Is William & Mary harder to get into than Michigan State?

The biggest practical difference is that William & Mary is a much more selective public university overall, while Michigan State admits a broader range of strong applicants and is designed to be more accessible at scale. William & Mary has a smaller undergraduate population, a more intimate academic environment, and a reputation for drawing a highly academic applicant pool. Michigan State is also well regarded, but as a large flagship-style public university, it typically has a less restrictive admissions bar than William & Mary.

So yes, William & Mary is generally harder to get into than Michigan State. In most admissions conversations, William & Mary is viewed as the more selective of the two. Its applicant pool tends to skew more concentrated around high grades, rigorous coursework, and strong academic fit.

Michigan State is not easy in an absolute sense, but university-wide it is usually more attainable. It enrolls far more students and has a broader admissions model, which makes the overall selectivity lower than at William & Mary.

If you are comparing them for your own chances, treat William & Mary more like a reach or high target unless your academics are very strong, while Michigan State is more likely to fall into the target range for the same student profile. That does not mean one is better than the other, only that William & Mary is typically the tougher admit.