Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios
Undergraduate students per instructional faculty member. A staffing ratio, not an average class size.
Ranked by students per faculty member · 1,685 of 2,406 institutions report this measure · Compiled 2026-09-01
Chase these schools
Top schools on this list that also show up elsewhere — hop lists without leaving the trail.
#5
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
#8
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
#11
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
- 1University of Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE · Public2.0:1Compare nearby
- 2California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA · Private3.0:1Compare nearby
- 3Loma Linda UniversityLoma Linda, CA · Private3.0:1Compare nearby
- 4Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · Public3.0:1Compare nearby
- 5Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · Private3.0:1Compare nearby
Also on 15 other lists
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#1
- Biological Sciences#1
- Business#1
- Liberal Arts#1
- Multidisciplinary Studies#2
- Physical Sciences#2
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#3
- the Highest SAT Averages#4
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#6
- Most Selective Colleges in America#7
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#8
- Computer Science#10
- Engineering#11
- Mathematics & Statistics#12
- Are Least Likely to Leave#14
- 6Aspen UniversityPhoenix, AZ · For-profit4.0:1Compare nearby
- 7New York Film AcademyBurbank, CA · For-profit4.0:1Compare nearby
- 8University of ChicagoChicago, IL · Private5.0:1Compare nearby
- 9University of Maryland BaltimoreBaltimore, MD · Public5.0:1Compare nearby
- 10Laboure College of HealthcareMilton, MA · Private5.0:1Compare nearby
- 11Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · Private5.0:1Compare nearby
Also on 11 other lists
- Engineering#1
- English Language & Literature#1
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#3
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#3
- Most Selective Colleges in America#6
- Public Administration#10
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#14
- the Highest SAT Averages#14
- Psychology#15
- the Highest ACT Scores#20
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#24
- 12Maria College of AlbanyAlbany, NY · Private5.0:1Compare nearby
- 13Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA · Private5.0:1Compare nearby
Also on 12 other lists
- Social Sciences#2
- Business#3
- Visual & Performing Arts#3
- Multidisciplinary Studies#4
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#6
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#6
- Mathematics & Statistics#8
- Physical Sciences#8
- the Highest SAT Averages#10
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#11
- Architecture#12
- Computer Science#19
- 14SANS Technology InstituteNorth Bethesda, MD · For-profit5.0:1Compare nearby
- 15Musicians InstituteHollywood, CA · For-profit6.0:1Compare nearby
- 16Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT · Private6.0:1Compare nearby
Also on 13 other lists
- History#1
- English Language & Literature#5
- Most Selective Colleges in America#5
- Most Expensive Colleges by Sticker Price#7
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#7
- Computer Science#9
- Social Sciences#9
- Multidisciplinary Studies#10
- the Highest ACT Scores#11
- Are Least Likely to Leave#15
- the Highest SAT Averages#15
- Best Earnings-to-Debt Ratio#17
- Psychology#24
- 17University of the District of ColumbiaWashington, DC · Public6.0:1Compare nearby
- 18Gallaudet UniversityWashington, DC · Private6.0:1Compare nearby
- 19AdventHealth UniversityOrlando, FL · Private6.0:1Compare nearby
- 20Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · Private6.0:1Compare nearby
Also on 11 other lists
- 21Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · Private6.0:1Compare nearby
- 22Williams CollegeWilliamstown, MA · Private6.0:1Compare nearby
- 23Salish Kootenai CollegePablo, MT · Public6.0:1Compare nearby
- 24American Musical and Dramatic AcademyNew York, NY · Private6.0:1Compare nearby
- 25Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY · Private6.0:1Compare nearby
Also on 14 other lists
- Most Expensive Colleges by Sticker Price#3
- the Highest ACT Scores#4
- Most Selective Colleges in America#4
- Foreign Languages#5
- the Highest SAT Averages#8
- Philosophy & Religious Studies#9
- History#16
- Mathematics & Statistics#16
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#18
- Area & Ethnic Studies#19
- Best Early-Career Earnings, 6 Years After Enrolling#21
- Graduates Earn the Most 10 Years Out#25
- Computer Science#25
- Social Sciences#25
How this list was built
- Measure
- Students per faculty member — sorted lowest to highest
- Source variable
STUFACR- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- Four-year, main-campus institutions awarding bachelor's degrees or higher (2,406 schools).
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded so that small-cohort medians do not distort the ranking.
- 1,685 of 2,406 institutions report this measure; the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
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- Sports at University of Nebraska Medical CenterEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
The Smallest Four-Year Colleges
Bachelor's-granting institutions with the fewest undergraduates — conservatories, seminaries and single-subject schools dominate.
The Largest Undergraduate Student Bodies
Total undergraduate enrollment, including online and part-time students, which is why several online-first universities rank near the top.
Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates
Share of first-time, full-time students who finish a bachelor's degree within four years.