What is the Average Students to Faculty Ratio?
The students to faculty ratio is the total number of students over the number of faculty. 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 16 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 17 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 18 to 1.
The next schools are the top 5 U.S. colleges that have the lowest students to faculty ratio. Northcentral University has the lowest ratio of 1 to 1 among U.S. colleges. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Duke University also have lower ratio of 3 to 1 and 5 to 1 respectively. For the ranking, we exclude community colleges and four-colleges with less than 5,000 students.
- Northcentral University Students to faculty ratio: 1 to 1, 9,489 students, 491 faculty
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Students to faculty ratio: 3 to 1, 11,886 students, 1,716 faculty
- Duke University Students to faculty ratio: 5 to 1, 17,499 students, 4,421 faculty
- Princeton University Students to faculty ratio: 5 to 1, 9,137 students, 1,241 faculty
- University of Chicago Students to faculty ratio: 5 to 1, 18,566 students, 3,195 faculty
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 | 15.73 to 1 | 16.66 to 1 | 12.21 to 1 | 17.47 to 1 |
| 4 Years Colleges | 14.42 to 1 | 16.87 to 1 | 12.11 to 1 | 18.72 to 1 |
| Community Colleges | 17.84 to 1 | 17.88 to 1 | 12.53 to 1 | 19.09 to 1 |
| Trade Schools | 15.76 to 1 | 11.15 to 1 | 14.18 to 1 | 16.59 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 | 17 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Alaska | 11 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 6 to 1 |
| Arizona | 20 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Arkansas | 15 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| California | 19 to 1 | 24 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Colorado | 16 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Connecticut | 15 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Delaware | 15 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| District of Columbia | 16 to 1 | 8 to 1 | 9 to 1 |
| Florida | 16 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 14 to 1 |
| Georgia | 16 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| Hawaii | 15 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| Idaho | 15 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 16 to 1 |
| Illinois | 15 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Indiana | 16 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Iowa | 14 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Kansas | 14 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Kentucky | 16 to 1 | 19 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| Louisiana | 17 to 1 | 22 to 1 | 15 to 1 |
| Maine | 15 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Maryland | 15 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Massachusetts | 12 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Michigan | 17 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| Minnesota | 16 to 1 | 19 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Mississippi | 17 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Missouri | 13 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Montana | 14 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Nebraska | 13 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Nevada | 18 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| New Hampshire | 12 to 1 | 11 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| New Jersey | 18 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 14 to 1 |
| New Mexico | 14 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 15 to 1 |
| New York | 15 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 13 to 1 |
| North Carolina | 14 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| North Dakota | 13 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Ohio | 14 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Oklahoma | 14 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 14 to 1 |
| Oregon | 13 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Pennsylvania | 13 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Rhode Island | 13 to 1 | 17 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| South Carolina | 15 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| South Dakota | 13 to 1 | 14 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Tennessee | 16 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Texas | 18 to 1 | 19 to 1 | 14 to 1 |
| Utah | 15 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 20 to 1 |
| Vermont | 12 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Virginia | 15 to 1 | 18 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Washington | 16 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| West Virginia | 15 to 1 | 12 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Wisconsin | 13 to 1 | 16 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| Wyoming | 15 to 1 | 14 to 1 | - |
| American Samoa | 12 to 1 | 12 to 1 | - |
| Federated States of Micronesia | 13 to 1 | 13 to 1 | - |
| Guam | 15 to 1 | 15 to 1 | 15 to 1 |
| Marshall Islands | 15 to 1 | 15 to 1 | - |
| Northern Marianas | 23 to 1 | 23 to 1 | - |
| Palau | 11 to 1 | 11 to 1 | - |
| Puerto Rico | 19 to 1 | 13 to 1 | 17 to 1 |
| Virgin Islands | 10 to 1 | 10 to 1 | - |