Getting into competitive university courses?

What are the hardest university courses to get accepted into, both here in the US and internationally? Does it vary a lot by country or are there some universally acclaimed 'toughest' programs to get into?

The difficulty of admission into a program really varies by specific universities and their relative popularity and prestige. That said, we can discuss some general trends.

In the US, very selective programs tend to be those heavily impacted or in high demand at prestigious institutions. Examples include Computer Science at schools like Stanford University or MIT, or Business programs at Wharton School (UPenn) and Haas Business School (UC Berkeley). In addition to that, Premed programs can be quite competitive, due to the high interest in the medical field and rigorous admission standards at schools like Johns Hopkins University or Harvard University.

Internationally, the competitiveness also depends on the reputation of the institution and the specific course of study. For instance, studying Law at the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge in the UK is highly competitive, as is getting into Business Administration at INSEAD in France or Singapore. STEM programs at institutions like ETH Zurich in Switzerland or Tsinghua University in China are also very difficult to get into.

The competitiveness typically hinges on the prestige of the particular program and the specific demand at the university. Remember, admission requirements also differ by country, making it quite complex to provide a universally applicable rule.

Please do your research on specific programs at universities you're interested in as you'll need to pay attention to their specific prerequisites and admissions requirements. Remember, a competitive program also means you'll need to ensure your application stands out in other aspects, such as extracurricular involvement, letters of recommendation, and personal essays.