Is Indiana University or Northwestern University considered more prestigious for undergraduate admissions?

The biggest practical tradeoff is that Northwestern carries much more overall national prestige, while Indiana University is better known for a few standout undergraduate areas, especially business through Kelley and music through Jacobs. In broad reputation, admissions circles and most employers will usually view Northwestern as the more selective and more prestigious university overall. Indiana is a well-known and respected Big Ten flagship, but it does not have the same across-the-board brand strength as Northwestern.

Northwestern is widely recognized as an elite private research university with a strong national reputation across many undergraduate fields, including journalism, engineering, economics, theater, and pre-med. Its name tends to signal a very high level of selectivity and academic intensity, and that matters in how people casually perceive prestige.

That said, Indiana should not be dismissed as just "less prestigious." In certain settings, Kelley can be extremely well regarded, especially for undergraduate business recruiting, and Jacobs has a strong reputation in music. If someone says Indiana has a strong name, they may be talking about one of those specific programs rather than the university having the same overall reputation profile as Northwestern.

So if your question is purely about overall prestige and name recognition in undergraduate admissions, Northwestern has the stronger name by a clear margin. Indiana has real strengths and can be the better option for some students depending on major, cost, and campus fit, but on reputation alone, Northwestern is the one most people would consider more prestigious.