 7,910 | 1,165 | 6 to 1 | $71,312 | 5.4% | 96% | 1,540 |
| 15 | Rice University Houston, TX | 4,789 | 938 | 6 to 1 | $61,247 | 8.0% | 95% | 1,550 |
| 3 | Stanford University Stanford, CA | 7,904 | 4,806 | 6 to 1 | $65,910 | 3.6% | 92% | 1,550 |
| 1 | United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO | 4,114 | 228 | 7 to 1 | - | 14.1% | 88% | 1,330 |
| 1207 | Barry University Miami, FL | 3,232 | 1,021 | 7 to 1 | $34,350 | 77.2% | 38% | - |
| 39 | Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA | 8,192 | 2,004 | 7 to 1 | $68,678 | 14.0% | 86% | 1,465 |
| 2 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA | 8,844 | 2,448 | 7 to 1 | $61,676 | 3.7% | 98% | 1,550 |
| 22 | Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO | 8,220 | 2,356 | 7 to 1 | $65,790 | 12.1% | 94% | 1,540 |
| 10 | Dartmouth College Hanover, NH | 4,637 | 955 | 7 to 1 | $68,019 | 5.4% | 96% | 1,540 |
| 67 | University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA | 3,055 | 631 | 7 to 1 | $65,230 | 22.2% | 85% | 1,480 |
| 73 | Wesleyan University Middletown, CT | 3,805 | 484 | 8 to 1 | $70,042 | 16.5% | 93% | 1,490 |
| 875 | University of the District of Columbia Washington, DC | 3,610 | 636 | 8 to 1 | $12,514 | - | 33% | - |
| 21 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | 8,880 | 1,526 | 8 to 1 | $65,025 | 11.3% | 95% | 1,520 |
| 492 | United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD | 4,474 | 330 | 8 to 1 | - | 9.3% | 93% | 1,300 |
| 25 | New York University New York, NY | 29,060 | 11,413 | 8 to 1 | $62,796 | 9.2% | 88% | 1,520 |
| 8 | University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA | 11,478 | 2,526 | 8 to 1 | $68,686 | 5.4% | 97% | 1,550 |
| 14 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN | 7,221 | 1,628 | 8 to 1 | $67,498 | 5.9% | 94% | 1,540 |
| 28 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | 20,630 | 3,985 | 9 to 1 | $71,647 | 9.8% | 92% | 1,500 |
| 123 | University of Denver Denver, CO | 6,614 | 1,494 | 9 to 1 | $61,398 | 77.8% | 76% | 1,320 |
| 678 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL | 4,226 | 450 | 9 to 1 | $22,726 | 74.6% | 22% | - |
| 387 | Berklee College of Music Boston, MA | 7,549 | 1,100 | 9 to 1 | $52,040 | 43.5% | 67% | - |
| 51 | College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA | 3,126 | 344 | 9 to 1 | $64,500 | 17.6% | 87% | 1,340 |
| 2 | Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Boston, MA | 3,469 | 1,100 | 9 to 1 | $40,530 | 85.2% | 62% | 1,255 |
| 929 | Baker College Owosso, MI | 3,595 | 608 | 9 to 1 | $13,000 | 81.9% | 36% | 1,080 |
| 597 | Hope College Holland, MI | 3,395 | 366 | 9 to 1 | $39,484 | 79.2% | 80% | 1,215 |
| 111 | Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO | 10,413 | 1,334 | 9 to 1 | $55,760 | 75.0% | 80% | 1,305 |
| 53 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY | 3,193 | 372 | 9 to 1 | $70,306 | 13.9% | 91% | 1,500 |
| 17 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | 16,128 | 2,145 | 9 to 1 | $69,314 | 8.8% | 95% | 1,540 |
| 536 | The New School New York, NY | 6,591 | 2,138 | 9 to 1 | $58,730 | 63.5% | 69% | - |
| 3 | Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn, NY | 3,967 | 1,244 | 9 to 1 | $61,845 | 73.3% | 74% | 1,280 |
