How do Michigan State and UIUC compare in admissions difficulty overall?

UIUC is typically harder to get into than Michigan State, especially for applicants aiming at high-demand programs. UIUC draws a very large national and international applicant pool and can become much more selective in majors like engineering, computer science, and business. Michigan State is still a well-known Big Ten university, but its admissions process is usually more accessible overall.

For a student applying to a specific major and trying to gauge risk, UIUC is the school that needs more caution. At UIUC, selectivity can vary a lot by college or program, so one applicant might have a realistic shot in one area and a much tougher path in another. That matters a lot if you are not applying undecided or if your intended major is especially popular.

Michigan State makes more sense to think of as a broader-access public flagship with solid academics and a large student body. A strong, well-prepared applicant often sees MSU as more attainable, while UIUC is more likely to function as a reach or at least a more uncertain target, particularly in sought-after fields.

If you are building a list, it would be reasonable to place UIUC in a more selective category than Michigan State in most cases. The main exception is that your academic profile and intended major can shift the picture, since UIUC is not equally difficult across every program. For overall admissions difficulty, though, UIUC is the tougher admit.