How Do Class Sizes Compare at Brown University and UCLA?

Brown is much more likely to give you the small, discussion-centered classroom experience you describe, particularly once you move beyond introductory requirements. UCLA offers excellent faculty and many small upper-division courses, but its large undergraduate population means introductory courses are more often taught in substantial lecture formats with separate discussion sections. At Brown, the smaller undergraduate community and seminar-oriented culture make it easier to build a schedule containing intimate classes.

At Brown, entry-level courses can still be large, especially popular classes in economics, computer science, psychology, biology, and other high-demand fields. Even so, students often encounter smaller sections, labs, or seminars relatively early, and many humanities and social-science offerings are built around active conversation. Brown’s Open Curriculum can also help you reach courses that genuinely interest you sooner, rather than spending as much time in broad distribution requirements.

At UCLA, expect many lower-division courses to be large lectures, particularly in STEM fields and popular pre-professional subjects. Those courses commonly include smaller weekly discussion or lab sections led by graduate teaching assistants, so they are not purely anonymous, but the main class experience can still feel lecture-driven. UCLA’s upper-division classes become noticeably smaller within a major, and advanced seminars, labs, research groups, and honors courses can be quite personal.