These average class size figures are for undergraduate classes in the fall of 2019. Maclean’s did not ask universities to report class sizes during the COVID-19 pandemic because the shift to online learning and capacity restrictions disrupted the normal delivery of classes. These numbers reflect primary classes; subsections such as labs, tutorials and practicums are not included.*
First and Second Year
 University |
Avg. Size |
|---|---|
| Moncton | 23.8 |
| St. Thomas | 28.6 |
| Mount Saint Vincent | 29.2 |
| Sherbrooke | 31.7 |
| Brandon | 32.8 |
| Lakehead | 34.5 |
| Laurentian | 34.9 |
| Nipissing | 35.6 |
| Cape Breton | 38.0 |
| Winnipeg | 38.4 |
| Acadia | 38.7 |
| New Brunswick | 39.1 |
| St. Francis Xavier | 39.4 |
| UQAM | 39.7 |
| Bishop's | 40.0 |
| Regina | 40.0 |
| Laval | 40.1 |
| UPEI | 40.9 |
| UNBC | 41.1 |
| Mount Allison | 44.3 |
| Memorial | 44.8 |
| Lethbridge | 46.1 |
| Saint Mary's | 49.8 |
| Concordia | 57.4 |
| Alberta | 59.4 |
| Saskatchewan | 62.5 |
| Victoria | 65.0 |
| McGill | 65.5 |
| Manitoba | 69.7 |
| Windsor | 71.0 |
| Dalhousie | 73.5 |
| Trent | 79.3 |
| Simon Fraser | 82.2 |
| Queen's | 84.9 |
| Calgary | 86.8 |
| UBC | 86.9 |
| York | 90.6 |
| Carleton | 91.8 |
| Brock | 93.8 |
| Wilfrid Laurier | 93.8 |
| Western | 105.3 |
| McMaster | 127.8 |
Third and Fourth Year
| University |
Avg. Size |
|---|---|
| Mount Allison | 11.4 |
| Moncton | 13.6 |
| Brandon | 14.5 |
| Acadia | 17.0 |
| Mount Saint Vincent | 17.4 |
| St. Thomas | 17.4 |
| Laurentian | 18.0 |
| UPEI | 18.2 |
| Winnipeg | 19.2 |
| UNBC | 19.3 |
| Queen's | 19.8 |
| Bishop's | 20.3 |
| Nipissing | 21.0 |
| Regina | 22.0 |
| New Brunswick | 22.2 |
| St. Francis Xavier | 22.2 |
| Memorial | 23.0 |
| Lethbridge | 23.3 |
| Lakehead | 24.4 |
| Alberta | 25.5 |
| Trent | 25.7 |
| Saint Mary's | 26.1 |
| Victoria | 27.2 |
| Laval | 27.4 |
| Manitoba | 28.6 |
| Dalhousie | 29.2 |
| McGill | 29.4 |
| Saskatchewan | 30.9 |
| York | 31.3 |
| Sherbrooke | 31.5 |
| Cape Breton | 32.3 |
| UQAM | 32.5 |
| Calgary | 32.9 |
| Brock | 33.1 |
| Windsor | 33.7 |
| Concordia | 34.6 |
| Western | 35.3 |
| Wilfrid Laurier | 38.3 |
| Simon Fraser | 38.9 |
| Carleton | 41.2 |
| McMaster | 52.3 |
| UBC | 54.4 |
*Seven universities did not provide figures for fall 2019: Guelph, Montréal, Ontario Tech, Ottawa, Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan and Waterloo.
More on Canada’s best universities:
Average entering grade
Grade distribution
Student retention
Proportion who graduate
Faculty with highest degree in their field
