UCLA vs WashU for class size: which school has smaller undergraduate classes?

WashU is the one more associated with smaller undergraduate classes and more direct faculty access, especially early on. UCLA absolutely has excellent teaching, but because it is a large public university, introductory classes are more likely to be big.

For the student who wants individual attention built into the day-to-day experience, WashU tends to feel more personal. That does not mean every class is tiny, especially in common intro sequences like biology, chemistry, economics, or psychology.

UCLA fits the student who is comfortable navigating a large campus system and understands that many first-year and sophomore courses may be lectures with discussion sections led by TAs. In many majors, especially popular pre-med, engineering, and social science tracks, students often start in larger classes and then move into smaller upper-division courses later. The tradeoff is access to a huge range of departments, research opportunities, and course options, but the class-size experience is usually less intimate at the start.

If class size and personal attention are among your top priorities, WashU has the clearer edge. UCLA can still become a smaller-feeling academic experience once you get into your major, but for the first couple of years in particular, WashU is more likely to match what you are looking for.