Georgetown vs Brown: which school has smaller classes for undergraduates?

Brown is more likely to give you the smaller-class experience overall. Georgetown also offers plenty of small classes, but because it has a larger undergraduate population and some schools within the university have more structured core and major requirements, day-to-day class sizes can feel a bit bigger on average.

For a student who really wants frequent access to classes under 20 students, Brown tends to have the edge. Its Open Curriculum often means students build more individualized schedules, and that can translate into more upper-level seminars and smaller discussion settings earlier on. Many Brown students describe a classroom culture where speaking up, debating ideas, and close professor interaction are central parts of the academic experience.

Georgetown can still be very appealing if you want discussion-based learning tied to fields like government, international relations, public policy, or business. In those areas, small seminars definitely exist, and the school places real value on faculty engagement and classroom conversation. But you should expect a somewhat more mixed experience, with some intimate classes and some noticeably larger lecture courses, especially early on.

If class size is one of your top priorities rather than just one factor among many, Brown is likely the closer match. Georgetown is not a large-class school in the way some big universities are, but Brown more consistently aligns with the kind of small, discussion-driven undergraduate environment you’re describing.