College Comparison IX: Class Sizes (% of classes with > 50 students)

<p>In order to assist some in their college search process, I have prepared a series of threads that will compare colleges on a variety of measurements. In making these comparisons, I have created three broad groups (private national universities, public national universities and liberal arts colleges) and provide comparisons involving 117 colleges (national universities ranked in the USNWR Top 75 and LACs ranked in the USNWR Top 40). </p>

<p>Following is a comparison on CLASS SIZES with a particular focus on the PERCENTAGE OF CLASSES WITH MORE THAN 50 STUDENTS. For many students who enjoy smaller classes and find learning difficult in a larger class setting, , this is a critical statistic as it directly reflects the environment that an undergraduate will encounter at his/her college. </p>

<p>To aid in the comparisons, I have included the level of the highest-ranking public universities with each of the private groups for National Universities and LACs. This should help families appreciate the way that the very top scoring public compares with their private competition. </p>

<p>I hope that you enjoy the thread and find some helpful information. Good luck to all in your college search process!</p>

<p>% of classes with more than 50 students , Private National University</p>

<p>0.4% , Yeshiva
1.0% , Fordham
2.2% , Wake Forest
2.7% , Pepperdine
4.5% , U Chicago
5.0% , Duke
5.1% , Tufts
5.1% , Tulane
5.4% , U Miami
5.5% , Georgetown
6.4% , Caltech
6.6% , Vanderbilt
6.6% , Brandeis
7.0% , Northwestern
7.0% , Emory
7.2% , Yale
7.3% , U Penn
7.4% , SMU
7.4% , TOP PUBLIC (William & Mary)
7.6% , Boston College
7.8% , Syracuse
8.1% , Harvard
8.1% , Rice
8.4% , Columbia
8.7% , Dartmouth
8.7% , Wash U
9.1% , Princeton
9.2% , Brown
9.2% , Worcester
9.4% , Notre Dame
10.0% , Lehigh
10.1% , Boston University
10.2% , George Washington
10.3% , Rensselaer
10.4% , BYU
10.9% , Case Western
11.0% , Carnegie Mellon
11.1% , Johns Hopkins
11.2% , USC
11.4% , NYU
11.7% , Stanford
12.7% , MIT
12.7% , U Rochester
16.8% , Cornell</p>

<p>% of classes with more than 50 students , STATE UNIVERSITY</p>

<p>7.4% , WILLIAM & MARY
9.5% , U IOWA
10.5% , U N CAROLINA
11.5% , U GEORGIA
11.5% , CLEMSON
12.4% , U DELAWARE
13.7% , U MARYLAND
14.0% , U VIRGINIA
14.7% , U CONNECTICUT
15.0% , PURDUE
15.1% , UC BERKELEY
15.9% , U MINNESOTA
16.0% , U PITTSBURGH
17.0% , U WASHINGTON
17.4% , UC S BARBARA
17.6% , PENN STATE
17.8% , U MICHIGAN
18.4% , U ILLINOIS
18.8% , OHIO STATE
18.8% , INDIANA U
18.9% , UC IRVINE
19.3% , U WISCONSIN
20.4% , UCLA
20.9% , UC S CRUZ
21.0% , RUTGERS
21.4% , MICHIGAN ST
21.4% , VIRGINIA TECH
21.8% , GEORGIA TECH
22.1% , U FLORIDA
22.3% , TEXAS A&M
23.3% , U TEXAS
28.0% , UC DAVIS
29.5% , UC SAN DIEGO</p>

<p>% of classes with more than 50 students , LAC</p>

<p>0.0% , Davidson
0.0% , Grinnell
0.0% , US Military Acad
0.0% , US Naval Acad
0.0% , Colorado College
0.0% , U Richmond
0.0% , Furman
0.2% , W&L
0.2% , Occidental
0.3% , Carleton
0.3% , Sewanee
0.4% , Hamilton
0.4% , Bard
0.5% , Vassar
0.5% , Scripps
0.6% , Whitman
0.8% , Wellesley
0.9% , Holy Cross
1.0% , Pomona
1.0% , Macalester
1.1% , Claremont McK
1.8% , Kenyon
1.9% , Swarthmore
2.1% , Haverford
2.1% , Lafayette
2.2% , Colgate
2.3% , Bucknell
2.4% , Middlebury
2.6% , Bryn Mawr
2.8% , Mt. Holyoke
2.8% , Trinity
2.9% , Williams
3.1% , Colby
3.1% , Oberlin
3.2% , Amherst
3.4% , Bowdoin
4.3% , Smith
4.3% , Bates
4.5% , Wesleyan
7.0% , Harvey Mudd
7.4% , TOP PUBLIC (William & Mary)
7.8% , Barnard</p>

