Purdue vs Richmond: which has smaller class sizes?

The biggest practical tradeoff is scale: Purdue is a very large public university, while the University of Richmond is a much smaller private liberal arts-focused school. If class size and a more personal classroom experience are your priority, Richmond is the clearer match. Its smaller undergraduate population usually means more discussion-based classes, easier access to professors, and fewer courses taught in huge lecture formats.

At Purdue, especially in first-year and high-demand courses, it is common to encounter larger lectures, particularly in subjects like engineering, science, math, and introductory social sciences. Purdue still has smaller upper-level classes and opportunities to build relationships with faculty, but that often comes later or depends on your major. The overall feel is more expansive and less intimate.

Richmond is built much more around small seminars and close faculty interaction from the start. Students there are more likely to know their professors well, speak regularly in class, and get individualized feedback. That does not mean every Purdue class is impersonal, but Richmond is much more consistently set up for the kind of learning environment you are describing.

So on the specific question of smaller class sizes, Richmond wins by a noticeable margin. If your learning style depends on regular discussion, direct professor access, and a classroom where you are unlikely to feel anonymous, Richmond is the stronger option here.