| 74 | University of Rochester Rochester, NY | 6,580 | 3,081 | 9 to 1 | $67,080 | 40.1% | 85% | 1,490 |
| 686 | School of Visual Arts New York, NY | 3,255 | 986 | 9 to 1 | $51,400 | 92.6% | 76% | 1,320 |
| 58 | Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH | 6,528 | 1,485 | 9 to 1 | $66,608 | 36.5% | 87% | 1,510 |
| 72 | Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | 3,920 | 405 | 9 to 1 | $67,812 | 28.9% | 86% | 1,400 |
| 82 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA | 13,309 | 2,159 | 9 to 1 | $62,412 | 79.4% | 78% | 1,340 |
| 290 | University of La Verne La Verne, CA | 3,050 | 732 | 10 to 1 | $49,470 | 71.2% | 63% | 1,095 |
| 107 | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA | 7,273 | 1,191 | 10 to 1 | $61,867 | 45.1% | 79% | 1,350 |
| 4 | Colorado Mountain College Glenwood Springs, CO | 5,494 | 538 | 10 to 1 | $12,840 | - | 27% | - |
| 85 | American University Washington, DC | 7,476 | 1,662 | 10 to 1 | $58,771 | 62.0% | 75% | 1,370 |
| 5 | Rasmussen University-Florida Ocala, FL | 3,121 | 453 | 10 to 1 | $16,256 | - | 42% | - |
| 34 | Emory University Atlanta, GA | 7,407 | 1,999 | 10 to 1 | $64,280 | 10.7% | 91% | 1,520 |
| 38 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA | 10,314 | 1,559 | 10 to 1 | $70,702 | 16.4% | 91% | 1,500 |
| 37 | Boston University Boston, MA | 18,805 | 4,328 | 10 to 1 | $68,102 | 11.1% | 89% | 1,480 |
| 97 | Brandeis University Waltham, MA | 3,632 | 556 | 10 to 1 | $68,080 | 40.5% | 86% | 1,470 |
| 26 | Tufts University Medford, MA | 7,126 | 1,584 | 10 to 1 | $70,704 | 11.5% | 94% | 1,510 |
| 31 | Barnard College New York, NY | 3,487 | 395 | 10 to 1 | $69,888 | 8.8% | 93% | 1,520 |
| 200 | Ithaca College Ithaca, NY | 4,268 | 509 | 10 to 1 | $52,616 | 69.0% | 76% | 1,310 |
| 231 | Touro University New York, NY | 4,872 | 1,416 | 10 to 1 | $20,052 | 60.8% | 72% | 1,340 |
| 50 | Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC | 5,490 | 3,075 | 10 to 1 | $67,642 | 21.7% | 89% | 1,470 |
| 6 | Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH | 9,683 | 1,100 | 10 to 1 | $10,044 | - | 16% | - |
| 226 | Xavier University Cincinnati, OH | 4,239 | 712 | 10 to 1 | $49,425 | 86.4% | 69% | 1,210 |
| 45 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA | 5,911 | 674 | 10 to 1 | $64,980 | 25.9% | 88% | 1,440 |
| 59 | Villanova University Villanova, PA | 7,004 | 1,232 | 10 to 1 | $67,776 | 27.0% | 92% | 1,450 |
| 739 | Roger Williams University Bristol, RI | 4,038 | 468 | 10 to 1 | $45,197 | 87.7% | 69% | 1,220 |
| 172 | Seattle University Seattle, WA | 4,078 | 782 | 10 to 1 | $56,721 | 76.9% | 76% | 1,310 |
| 287 | University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK | 9,853 | 817 | 11 to 1 | $21,322 | - | 30% | - |
| 840 | University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK | 5,827 | 514 | 11 to 1 | $25,892 | - | 38% | - |
| 208 | University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA | 5,321 | 1,132 | 11 to 1 | $60,522 | 61.7% | 70% | 1,290 |
| 61 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA | 6,577 | 954 | 11 to 1 | $61,293 | 48.0% | 88% | 1,420 |
