How does Brown admissions difficulty compare to Dartmouth for undergraduate applicants?

The biggest practical tradeoff is that Brown and Dartmouth are both ultra-selective, but Brown often attracts a broader and larger applicant pool because of its open curriculum and urban Ivy appeal, while Dartmouth’s applicant pool can be a bit more self-selecting around its smaller, more residential college experience. In real terms, that means neither belongs on a “likely” list for almost anyone, and the difference in difficulty is usually too small to build a strategy around. For an average strong applicant, they should be treated as comparably difficult reaches.

That said, the admissions offices are not selecting from the same exact type of pool, so “harder” depends a lot on the student. A student with interdisciplinary interests and a strong reason for Brown may read as a better fit there, while someone who wants a tight-knit, outdoorsy, undergraduate-focused setting may come across more naturally at Dartmouth. The practical takeaway is not that one is safely easier, but that each school is looking for a somewhat different kind of match.

So the honest verdict is that Brown and Dartmouth are in essentially the same tier of admissions difficulty, with any overall edge in selectivity being minor enough that it should not drive your college list. Choose between them based on fit, and treat both as high reaches.