How do Notre Dame and Michigan State compare for admissions chances?

Notre Dame is much harder to get into than Michigan State, so your instinct is right. For most applicants, Notre Dame belongs in the reach category because it draws a very strong national pool and looks for top academics alongside a distinctive personal profile. Michigan State is selective in a more accessible way and is often a realistic target or likely option for students whose grades and coursework are solid.

Notre Dame tends to fit students with very strong transcripts in demanding classes, especially those who also show sustained involvement, leadership, service, or a clear sense of purpose. It is not just looking for students who meet a baseline; it is choosing among many applicants who already have high academic achievement. That means even strong students can never treat Notre Dame as predictable.

Michigan State is a better comparison point for students who want a respected large public university with a more attainable admissions process. A student with good grades, a reasonable course load, and a consistent record in activities will usually have a much more plausible path there than at Notre Dame.

So in application planning terms, Notre Dame should be viewed as a high-reach school unless your profile is exceptionally strong, while Michigan State is the one more students can count as a practical option. These two schools do not really occupy the same admissions tier.