| 533 | University of Hartford West Hartford, CT | 4,223 | 707 | 11 to 1 | $49,075 | 95.8% | 54% | 1,210 |
| 1055 | Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT | 7,252 | 987 | 11 to 1 | $16,942 | 91.5% | 50% | - |
| 859 | Western Connecticut State University Danbury, CT | 3,567 | 495 | 11 to 1 | $16,901 | 87.0% | 52% | 1,110 |
| 253 | The Catholic University of America Washington, DC | 3,177 | 674 | 11 to 1 | $58,378 | 82.8% | 79% | - |
| 16 | Georgetown University Washington, DC | 7,833 | 2,807 | 11 to 1 | $68,089 | 12.9% | 95% | 1,490 |
| 54 | University of Miami Coral Gables, FL | 13,250 | 2,049 | 11 to 1 | $62,616 | 18.9% | 84% | 1,400 |
| 585 | Mercer University Macon, GA | 4,690 | 737 | 11 to 1 | $31,565 | 68.9% | 70% | 1,250 |
| 485 | Spelman College Atlanta, GA | 3,417 | 302 | 11 to 1 | $31,556 | 24.9% | 78% | 1,220 |
| 218 | Bradley University Peoria, IL | 3,596 | 613 | 11 to 1 | $42,160 | 76.8% | 76% | - |
| 298 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL | 8,553 | 1,149 | 11 to 1 | $13,334 | 86.9% | 62% | 1,040 |
| 305 | Butler University Indianapolis, IN | 4,489 | 574 | 11 to 1 | $47,560 | 85.1% | 80% | 1,250 |
| 594 | University of New England Biddeford, ME | 3,884 | 565 | 11 to 1 | $44,210 | 91.6% | 68% | - |
| 955 | Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA | 3,027 | 388 | 11 to 1 | $17,426 | 86.9% | 55% | 1,150 |
| 44 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | 34,454 | 8,810 | 11 to 1 | $63,081 | 15.6% | 93% | 1,460 |
| 368 | St Olaf College Northfield, MN | 3,124 | 308 | 11 to 1 | $59,760 | 48.3% | 84% | 1,380 |
| 190 | Creighton University Omaha, NE | 4,377 | 935 | 11 to 1 | $48,856 | 79.8% | 83% | 1,325 |
| 55 | Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ | 4,236 | 538 | 11 to 1 | $63,462 | 47.6% | 87% | 1,440 |
| 281 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY | 20,359 | 2,483 | 11 to 1 | $31,536 | 74.2% | 75% | 1,290 |
| 203 | Elon University Elon, NC | 6,452 | 620 | 11 to 1 | $46,958 | 66.4% | 84% | 1,200 |
| 170 | Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA | 5,044 | 1,111 | 11 to 1 | $53,260 | 88.8% | 79% | 1,250 |
| 184 | University of Scranton Scranton, PA | 3,613 | 393 | 11 to 1 | $53,777 | 81.2% | 80% | 1,230 |
| 127 | Providence College Providence, RI | 4,236 | 505 | 11 to 1 | $63,550 | 50.9% | 86% | 1,330 |
| 206 | LeTourneau University Longview, TX | 3,187 | 300 | 11 to 1 | $37,160 | 38.0% | 59% | 1,200 |
| 98 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | 7,285 | 1,125 | 11 to 1 | $67,040 | 63.4% | 84% | 1,420 |
| 7 | Edmonds College Lynnwood, WA | 6,549 | 552 | 11 to 1 | $10,875 | - | 29% | - |
| 8 | Green River College Auburn, WA | 7,967 | 415 | 11 to 1 | $5,263 | - | 39% | - |
| 9 | Whatcom Community College Bellingham, WA | 3,674 | 267 | 11 to 1 | $11,435 | - | 36% | - |
| 10 | University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras San Juan, PR | 8,710 | 1,033 | 11 to 1 | $5,324 | 54.6% | 50% | - |
| 11 | Northland Pioneer College Holbrook, AZ | 3,158 | 189 | 12 to 1 | $10,320 | - | 22% | - |
| 148 | Chapman University Orange, CA | 7,713 | 1,251 | 12 to 1 | $64,984 | 65.4% | 82% | 1,350 |
| 80 | Pepperdine University Malibu, CA | 3,553 | 926 | 12 to 1 | $69,918 | 62.9% | 83% | 1,370 |