Is Villanova harder to get into than Duke for undergraduate admissions?

Yes. Duke is meaningfully harder to get into than Villanova for undergraduate admission.

Both schools are selective, but they are not selective at the same level. Duke draws a much larger national and international applicant pool, is viewed as one of the most competitive private universities in the country, and typically expects extremely strong academics plus standout extracurricular impact. Villanova is also selective and attracts many high-achieving applicants, but it sits in a different admissions tier from Duke.

For a student with strong grades, rigorous courses, and solid involvement, Villanova can still be a realistic reach or target depending on the rest of the profile. That same student would usually see Duke as a high reach unless there is something especially distinctive in the application, such as unusual academic achievement, rare talent, or exceptional leadership.

The type of applicant each school tends to admit also feels different. Duke often looks for students who are not only top performers in demanding classes but who also show a high level of initiative, intellectual energy, and impact beyond the classroom. Villanova certainly values those things too, but applicants do not usually need the same level of national-level distinction to be competitive.

So for expectation-setting, it makes sense to treat Duke as the tougher admit by a wide margin and Villanova as selective but more attainable.