Is Notre Dame or Northwestern harder to get into?

Both Notre Dame and Northwestern are exceptionally difficult to enter, and neither should be treated as a likely or “target” school for even very strong applicants. Northwestern is often perceived as slightly harder overall because its applicant pool is especially dense with students who have near-top academic records and distinctive intellectual or extracurricular accomplishments. In practice, though, the difference is small enough that a student competitive at one may still be denied by either.

Northwestern can make particular sense for a student whose application shows strong academic curiosity, a clear personal direction, and substantial achievement in or beyond the classroom. Its applicant pool tends to reward evidence that a student will take initiative in a rigorous, flexible university environment.

Notre Dame is similarly selective, but its evaluation often places especially visible weight on character, service, community contribution, and alignment with the university’s values alongside academic strength. Applicants do not need to be Catholic, but students who can genuinely explain how they would participate in a service-minded, close-knit campus culture may present a more natural fit.

For college-list planning, place both in the reach category. The more useful distinction is whether your record and essays more convincingly show the academically exploratory, self-directed profile Northwestern may favor or the service- and community-oriented profile that can resonate at Notre Dame.