Is the University of Michigan or the University of Pennsylvania harder to get into?

The biggest practical difference is that Penn sits in the very top tier of overall selectivity, while Michigan is highly competitive but admits a broader range of students, especially because it is a large public university with different in-state and out-of-state dynamics. For general undergraduate admission, the University of Pennsylvania is harder to get into than the University of Michigan.

Part of the confusion comes from the fact that Michigan is absolutely selective, especially for out-of-state students, and can feel extremely hard to get into from certain high schools or applicant pools. But Penn is still the tougher admit overall. It is a smaller Ivy League private university, draws an enormous national and international applicant pool, and has fewer spots relative to demand.

Michigan’s public flagship structure makes comparisons a little messy because residency matters, and some colleges or programs inside the university can be more competitive than general admission. Even so, if you are comparing the two at the broad university level and not by specific school or major, Penn is the more selective school.

So for building your list, treat Penn as the harder reach. Michigan can also be a reach depending on your residency and profile, but it does not sit at the same overall admissions difficulty level as Penn.