<p>Take the following with some discretion as the per capita endowment numbers are sure to be lower going forward and there are likely to be some “gainers” and “losers” when the endowment numbers are reported later this year/early next. But for some who are thinking that there is a relationship between money and a college’s ability to manage its class sizes, the following might have some use. The universe of colleges considered remains the same (Top 75 national universities, Top 40 LACs).</p>

<p>% of classes with more than 50 students , Per Capita Endowment , College</p>

<p>0.0% , $308,109 , Davidson
0.0% , $877,502 , Grinnell
0.0% , $227,338 , Colorado College
0.0% , $494,731 , U Richmond
0.0% , $188,123 , Furman
0.2% , $333,600 , W&L
0.2% , $192,695 , Occidental
0.3% , $323,911 , Carleton
0.3% , $200,516 , Sewanee
0.4% , $188,983 , Yeshiva
0.4% , $396,657 , Hamilton
0.4% , $109,570 , Bard
0.5% , $357,323 , Vassar
0.5% , $283,961 , Scripps
0.6% , $265,820 , Whitman
0.8% , $695,157 , Wellesley
0.9% , $216,447 , Holy Cross
1.0% , $29,285 , Fordham
1.0% , $1,171,809 , Pomona
1.0% , $373,303 , Macalester
1.1% , $435,522 , Claremont McK
1.8% , $114,779 , Kenyon
1.9% , $948,060 , Swarthmore
2.1% , $445,944 , Haverford
2.1% , $302,723 , Lafayette
2.2% , $182,698 , Wake Forest
2.2% , $256,417 , Colgate
2.3% , $149,124 , Bucknell
2.4% , $381,407 , Middlebury
2.6% , $395,034 , Bryn Mawr
2.7% , $88,477 , Pepperdine
2.8% , $295,446 , Mt. Holyoke
2.8% , $169,264 , Trinity
2.9% , $858,660 , Williams
3.1% , $324,985 , Colby
3.1% , $289,255 , Oberlin
3.2% , $1,005,255 , Amherst
3.4% , $482,565 , Bowdoin
4.3% , $440,436 , Smith
4.3% , $150,462 , Bates
4.5% , $479,070 , U Chicago
4.5% , $207,116 , Wesleyan
5.0% , $435,544 , Duke
5.1% , $144,134 , Tufts
5.1% , $94,370 , Tulane
5.4% , $48,048 , U Miami
5.5% , $69,762 , Georgetown
6.4% , $782,841 , Caltech
6.6% , $289,010 , Vanderbilt
6.6% , $133,742 , Brandeis
7.0% , $289,854 , Northwestern
7.0% , $432,417 , Emory
7.0% , $337,744 , Harvey Mudd
7.2% , $1,982,027 , Yale
7.3% , $327,756 , U Penn
7.4% , $73,497 , WILLIAM & MARY (top public)
7.4% , $127,795 , SMU
7.6% , $131,404 , Boston College
7.8% , $48,842 , Syracuse
7.8% , $89,923 , Barnard
8.1% , $1,920,265 , Harvard
8.1% , $844,916 , Rice
8.4% , $308 , Columbia
8.7% , $674,475 , Dartmouth
8.7% , $393,510 , Wash U
9.1% , $2,231,167 , Princeton
9.2% , $333,977 , Brown
9.2% , $84,357 , Worcester
9.4% , $541,459 , Notre Dame
9.5% , $12,136 , U IOWA
10.0% , $161,130 , Lehigh
10.1% , $37,211 , Boston University
10.2% , $60,002 , George Washington
10.3% , $105,481 , Rensselaer
10.4% , $25,349 , BYU
10.5% , $81,767 , U N CAROLINA
10.9% , $179,996 , Case Western
11.0% , $95,953 , Carnegie Mellon
11.1% , $124,671 , Johns Hopkins
11.2% , $106,357 , USC
11.4% , $59,082 , NYU
11.5% , $1,467 , U GEORGIA
11.5% , $7,505 , CLEMSON
11.7% , $965,310 , Stanford
12.4% , na , U DELAWARE
12.7% , $977,647 , MIT
12.7% , $177,328 , U Rochester
13.7% , $12,377 , U MARYLAND
14.0% , $184,090 , U VIRGINIA
14.7% , $9,598 , U CONNECTICUT
15.0% , $42,247 , PURDUE
15.1% , $86,722 , UC BERKELEY
15.9% , $21,899 , U MINNESOTA
16.0% , na , U PITTSBURGH
16.8% , $275,149 , Cornell
17.0% , $53,890 , U WASHINGTON
17.4% , $13,986 , UC S BARBARA
17.6% , na , PENN STATE
17.8% , $181,883 , U MICHIGAN
18.4% , $24,603 , U ILLINOIS
18.8% , $38,368 , OHIO STATE
18.8% , $20,533 , INDIANA U
18.9% , $14,333 , UC IRVINE
19.3% , $48,219 , U WISCONSIN
20.4% , $64,729 , UCLA
20.9% , $12,048 , UC S CRUZ
21.0% , $14,153 , RUTGERS
21.4% , $35,537 , MICHIGAN ST
21.4% , $16,936 , VIRGINIA TECH
21.8% , $16,492 , GEORGIA TECH
22.1% , $18,988 , U FLORIDA
22.3% , $7,922 , TEXAS A&M
23.3% , $55,473 , U TEXAS
28.0% , $26,648 , UC DAVIS
29.5% , $24,471 , UC SAN DIEGO</p>

