What is the Average Students to Faculty Ratio?
The students to faculty ratio is the total number of students over the number of faculties. When then ratio is low, it is assumed that a students will have more chances to meet or get helped from teachers and professors. Therefore, the students to faculty ratio is one of important consideration when choosing colleges and schools tries to keep it low.
The average students to faculty ratio of U.S. colleges is 15 to 1. It is based on all institutions' ratio where the students and faculty information is available. In public colleges, the student faculty ratio is 16 to 1 and private schools' ratio is 12 to 1. By school levels, the students to faculty ratio at four-years colleges is 14 to 1 and community colleges' ratio is 17 to 1.
The next schools are the top 5 U.S. colleges that have the lowest students to faculty ratio. Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the lowest ratio of 3 to 1 among U.S. colleges. University of Chicago and Princeton University also have lower ratio of 5 to 1 and 5 to 1 respectively. For the ranking, we exclude community colleges and four-colleges with less than 5,000 students.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Students to faculty ratio: 3 to 1, 11,858 students, 1,681 faculties
- University of Chicago Students to faculty ratio: 5 to 1, 18,339 students, 2,867 faculties
- Princeton University Students to faculty ratio: 5 to 1, 8,842 students, 1,205 faculties
- Carnegie Mellon University Students to faculty ratio: 5 to 1, 16,002 students, 1,648 faculties
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Students to faculty ratio: 5 to 1, 5,354 students, 2,208 faculties
The following table summarizes the average students to faculty ratio in United States by school type and level.
| Total | Public | Private (not-for-profit) | Private (for-profit) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 15.05 to 1 | 15.83 to 1 | 11.87 to 1 | 16.65 to 1 |
| 4 Years Colleges | 13.89 to 1 | 16.31 to 1 | 11.78 to 1 | 17.59 to 1 |
| Community Colleges | 16.87 to 1 | 16.79 to 1 | 12.16 to 1 | 18.12 to 1 |
| Trade Schools | 15.07 to 1 | 10.38 to 1 | 13.60 to 1 | 15.91 to 1 |
Colleges By State
The following table summarizes the Colleges by state and school type. You can sort the table by a column by touching/clicking the column name.
| State | Total | Public | Private |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Alaska | 9 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 6 to 1 |
| Arizona | 19 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Arkansas | 15 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| California | 18 to 1 | 22 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Colorado | 17 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Connecticut | 14 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Delaware | 14 to 1 | 12 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| District of Columbia | 16 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Florida | 16 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 14 to 1 |
| Georgia | 16 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| Hawaii | 14 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Idaho | 14 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| Illinois | 14 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Indiana | 14 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Iowa | 13 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Kansas | 14 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Kentucky | 15 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| Louisiana | 17 to 1 | 19 to 1 | 15 to 1 |
| Maine | 14 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| Maryland | 15 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Massachusetts | 11 to 1 | 12 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Michigan | 15 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Minnesota | 15 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Mississippi | 17 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Missouri | 14 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Montana | 14 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Nebraska | 13 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Nevada | 16 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 9 to 1 |
| New Hampshire | 12 to 1 | 11 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| New Jersey | 16 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| New Mexico | 16 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 14 to 1 |
| New York | 14 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| North Carolina | 13 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| North Dakota | 13 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Ohio | 14 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Oklahoma | 14 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| Oregon | 13 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 9 to 1 |
| Pennsylvania | 13 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Rhode Island | 13 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| South Carolina | 15 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| South Dakota | 12 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Tennessee | 16 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Texas | 17 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 14 to 1 |
| Utah | 16 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 18 to 1 |
| Vermont | 12 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 9 to 1 |
| Virginia | 15 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Washington | 15 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| West Virginia | 14 to 1 | 12 to 1 | 9 to 1 |
| Wisconsin | 13 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Wyoming | 15 to 1 | 15 to 1 | - |
| American Samoa | 16 to 1 | 16 to 1 | - |
| Federated States of Micronesia | 16 to 1 | 16 to 1 | - |
| Guam | 14 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 15 to 1 |
| Marshall Islands | 17 to 1 | 17 to 1 | - |
| Northern Marianas | 21 to 1 | 21 to 1 | - |
| Palau | 12 to 1 | 12 to 1 | - |
| Puerto Rico | 18 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 17 to 1 |
| Virgin Islands | 8 to 1 | 8 to 1 | - |