Acceptance Rate
26%
Avg. SAT
1500
75th percentile
“Nestled on a Pennsylvania mountain overlooking a reinvented steel town, Lehigh turns ambitious tinkerers into industry leaders through hands-on engineering and spirited traditions.”
Bethlehem, PA
Location
Small City
Campus Setting
Lehigh University traces its roots to 1865, when railroad baron Asa Packer poured a then-unprecedented half-million dollars into founding a technical institute amid Bethlehem's booming ironworks—today, you'll wander past the ghostly ruins of Bethlehem Steel from campus paths. This legacy shapes a school that attracts driven students who blend Yankee ingenuity with collaborative grit: think the kid who leads robotics club, majors in supply chain, and tailgates with equal fervor. Lehigh's personality skews preppy-athletic, with a friendly Mid-Atlantic vibe that's more approachable than Ivy pressure cookers but less quirky than liberal arts havens. Bethlehem offers a small-city charm—cobblestone streets, a massive Christmas village drawing 200,000 visitors yearly—but tradeoffs include limited urban buzz (nearest big nightlife is Philly, 90 minutes away) and brutal winters that turn the hilly campus into a slippery hike.
Photo Gallery
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Admissions
Acceptance Rate
Test Policy
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Average GPA
Application Fee
Academics
Student-Faculty Ratio
Programs Offered
Full-Time Faculty
Women Faculty
Research Spending
Degree Levels Offered
You'll dive into Lehigh's engineering core, where programs like industrial and mechanical consistently crack top-30 national rankings, fueled by undergrad research in labs overlooking the Lehigh River—expect small seminars (10:1 ratio means profs know your name) and project-based classes that mimic real-world startups. Business at the College of Business stands out for finance and supply chain tracks, drawing Wall Street recruiters, while journalism punches above its weight with gritty reporting internships at local papers. Intellectual life hums in the Mountaintop Campus makerspaces, but tradeoffs hit non-STEM majors: humanities feel secondary, with fewer star profs than tech departments, and the vocational bent suits careerists over pure theorists.
Student Body
Total Enrollment
5,911 undergrad • 1,781 grad
Undergraduate
Graduate
International
White
57%
Black / African American
5%
Hispanic / Latino
10%
Asian
9%
Other / Multi-racial
20%
Campus Life
Campus Setting
Bethlehem, PA
Varsity Athletics
NCAA Athletics
Picture a typical week: Monday labs yield to Thursday tailgates before football against Lafayette, your fiercest rival in a 160-year feud capped by bonfires and pranks. Greek life claims 35% of undergrads in 50 chapters, fueling parties in off-campus houses, but you'll also find 250+ clubs—from ultimate frisbee to the Lehigh Outing Club hiking the Appalachian Trail nearby. Residential life clusters you in suite-style dorms or themed honors houses like the all-vegan veggie co-op, fostering bonds on a 2,300-acre campus that's gorgeous in fall but a quad-burning slog in snow. The vibe stays inclusive and energetic, though social scenes skew white and Greek-heavy (65% white undergrads), potentially isolating introverts or those seeking diverse nightlife—Bethlehem's artsy SteelStacks district offers brews and concerts, but expect tame weekends compared to state schools.
Housing
On-Campus Housing
Housing Capacity
Meal Plan Available
Average Room & Board
Athletics
Athletic Association
Patriot League
ROTC & Veteran Support
Army
Yes
Navy
No
Air Force
No
Veteran’s Programs Available
Yellow Ribbon Program (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
Yes
Cost & Aid
In-State Tuition
Out-of-State Tuition
Room & Board
Estimated Cost
Financial Aid
Students Receiving Aid
Receiving Pell Grants
Average Grant
Average Federal Loan
Net Annual Cost by Household Income
Household Income
Avg. Net Cost
$0 – $30K
$15,188
$30K – $48K
$17,416
$48K – $75K
$22,056
$75K – $110K
$29,779
$110K+
$49,302
Apply for Financial Aid
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Costs shown are before financial aid. Most students receive some form of aid. Complete the FAFSA to see what you qualify for.
Outcomes & Earnings
Retention Rate
94%
4 Years Graduation Rate
79%
6 Years Graduation Rate
88%
Median 10-Year Earnings
$105,584
94% of first-time, full-time students complete their freshman year at Lehigh University and return in the fall. 79% of first-time, full-time students graduate in 4 years, and 88% graduate within 6 years.
Graduation Rate
4-year grads
79%
4-6 years
9%
Non-grad
12%
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Key Statistics
Type
Private
Tuition
$58,970
Acceptance
26%
Undergrads
5,911
4-Year Grad Rate
79%
Endowment
$1.3B
Bethlehem, PA 18015