Cornell vs. Swarthmore: which has smaller class sizes for undergraduates?

Swarthmore offers the smaller-class undergraduate experience by a clear margin. It is a small liberal arts college built around discussion-based teaching, while Cornell is a large research university where many undergraduates, especially in intro courses, will encounter bigger lectures. At Swarthmore, small seminars and close professor interaction are central to the academic model, not just an option in upper-level classes.

One major differentiator is scale. Swarthmore has a much smaller undergraduate population, so classes are more often designed for direct participation, frequent feedback, and class discussion from the start. Cornell, even though it has many small upper-level courses and excellent faculty access within departments, simply operates at a much larger size across its colleges and majors.

Another difference is how the curriculum is taught day to day. Swarthmore leans heavily into seminar-style courses, reading-intensive discussion, and faculty-led classes rather than large lecture formats. Cornell undergrads can absolutely build close relationships with professors, but in many popular introductory subjects, the first experience is more likely to include lecture halls, discussion sections, and teaching assistants.

Faculty culture also matters here. Swarthmore’s identity is centered on undergraduate teaching, so the classroom experience is usually more personal across the board. Cornell places serious value on teaching too, but as a research university it balances that with graduate programs, labs, and large departmental structures, which changes the feel of undergraduate classes in practice.