Is Imperial College London harder to get into than the University of Amsterdam?

Yes. Imperial College London is usually considered harder to get into than the University of Amsterdam. Imperial is a highly selective specialist university with a strong focus on STEM, medicine, and business-related fields, and its admissions process tends to be more competitive and more academically demanding across many programs.

The students who tend to fit Imperial are those with very strong grades in rigorous courses, especially in math and science, and often a clear academic match to a specific subject. Imperial admissions are more structured around subject readiness, and for some courses that can include admissions tests, interviews, or very specific prerequisite expectations. It is not just about being a strong student overall, but being exceptionally well prepared for a particular field.

The University of Amsterdam attracts a different kind of applicant pool. It is still a respected and competitive university, especially in certain programs, but as an institution it is not usually viewed as selective in the same way Imperial is.

If you are looking at admissions difficulty in broad terms, Imperial sits in the more selective category. UvA is better understood as a school where difficulty can vary more by program, with some courses relatively straightforward for eligible applicants and others much tighter. So for a student comparing overall admissions challenge rather than one specific major, Imperial is the tougher admit.