Does UConn have smaller class sizes than Dartmouth for undergraduates?

No. Dartmouth is much more likely than UConn to give undergraduates small, discussion-based classes, especially outside the biggest introductory courses. Dartmouth is a smaller Ivy with a strong emphasis on undergraduate teaching, and many of its classes are seminars or small lectures. UConn, by contrast, is a large public research university, so intro classes are more often held in bigger lecture formats and can feel less intimate.

At Dartmouth, even though some first-year science, economics, or math courses can be large, the overall classroom culture is built around direct faculty interaction, class participation, and smaller enrollments. Upper-level courses there are especially likely to be discussion-heavy, and undergrads often find it easier to know their professors well.

At UConn, the experience depends more on your major and campus context, but the scale of the university matters. Lower-level gen eds and popular gateway courses are typically larger, sometimes with discussion sections led by TAs, while upper-level major classes do get smaller. That means UConn can still offer small classes later on, but it is less consistently a small-class environment across the undergraduate experience.

If class size is one of your top priorities, Dartmouth is the school that more clearly matches that preference. UConn can absolutely work for students who are proactive about honors courses, smaller departments, or advanced electives, but it does not tend to match Dartmouth in day-to-day classroom intimacy.