Which has smaller classes, Rutgers University or the University of Rochester?

The University of Rochester offers the more small-class-focused undergraduate experience. Its smaller overall undergraduate population and private-university structure mean students are more likely to encounter seminar-style courses and have direct access to professors, particularly after introductory requirements.

Rutgers is a large public research university, so many first-year and high-demand courses, especially in fields such as biology, psychology, economics, computer science, and business-related subjects, can be lectures with substantial enrollments. Discussion sections, recitations, office hours, and smaller upper-level classes help create faculty contact, but the day-to-day experience in the beginning may still feel large.

At Rochester, introductory classes can also be sizable, especially in STEM, but the scale is typically more manageable and the transition into smaller courses tends to happen earlier. Rochester’s flexible curriculum can also make it easier to build a schedule around smaller, specialized classes across departments rather than spending as much time in large, standardized sequences.

A student who wants a compact campus environment, more frequent professor interaction, and a higher likelihood that classmates and faculty will recognize them should lean toward Rochester. Rutgers can still work well for a student who values its breadth of majors, research opportunities, and large-university resources and is comfortable being proactive about attending office hours, joining smaller academic programs, and choosing upper-level seminars.