Is Northwestern harder to get into than UC Berkeley?

Yes. Northwestern is typically harder to get into than UC Berkeley. Northwestern has a smaller undergraduate population, a more private-school-style applicant pool, and a highly selective admissions process across nearly all majors, while Berkeley’s selectivity varies more by college and program and is influenced by its large in-state mandate.

One concrete difference is how each school builds its class. Northwestern enrolls a much smaller first-year class and evaluates applicants through a private university process that puts heavy weight on institutional priorities, fit, and academic polish across the board. Berkeley is also extremely selective, but as a public flagship it admits a much larger class and reserves substantial space for California residents, which changes the overall admissions landscape.

Another important difference is consistency across majors. At Northwestern, most applicants are competing in one very selective pool, even though some programs like journalism, engineering, or theatre may have extra layers. At Berkeley, difficulty can swing a lot more depending on where you apply. Engineering, EECS, business-related pathways, and some high-demand majors can be exceptionally tough, sometimes feeling as hard as or harder than Northwestern for that specific lane.

For a general overall comparison, people usually view Northwestern as the tougher admit. Berkeley is still absolutely among the most selective public universities in the country, but it is not quite the same across-the-board level of difficulty as Northwestern when you are talking about the school as a whole.