Is Brown harder to get into than Case Western?

The biggest practical difference is that Brown is in a much more selective tier of admissions than Case Western, so getting into Brown is substantially harder for most applicants. Brown receives a huge volume of applications, has a nationally and internationally recognized applicant pool, and can reject many students with top grades and scores. Case Western is still selective and well regarded, but it is not operating at the same level of admissions difficulty.

Why Brown is harder comes down to both demand and the type of applicant it attracts. Brown draws many applicants who are already among the strongest students in their schools, including students with exceptional academics, advanced coursework, and distinctive extracurricular profiles. Its admissions process also puts a lot of weight on fit with Brown’s open curriculum and intellectual style, which makes the bar feel even higher because strong numbers alone are not enough.

Case Western is competitive too, especially for applicants interested in engineering, pre-med, and science-heavy programs. It attracts many academically strong students and expects solid preparation, but the overall admissions landscape there is less compressed than at Brown. In practice, that means a student who looks very competitive for Case Western may still be a reach candidate at Brown.

So yes, Brown is definitely harder to get into than Case Western. If you are building a balanced list, Brown should be treated as a far more selective reach, while Case Western often sits closer to high match or reach territory depending on your academic profile.