Is the University of Washington or UNC Chapel Hill harder to get into?

The biggest practical tradeoff is residency: UNC Chapel Hill is much tougher for out-of-state applicants, while the University of Washington is selective in a more mixed way depending on where you live and, at times, what you plan to study. For an average applicant asking about overall admission, UNC is usually harder to get into, especially if you are not from North Carolina. That is because UNC is a public flagship that strongly prioritizes in-state students, and its out-of-state spots are limited by state policy.

UW is also selective, but overall it tends to be a bit more accessible than UNC in broad, school-wide terms. Washington residents usually have a clearer path at UW than nonresidents do at UNC, and UNC has a national reputation for being especially difficult from out of state even before you get into majors or special programs.

If you want the simplest comparison, think of it this way: UNC is the tougher admit in the general sense most applicants mean when they ask this question. The main exception is that your own residency matters a lot. A North Carolina student may find UNC more realistic than an out-of-state student would, and a Washington resident may find UW notably more attainable than a nonresident does.

So if you are building a college list without focusing on a specific major, I would treat UNC Chapel Hill as the more competitive of the two overall, with UW still selective but usually a step less difficult in the broad admissions picture.