Which is more selective, Tulane or Northwestern?

The biggest practical difference is that Northwestern sits in a clearly more selective admissions tier overall, while Tulane can look extremely selective on paper because of how heavily it manages enrollment through Early Decision and demonstrated interest. In plain terms, Northwestern is generally harder to get into across the board. Tulane is still very competitive, but its process can feel more unpredictable because it pays close attention to whether a student seems likely to enroll.

For a high school student building a list, I would treat Northwestern as the more difficult reach. It has a stronger overall academic reputation, attracts a broader national and international applicant pool, and is usually viewed as one of the most selective private universities in the country. Tulane is selective too, but not in quite the same category.

Part of the confusion comes from admissions strategy. Tulane is known for caring a lot about demonstrated interest. That can make Regular Decision especially tough and can make its admit rate look unusually low. Northwestern also values fit, but it does not have the same reputation for yield-protection-style dynamics driving the conversation.

So if your question is simply which school is harder to get into overall, the answer is Northwestern. If you are deciding how to place them on a college list, Northwestern belongs in the more selective bucket, while Tulane is still a reach for many applicants but not usually at the same level.