Is UC Berkeley or Washington University in St. Louis harder to get into for college admissions?

For most applicants, UC Berkeley is harder to get into overall, especially if you are applying to a high-demand college or major. Berkeley gets an enormous applicant pool, is a public flagship with very limited space relative to demand, and some programs there are notably tougher than Berkeley overall. WashU is also highly selective, but the admissions experience is a bit different because it is a smaller private university with more flexibility in shaping its class.

The most useful way to think about it is by applicant type. If you are an out-of-state or international student aiming for Berkeley, the bar can feel especially steep, and intended major matters a lot. Applying to engineering, EECS, computer science-related paths, or business-adjacent options at Berkeley is often another level of difficulty beyond just getting into the university.

WashU tends to be hardest for students applying to very popular academic areas like pre-med oriented tracks, business, or engineering while also competing in a pool that values strong academics plus a polished overall application. It often rewards students who show a very clear match with the university’s academic style and opportunities, whereas Berkeley can feel more numbers-driven simply because of scale and program pressure.

For a California resident applying to a less impacted Berkeley path, the comparison can be closer. But in broad terms, Berkeley is more likely to be the tougher admit when people mean raw admissions difficulty across the whole pool. WashU is absolutely still a reach-level school for most students, just with a different kind of selectivity than Berkeley.