Timothy Peck December 8, 2025 4 11th Grade,12th Grade,College Lists

50 Best Colleges with Small Class Sizes

What’s Covered:

• Are Smaller Classes Better in College?
• Does Student-to-Faculty Ratio Really Matter?
• Best Colleges with Small Class Sizes
• What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

Colleges with small class sizes and low student-to-teacher ratios offer numerous benefits—they often provide a more personalized, interactive, and peer-focused learning experience. However, these settings can also pose challenges, especially for students who prefer to blend in and remain anonymous.

Keep reading to learn what the best colleges in the country with small class sizes are, along with the benefits of attending a school with small classes.

Are Smaller Classes Better in College?

Whether small college classes are better than large ones is largely a matter of personal preference. However, there are some undeniable advantages to attending a school with small class sizes.

1. Individualized Instruction

Smaller classes allow teachers to get to know their students better, provide personalized attention, and tailor lessons to the strengths and weaknesses of a particular student or class. Smaller class sizes also make it easier for teachers to provide feedback—fewer students mean fewer papers to grade, which equates to less time waiting for comments, criticism, and grades.

2. Hands-On Learning

Small college class sizes make it easier for all students—not just the most outgoing and talkative—to engage in classroom topics through everything from discussions to projects. It’s simply easier to ask a teacher questions and have a discourse with peers and instructors in a class of 10 versus a class of 100.  Small classes also offer more opportunities for students to ask questions about topics they don’t understand.

Many students also find smaller classes motivating. Lively classroom discussions and in-class projects make it hard to hide and encourage students to pay attention, keep up on coursework, and participate in class.

3. Connect with Classmates

Fewer students and more engaging classes also make it easier for students to interact and connect with their peers, providing a chance for students to learn from one another and view topics from different perspectives. This adds depth to the course material and allows students to better understand one another—for example, offering insight into who they are, what they believe in, and what they have in common.

4. Get to Know Professors

Smaller college classes mean professors can learn about individual students, whether it’s their personal attributes, classroom performance, or simply their names. Building relationships with teachers can pay big dividends down the line in the way of recommendation letters for internships, graduate school, or a job—they can speak to not just the grade a student achieved, but how they grew and worked with other students, in addition to their academic aptitude.

5. Better Outcomes

More individual attention, a better chance to engage with classroom material, more peer learning, and an opportunity to know professors all can add up to better outcomes. From higher grades to stronger recommendations, smaller college classes can provide an advantage, whether a student is seeking admission into a competitive graduate program or applying for their dream job.

Does Student-to-Faculty Ratio Really Matter?

In general, the student-to-faculty ratio can provide insight into how small classes are; however, it’s just one of many factors affecting class size. Others include the type of school (public or private), major, and class level. For example, liberal arts colleges tend to have smaller class sizes than research universities with similar student-to-faculty ratios. This is because liberal arts colleges typically make teaching a priority for their professors and are less likely to have a TA teach a class.

It’s also a common occurrence for STEM majors early in their college careers to attend larger classes, even at small colleges with low student-to-faculty ratios. Then, as students progress into higher-level STEM classes, the number of students often shrinks. Similarly, honors colleges and programs commonly found at large universities with high student-to-faculty ratios commonly field small classes and provide close interaction with professors.

Because student-to-faculty ratio is just one metric, it can also be deceiving—consider that Northeastern University lowered the cap on many of its classes to game its position on national rankings, rather than for an academic benefit.

Best Colleges with Small Class Sizes

Below is a list of the most prestigious schools with small class sizes. This is just a small sample and there are many less-selective colleges with small class sizes. Typically, liberal arts schools and small research universities with undergraduate enrollments under 5,000 students are the best options for students looking to attend a college with small classes.

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

Wondering what your odds of acceptance are at one of these schools? CollegeVine can help! Our free chancing engine uses data points like your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities to estimate your chances of admission at over 1,600 schools nationwide—from the biggest colleges in the U.S. to the tight-knit communities of the country’s smallest colleges. Because many of the colleges listed above are highly selective, you can also use our chancing engine to create a balanced school list with a good mix of safety, target, and reach schools.