Is University of Washington or UCLA harder to get into for undergraduate admissions?

UCLA is harder to get into for undergraduate admissions. For most applicants, UCLA is one of the most selective public universities in the country, while the University of Washington, though still competitive, is usually less selective overall. That difference is especially noticeable for out-of-state applicants and for popular majors.

UCLA tends to attract a very large national and international applicant pool, and admission is highly competitive across the board. It uses a comprehensive review process and is especially tough for students applying to sought-after areas. Even very strong applicants often see UCLA as a reach.

University of Washington can feel different depending on who you are and what you want to study. Washington residents usually have a more favorable path than out-of-state students, since UW is a public flagship with a strong in-state mission. But some UW programs, especially direct admission pathways in fields like computer science, engineering, and business, can be extremely selective and in certain cases may feel as hard as or harder than UCLA for that specific academic path.

So in a broad, overall sense, UCLA is the more selective school for undergraduate admission. If you are comparing specific majors, especially highly impacted ones at UW, the gap can narrow a lot and sometimes the major matters more than the university-level comparison.