Johns Hopkins vs. UCLA: Which University Has Smaller Undergraduate Class Sizes?

Johns Hopkins is the more favorable choice for consistently smaller undergraduate classes, particularly if you want more direct professor interaction early in college. Hopkins enrolls far fewer undergraduates than UCLA, and its course offerings include a larger share of small seminars and discussion-based classes. UCLA’s much larger undergraduate population means that popular introductory courses are more likely to be taught in large lecture halls.

At Johns Hopkins, introductory STEM, economics, and social-science courses can still be sizable, especially required gateway classes. But students often move into smaller sections, labs, and upper-level courses relatively quickly, and the university’s smaller scale can make it easier to build relationships with faculty through office hours, research groups, and departmental programs.

At UCLA, class size depends heavily on major and course level. Introductory courses in high-demand fields such as biology, psychology, computer science, economics, and pre-med prerequisites may enroll hundreds of students, although they commonly include smaller discussion sections led by teaching assistants. Upper-division classes, honors courses, and specialized seminars become more intimate, but the large-university setting is most noticeable in the first year or two.

For your stated preference, Hopkins offers the more consistently small-class environment. UCLA can still provide meaningful faculty contact, but it typically requires being proactive about office hours, discussion sections, research opportunities, and selecting smaller courses when registration allows.