Is Purdue or Rutgers harder to get into?

Purdue is typically harder to get into than Rutgers. Purdue tends to draw a very large national and international applicant pool, and some of its most popular programs, especially engineering, computer science, and business-related fields, are notably selective. Rutgers is also competitive, but overall it is usually a bit more accessible, especially depending on which Rutgers campus you mean.

If you are the kind of applicant looking at highly subscribed STEM majors, Purdue often becomes the tougher admit. A student applying to Purdue Engineering or Computer Science is facing one of the more competitive admissions situations at the university, and Purdue is widely known for being especially selective in those areas.

Rutgers makes more sense to think about campus by campus. Rutgers New Brunswick is the main comparison point and is the most selective Rutgers campus, while Newark and Camden are typically less selective. That means “Rutgers” as a whole can look broader and more variable in admissions difficulty than Purdue.

For a student applying undeclared or to less impacted majors, the gap may feel smaller, but Purdue still usually comes across as the more selective school overall. If your list includes both, it is reasonable to treat Purdue as the tougher admissions reach and Rutgers, especially outside New Brunswick, as the more attainable option.