Is the University of Wisconsin–Madison or Rutgers University harder to get admitted to?

Question

I’m a high school junior comparing the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Rutgers University. I’m trying to understand which school is generally more selective for undergraduate admission, rather than comparing a specific major or application year.

Accepted Answer

The biggest practical difference is that Wisconsin–Madison is a single, highly sought-after flagship campus, while Rutgers admissions vary substantially by campus, with New Brunswick being the closest comparison. For a broad undergraduate comparison, Wisconsin–Madison is typically the more selective admit. Its applicant pool is especially competitive among out-of-state students, and residency can meaningfully affect the odds at both public universities.

Rutgers University is not one uniform admissions category: New Brunswick is the flagship and most selective Rutgers campus, while Newark and Camden have different applicant pools and admissions profiles. A comparison of Wisconsin–Madison with Rutgers as a whole can therefore make Rutgers appear less selective than it may be for particular New Brunswick schools or programs.

Neither school has one cutoff, and selectivity can shift by year, residency, school within the university, and major. Still, for the general, non-major-specific question you asked, Wisconsin–Madison is harder to get admitted to than Rutgers overall, and it is commonly somewhat harder than Rutgers–New Brunswick as well.

Is the University of Wisconsin–Madison or Rutgers University harder to get admitted to?

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