Colleges with the Smallest Student–Faculty Ratios

Colleges don't publish true class-size distributions, so this ranks the closest public measure: students per faculty member (IPEDS). Four-year colleges with at least 500 undergrads and regular freshman admissions — small ratios usually mean seminar-style classes and professors who know your name. This page lists all 1,357 colleges in the ranking. Search and filter the list.

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1Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, Massachusetts3:15%1560$20k$143k96%4,5352 mi 2California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, California3:13%—$16k$129k94%98722 mi 3University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois5:14%1554$15k$92k96%7,5691 mi 4Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania5:112%1546$32k$115k94%7,304110 mi 5Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut5:14%1534$24k$101k96%6,7581 mi 6Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina5:16%1548$30k$98k97%6,442111 mi 7Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey5:15%1553$6k$110k98%5,70922 mi 8Mercy College of OhioToledo, Ohio5:193%947$18k$65k56%9397 mi 9Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Illinois6:18%1533$29k$89k95%9,2011 mi 10Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, New York6:14%1553$22k$102k96%8,973< 1 mi 11Stanford UniversityStanford, California6:14%1553$14k$124k92%7,5544 mi 12Brown UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island6:15%1546$25k$93k96%7,2261 mi 13Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland6:16%1553$19k$88k94%5,6935 mi 14Rice UniversityHouston, Texas6:18%1553$13k$90k95%4,77620 mi 15United States Military AcademyWest Point, New York6:112%1355——87%4,4085 mi 16Williams CollegeWilliamstown, Massachusetts6:18%1533$18k$89k94%2,07698 mi 17Amherst CollegeAmherst, Massachusetts6:19%1533$23k$78k94%1,91169 mi 18University of North Carolina School of the ArtsWinston Salem, North Carolina6:130%1260$15k$38k78%945178 mi 19Gallaudet UniversityWashington, District of Columbia6:158%868$16k$43k47%8123 mi 20Baptist Health Sciences UniversityMemphis, Tennessee6:182%1050$11k$73k40%770325 mi 21Manhattan School of MusicNew York, New York6:141%—$52k$27k78%539< 1 mi 22Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, Missouri7:112%1530$22k$86k94%7,857258 mi 23Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana7:114%1448$40k$63k86%7,7676 mi 24Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts7:14%1553$19k$102k98%7,6014 mi 25Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire7:15%1534$30k$97k96%4,54188 mi 26United States Air Force AcademyUSAF Academy, Colorado7:114%1350——88%4,114711 mi 27University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond, Virginia7:122%1497$31k$76k85%2,98022 mi 28Yeshiva UniversityNew York, New York7:156%1426$50k$71k83%2,852< 1 mi 29Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, New York7:119%1494$39k$71k91%2,44426 mi 30Wellesley CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts7:114%1520$25k$85k92%2,30013 mi 31Barry UniversityMiami, Florida7:177%—$23k$56k38%2,2122 mi 32Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, Virginia7:114%1498$24k$95k94%1,881121 mi 33Pomona CollegeClaremont, California7:17%1534$19k$78k93%1,66633 mi 34Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore, Pennsylvania7:17%1534$23k$80k92%1,6133 mi 35Marymount Manhattan CollegeNew York, New York7:183%1214$37k$49k49%1,577< 1 mi 36Lawrence UniversityAppleton, Wisconsin7:164%1350$23k$56k77%1,39628 mi 37Roberts Wesleyan UniversityRochester, New York7:171%1170$23k$55k67%1,14913 mi 38United States Coast Guard AcademyNew London, Connecticut7:122%1339——93%1,1082 mi 39Mercy College of Health SciencesDes Moines, Iowa7:1100%980$27k$62k66%867302 mi 40California Institute of the ArtsValencia, California7:132%—$46k$41k67%86024 mi 41Chamberlain University-CaliforniaRancho Cordova, California7:180%—$37k$92k—75138 mi 42Earlham CollegeRichmond, Indiana7:173%1219$25k$51k69%670149 mi 43New York UniversityNew York, New York8:19%1520$37k$83k88%28,6631 mi 44University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania8:15%1553$29k$111k97%10,6503 mi 45University of Notre DameNotre Dame, Indiana8:111%1520$27k$100k95%8,81825 mi 46Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tennessee8:16%1549$16k$92k94%7,208380 mi 47United States Naval AcademyAnnapolis, Maryland8:19%1307——93%4,474< 1 mi 48Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, Connecticut8:116%1501$30k$74k93%3,06719 mi 49Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, Vermont8:111%1508$31k$76k91%2,73895 mi 50Skidmore CollegeSaratoga Springs, New York8:121%1405$32k$69k83%2,694124 mi 51Smith CollegeNorthampton, Massachusetts8:121%1500$28k$64k89%2,54467 mi 52Trinity UniversitySan Antonio, Texas8:126%1416$23k$72k84%2,505120 mi 53Clark UniversityWorcester, Massachusetts8:140%1370$29k$62k77%2,21437 mi 54Carleton CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota8:120%1517$25k$76k90%2,086164 mi 55Rhode Island School of DesignProvidence, Rhode Island8:119%1473$51k$68k89%2,0841 mi 56Nazareth UniversityRochester, New York8:175%1216$29k$56k73%1,87311 mi 57Davidson CollegeDavidson, North Carolina8:113%1469$17k$81k91%1,867167 mi 58Mount Saint Mary's UniversityLos Angeles, California8:173%—$21k$72k53%1,7195 mi 59Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale, Michigan8:121%1415——90%1,57361 mi 60Haverford CollegeHaverford, Pennsylvania8:112%1513$25k$80k90%1,4309 mi 61Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, California8:110%1527$29k$105k91%1,38834 mi 62Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr, Pennsylvania8:129%1396$32k$75k82%1,35911 mi 63Allegheny CollegeMeadville, Pennsylvania8:155%1275$23k$62k73%1,15628 mi 64Dominican University of CaliforniaSan Rafael, California8:184%1290$35k$85k78%1,1141 mi 65Bay Path UniversityLongmeadow, Massachusetts8:185%1120$14k$55k44%1,10849 mi 66New England CollegeHenniker, New Hampshire8:192%—$27k$42k35%1,02254 mi 67California College of the ArtsSan Francisco, California8:191%—$54k$49k61%9901 mi 68Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, California8:113%1545$36k$139k92%92134 mi 69Washington CollegeChestertown, Maryland8:157%1280$28k$66k65%8915 mi 70New College of FloridaSarasota, Florida8:173%1150$7k$48k67%8431 mi 71The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNew York, New York8:121%1410$13k$84k81%8421 mi 72Westminster UniversitySalt Lake City, Utah8:167%1220$27k$66k64%823545 mi 73Whittier CollegeWhittier, California8:181%—$26k$59k60%76417 mi 74Massachusetts College of Liberal ArtsNorth Adams, Massachusetts8:190%—$16k$48k56%71396 mi 75Centenary College of LouisianaShreveport, Louisiana8:156%1144$24k$50k56%685173 mi 76Ursuline CollegePepper Pike, Ohio8:175%1097$16k$57k67%6708 mi 77Hollins UniversityRoanoke, Virginia8:168%1230$21k$40k65%665146 mi 78Randolph CollegeLynchburg, Virginia8:194%1134$16k$53k46%658104 mi 79Saint Elizabeth UniversityMorristown, New Jersey8:171%—$23k$53k51%55716 mi 80Sterling CollegeSterling, Kansas8:148%—$22k$46k41%538612 mi 81Mount Carmel College of NursingColumbus, Ohio8:184%—$10k$75k54%532102 mi 82University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California9:110%1495$33k$92k92%20,44310 mi 83Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York9:19%1535$29k$104k95%15,99561 mi 84Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania9:179%1345$39k$85k78%13,2333 mi 85Berklee College of MusicBoston, Massachusetts9:144%—$49k$34k67%7,4682 mi 86Saint Louis UniversitySaint Louis, Missouri9:175%1317$24k$71k80%7,267256 mi 87The New SchoolNew York, New York9:163%—$59k$53k69%6,5631 mi 88Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, Ohio9:137%1513$41k$88k87%6,4373 mi 89University of RochesterRochester, New York9:140%1488$29k$79k85%6,3319 mi 90University of DenverDenver, Colorado9:178%1355$36k$71k76%6,025742 mi 91Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, Illinois9:175%—$14k$52k22%3,9823 mi 92Pratt Institute-MainBrooklyn, New York9:173%1290$53k$54k74%3,9101 mi 93Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, Pennsylvania9:129%1410$41k$94k86%3,876105 mi 94Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesBoston, Massachusetts9:185%1269$40k$126k62%3,4513 mi 95Hope CollegeHolland, Michigan9:179%1249$27k$58k80%3,2886 mi 96School of Visual ArtsNew York, New York9:193%1320$58k$46k76%3,2441 mi

US Department of Education IPEDS. Missing or suppressed values are excluded. A ranking is a comparison of the named measure, not an overall quality score.