Is Northeastern or Boston University harder to get into overall?

Northeastern is usually viewed as at least as selective as Boston University right now, and in many recent cycles people would say Northeastern has been slightly harder to get into overall. That said, they are close enough that most applicants should treat both as highly selective schools rather than assuming one is meaningfully safer. For building a realistic list, neither belongs in the likely category for most students.

Northeastern tends to attract a very large applicant pool, helped by its strong national visibility and the appeal of co-op, and that has pushed its admissions landscape into an especially competitive range. It also pays close attention to demonstrated interest and application strategy, so outcomes can feel less predictable if a student applies casually. A student who is excited by career-focused academics, co-op, and an urban campus integrated into Boston may find Northeastern especially compelling, but from an admissions standpoint it is not an easy target.

Boston University is also firmly in the highly selective tier, with a broad applicant pool and strong demand across many programs. Students drawn to BU often like the more traditional university structure, the wide range of schools and colleges, and the classic city-campus experience along Commonwealth Avenue. In practical terms, BU is difficult enough that an applicant should not count on it as a backup to Northeastern.

So if the question is simply which is harder overall, the edge today usually goes to Northeastern, but only slightly and not in a way that should dramatically change your list-building.