Is Rice University or Carnegie Mellon University harder to get into?

Both are extremely selective, but Carnegie Mellon is usually seen as a bit harder to get into overall, especially because some of its most sought-after programs, like computer science, engineering, and fine arts, are exceptionally competitive. Rice is also highly selective, but its applicant pool and admissions dynamic are a little less shaped by those ultra-impacted specialty programs. For an overall comparison, most students would view CMU as having the slightly tougher admissions landscape.

That said, the difference is not huge at the university-wide level, and it can shift depending on what you plan to study. Carnegie Mellon admits in a way that is often more tied to specific schools or colleges within the university, so difficulty can vary a lot by area.

A student applying to CMU for computer science, engineering, design, drama, or related fields is stepping into one of the most competitive admissions environments in the country. CMU also attracts many applicants with very focused academic or artistic profiles, which raises the bar in those divisions.

Rice tends to appeal to students looking for a top-tier research university with strong academics across the board, a residential college system, and a more broadly balanced admissions process rather than one dominated by a few famous specialty schools. Its admissions are still extremely difficult, but in casual college admissions conversations, CMU is more often the one people describe as slightly tougher overall.

So if you mean broad reputation for selectivity across the whole institution, Carnegie Mellon has the edge. If you mean a non-specialty major and a more general applicant experience, the two are closer than people sometimes assume.