How do Harvard and Northwestern compare in admissions selectivity for an average strong applicant?

Harvard is meaningfully harder to get into than Northwestern for an average strong applicant. Both schools deny many students with excellent grades, activities, and testing, but Harvard sits in the very top tier of selectivity where even near-perfect applicants are routinely turned away. Northwestern is also highly selective, yet it is usually viewed as a step less extreme in overall admissions difficulty.

One concrete difference is the size and intensity of the applicant pool. Harvard draws an enormous number of applicants from across the world, including a very high concentration of valedictorian-level students, national award winners, and applicants with exceptional institutional priorities or hooks. For a strong but not unusually distinctive applicant, that means the bar for standing out is especially high.

Another difference is how admissions readers often frame fit and institutional priorities. Northwestern can still be unpredictable, but it tends to reward applicants who show a clear academic or extracurricular match with its programs, interdisciplinary culture, or specific schools like Medill, Bienen, or McCormick. Harvard also values fit, but because its applicant pool is so saturated with top students across every interest area, strong alignment alone usually does less to improve the odds.

Early plans matter too. Northwestern offers Early Decision, which can be an advantage for applicants who are sure it is their first choice, since binding plans often help a school shape its class.

So for a regular strong applicant, Northwestern is still a reach, but Harvard is the more competitive admit by a clear margin.