However, at colleges where students take more smaller courses, it is also common for the major and GE requirements to require more courses. The percentage of courses consumed by requirements is what you want to figure out to find out how much schedule space is left for free electives.
However, for a given amount of free elective schedule space, a college where students take more smaller courses may allow for more dabbling. For example, if 1/4 of the schedule (an academic year’s worth of courses) is free electives after counting major and GE requirements, a dabbler may find it more interesting at a school where this is equivalent to 15 courses than at a school where this is equivalent to 8 courses.