How selective are Howard University and Emory University admissions compared with each other?

Emory is harder to get into than Howard in overall admissions selectivity. Both schools attract many strong applicants, but Emory is viewed as a highly selective private research university with a more compressed academic profile among admitted students. Howard is also selective and receives a large volume of applications, but it is typically more accessible than Emory for well-qualified applicants.

For a student building a list, Emory usually belongs in the more reaches or high-reach category unless the applicant has a very strong academic record, rigorous coursework, and a compelling overall application. Emory tends to draw applicants with very high grades, demanding course loads, and substantial extracurricular accomplishment, so even strong students cannot assume admission.

Howard fits a somewhat different applicant pool. It is an excellent option for students seeking the HBCU experience, strong alumni connections, and a campus culture centered on Black excellence and leadership. Admission is still competitive, especially because Howard is nationally known and popular, but the level of selectivity is not typically as intense as Emory’s.

In practical terms, a student who looks competitive for Howard may still find Emory significantly tougher simply because Emory’s applicant pool is usually more academically concentrated and admissions is more restrictive overall. If you are comparing them for list balance, it makes sense to treat Howard as selective and Emory as distinctly more selective.