Is Princeton harder to get into than Northeastern?

Yes. Princeton is substantially more difficult to gain admission to than Northeastern. Princeton has an extraordinarily small entering class, a global applicant pool with exceptional academic records, and admissions standards that expect both top-level achievement and unusual intellectual or personal distinction.

A student who is a plausible Princeton applicant typically has taken the most demanding courses available, earned outstanding grades, and developed a meaningful record of impact or accomplishment beyond the classroom. Even applicants with those credentials face very uncertain odds because Princeton must turn away many highly qualified students.

Northeastern is also highly selective, particularly because of its strong co-op program, Boston location, and large volume of applications. Its applicant pool includes many academically strong students, and admission can be unpredictable, especially for popular majors and certain application plans. Still, Northeastern admits a broader range of successful applicants than Princeton and places less emphasis on the rare, nationally distinctive profile that often appears in Princeton’s pool.

For college-list planning, treat Princeton as a very high reach for virtually every applicant, including valedictorians and students with excellent test scores. Northeastern may be a reach or possible target depending on your grades, course rigor, major, residency context, and application plan, but it should not be viewed as comparable to Princeton in overall admissions difficulty.