Is Arizona State University or Amherst College harder to get into?

Amherst College is much harder to get into overall. It is one of the most selective liberal arts colleges in the country, with a very small undergraduate enrollment and a highly competitive applicant pool. Arizona State University is a large public university that admits many more students and is broadly accessible by comparison.

For a student looking at Amherst, the admissions bar is not just about solid grades. Amherst tends to attract applicants with very strong academics across the board, and because the class is small, there are far fewer spots available. Even excellent students often see it as a reach.

Arizona State fits a different kind of admissions landscape. It is a major public research university with multiple campuses, a much larger incoming class, and a mission that includes serving a broad range of students.

So in a head-to-head comparison, Amherst belongs in the highly selective category, while ASU is far less selective overall. If you are building a college list, Amherst should be treated as a much tougher admit than Arizona State.