Is Williams harder to get into than Middlebury?

Yes. In broad terms, Williams is typically considered a bit harder to get into than Middlebury. Both are very selective liberal arts colleges with holistic admissions, but Williams is usually viewed as the more competitive of the two because it draws an especially deep national applicant pool, has exceptional academic prestige within liberal arts colleges, and tends to be slightly more selective overall.

That said, the gap is not so large that one should feel clearly “easy” compared with the other. A strong applicant can be denied by either school, and both care about far more than grades alone, including course rigor, writing, recommendations, extracurricular impact, and how well you match the campus community.

Williams often appeals to students aiming for one of the most academically intense and widely recognized liberal arts environments in the country. Its tutorial system, strong faculty access, and especially prominent reputation in the liberal arts space contribute to the sense that admission is a little tougher there.

Middlebury attracts a somewhat different mix too, including many students drawn to languages, international studies, environmental programs, and its distinct Vermont setting. It is still highly competitive, but in most head-to-head comparisons, people would place Williams a notch higher in admissions difficulty.

So if your question is simply which one is harder to get into, the usual answer is Williams. But from an applicant standpoint, the practical takeaway is to treat both as reaches unless your profile is unusually strong and especially well aligned with what each school values.