<p>kind of scary how high some of those numbers are. almost 30% of classes with over 50 students, eek</p>

<p>I went to MIT and some of the best classes I attended were large lectures. It depends on the class, the student, and the subject as to whether this is a meaningful metric or not. It is just one of many reasons LACs should not be compared with NRUs as they have strengths in different areas. Certainly, many of us who have experienced various class sizes can recall small ones where a few blowhards tend to dominate the class interaction to the detriment of all. In large lectures, the questions tend to be better thought out.</p>

<p>I don’t see any difference in the learning effect in a class with only 1:10 and the other, 1:15. Similarly, I don’t see any difference in learning effect in a class with only 1:5 or 1:15. I personally don’t care having to sit in a class with 12 or 14 other gifted students. Therefore, it’s rather silly to rank schools based on this criterion that fall in the same class size range. In other words, Tufts (with a 1:5.1) is not superior to Stanford (11.7) because there isn’t any difference in one’s learning - for college level - when you sit in a class with only 5 students (Tufts) or 12 students (Stanford).</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I agree there is a place for large classes. </p>

<p>The stats don’t show us which classes have 50 or more students. But, when schools approach 30% classes with >50 students, chances are most of those classes would be better taught in smaller groups. </p>

<p>I’ve been to a public university that used a lot of large classes and a community college which had 30 students in the same classes, due to the smaller class sizes the community college classes were much better. When a school cannot teach kids even close to as good as a community college, there is a problem. Even though they are more prestigious. Lots of my friends thought this way when they had to take CC classes over summer when they came home from U of I.
A school that teaches calculus to 400 kids at once, does not do it because its a better learning experience.</p>

<p><15% of classes over 50, yes.
In the 20s and greater, there might be a problem.</p>

<p>@RML, I disagree. Classes of 10 and 15 might not be that different, but those of 5 and 15 can be very different from my personal experience. I’ve taken classes of many different sizes and think that 10 is sort of a tipping point (for me, at least)–as soon as the number went below 10, I felt like I was recieving much more personal attention. </p>

<p>And I agree with what CCillinois said…</p>

<p>Everyone is different and one size does not fit all. Looking back over my educational career…for me…I can see no real correlation between class size and what I was able to learn.</p>

<p>Maybe for Fordham it depends on which campus. My D is at the LC campus and she said her largest class has 25 students.</p>