Is Case Western more prestigious than MIT?

Yes, the gap in reputation is very large. MIT has a much stronger national and global academic reputation, far broader name recognition, and a uniquely powerful brand in engineering, computer science, math, physics, and entrepreneurship. Case Western Reserve is well respected, especially in engineering, pre-med, nursing, and research, but it is not usually placed in the same prestige tier.

For the student who cares about sheer academic prestige, elite employer recognition, and being at a place people instantly associate with top-tier STEM, MIT is on another level. Its name carries unusual weight across academia, tech, finance, startups, and graduate admissions. That does not mean every MIT student will have a better outcome, but the institutional signal is much stronger.

Case Western fits a different kind of student: someone who wants a serious research university with strong science and engineering opportunities, excellent access to hospitals and labs in Cleveland, and often a more accessible, less intense atmosphere than MIT. It is the kind of school people in medicine, research, and certain engineering circles know well, even if the average person does not react to the name the way they would to MIT.

If you are deciding how much prestige should matter, the practical question is not whether the schools are equal in reputation, because they are not. The better question is whether the added prestige of MIT changes your academic options, career goals, and day-to-day college experience enough to matter more than cost, fit, stress level, and the programs you would actually use.