Is Boston University or Tufts generally harder to get into for undergraduate admission?

Tufts is generally considered slightly more difficult to enter for undergraduate admission than Boston University, but the gap is narrow enough that both should be treated as highly selective reaches. Tufts typically has a smaller entering class and attracts a particularly self-selecting applicant pool, which can make admission feel especially compressed. Boston University also receives an enormous number of strong applications and is not meaningfully “easy” by comparison.

A student whose record is built around broad intellectual curiosity, strong writing, and clear engagement beyond the classroom may find that Tufts’s application style gives them more room to show fit, but that does not make admission predictable. Tufts is known for looking closely at how applicants think, contribute to a collaborative campus, and pursue interests across disciplines.

Boston University may appeal more to an applicant who wants a large, city-based university with substantial academic and extracurricular options. Its scale does not translate into a low bar: BU can still turn away many academically accomplished students, and its applicant pool is deep across schools and programs.

For planning purposes, do not classify BU as a target merely because Tufts is marginally more selective. Unless your academic record and course rigor are clearly above each school’s typical admitted-student profile, it is sensible to place both in the reach category and build the rest of your list accordingly.