Are Notre Dame and Colby known for having smaller class sizes?

The main tradeoff here is small liberal-arts-style intimacy at Colby versus a larger university environment at Notre Dame. Colby is more clearly known for smaller classes and a more intimate academic setting, simply because it is a much smaller college overall and built around close faculty-student interaction. Notre Dame also offers plenty of discussion-based courses, especially in the humanities and upper-level major classes, but its overall classroom experience is less consistently small than Colby’s.

At Colby, small classes are a central part of the school’s identity. Students often choose it specifically for close access to professors, seminar-style discussion, and a campus culture where your classes are more likely to include people you know. That tends to create the kind of environment where asking questions and participating feels easier.

Notre Dame is still student-focused, and many students describe professors as accessible and invested. But because it is a midsize research university with more students and more school-wide requirements, you are more likely to encounter a mix of class formats, including some larger introductory lectures. As you move into your major, classes usually get smaller, but the overall feel is not as uniformly intimate as at Colby.

So if class size is one of your top priorities, Colby has the clearer edge. Notre Dame can still work well for someone who wants strong teaching and faculty support, but Colby is the school more widely associated with small classes and a consistently close-knit academic experience.