Lehigh University
A private research university on a Pennsylvania hillside where engineering, business and the arts are built to be combined.
- Acceptance rate
- 29%
- First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 7,909
- 5,986 undergraduates
- International
- 6%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 11:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $69,420
- 2026-27
About Lehigh
Lehigh University was founded in 1865 by industrialist Asa Packer to give a thorough education in engineering, chemistry, metallurgy and the classics, and it still carries that mix of technical and liberal learning. It is a private R1 research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with its original campus built into the north slope of South Mountain above the city's South Side. In fall 2025 it enrolled 7,909 students: 5,986 undergraduates and 1,923 graduate students.
Undergraduates study in the College of Arts and Sciences, the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Business and the College of Health, with the College of Education serving graduate students. Lehigh's distinctive offer is its intercollege degrees, which combine two colleges in one bachelor's: Computer Science and Business, Integrated Business and Engineering, Integrated Business and Health, and the IDEAS honors program in engineering, arts and sciences. About a quarter of undergraduates are in engineering and 22 percent in business.
Lehigh is selective: it admitted 5,601 of 19,342 first-year applicants for fall 2025 (29.0%), and 881 of the 1,535 new students came through binding Early Decision. It suits students who want a mid-sized, residential, sports-mad campus with a strong career pipeline: 88 percent of graduates complete an internship or experiential learning opportunity.
Homo minister et interpres naturae
“Man, the servant and interpreter of nature” — university motto
Why students choose Lehigh
Four intercollege programs, including Computer Science and Business and Integrated Business and Engineering, lead to a single degree drawing on two colleges.
The Lehigh Commitment gives a full tuition grant to undergraduates from families earning under $75,000, and 26 percent of students admitted for 2025-26 received merit scholarships of $15,000 or more.
Career outcomes are a core draw: 88 percent of graduates complete an internship or experiential learning, and 2025 graduates reported an average starting salary of $77,000.
Campus traditions centre on The Rivalry with nearby Lafayette College, the most-played game in college football, and Spirit Week bed races down Packer Avenue.
Admissions
First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
About 1 in 3 applicants is admitted
5,601 admitted from 19,342 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
1,535 first-years enrolled, 881 of them through Early Decision. 4,083 applicants were offered a place on the waiting list and 80 were admitted from it. Lehigh considers demonstrated interest and reviews international applicants who need aid on a need-aware basis. Lehigh's University Statistics page gives a higher applicant figure (20,396); the CDS count is used here.
Typical entry requirements
| U.S. high school curriculum | At least 16 units: 4 English, 3 college-prep mathematics, 2 laboratory science, 2 social science, 2 foreign language and 3 electives; most admitted students exceed this |
|---|---|
| International secondary education | Completion of 12 years of schooling or a programme giving university eligibility at home; O-level or GCSE/IGCSE alone is not enough (apply in the final year of A-levels or equivalent) |
| English language | IELTS 7 · TOEFL iBT 90 Required unless English is your first language or your last two full years of schooling were in English. Lehigh says the most competitive candidates score above TOEFL 90, IELTS 7.0 or Duolingo 120; its guidance treats TOEFL 95+ (5.5+ on the new scale from January 2026), IELTS 7.5+ and Duolingo 120+ as strong proficiency. SAT and ACT cannot be used to meet the requirement. |
Deadlines
- Early Decision I Binding Next deadline · In 26 daysNovember 1, 2026
Binding. Decisions mid-December. CSS Profile and tax documents due November 1 for aid applicants.
- Early Decision II Binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 1, 2027
Binding. Decisions mid-February. CSS Profile and tax documents due January 15.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 1, 2027
Decisions late March. Financial aid application due January 15. The 7-year BA/DMD Bio-Dental program with Penn also has a January 1 deadline, with decisions in early April.
Lehigh's deadline pages list month and day without a year; its international fee-waiver code (INTLwaiver2027) confirms the pages are set for the fall 2027 cycle. Lehigh has no Early Action round.
How to apply
Common App or Coalition Application with Scoir, with Lehigh questions and writing supplement; School Report with counselor recommendation and transcript; one teacher recommendation; midyear report; $75 fee; optional SAT/ACT; optional interview (evaluative); Early Decision agreement form for ED; non-U.S. citizens who need aid submit the CSS Profile (or ISAFA) and Certificate of Finances.
What admissions looks for
- Academic strength in context: rigor of the high school record and GPA are rated very important, with attention to senior-year performance and courses related to the intended major.
- Leadership shown through extracurricular and work experience, plus talent, character and volunteer work (all rated important in the CDS).
- Demonstrated interest in Lehigh, which the CDS rates important and the admissions FAQ lists among review factors.
- An authentic voice: Lehigh reviews holistically and says it wants to understand how your story and environment shaped you.
Tips for applying to Lehigh
- 1 If Lehigh is your first choice, use Early Decision I (November 1) or II (January 1): there is no Early Action, and more than half of the fall 2025 entering class enrolled through ED.
- 2 Show demonstrated interest, since Lehigh weighs it; an optional interview is evaluative and becomes part of your file.
- 3 If you are drawn to more than one field, name an intercollege program such as Computer Science and Business, Integrated Business and Engineering or IDEAS, and explain why the combination matters to you in your supplement.
- 4 International students who need any aid must file the CSS Profile by the round deadline (November 1 for ED I, January 15 otherwise); aid is limited and review is need-aware, and awards are not increased later.
- 5 Submit scores only if they help: enrolled students who submitted had a middle-50% SAT of 1380-1480.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Lehigh University
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Lehigh meets need through grants, loans and work; families with total income under $75,000 pay no tuition through the Lehigh Commitment, and merit scholarships are awarded at admission. International students can receive need-based and merit aid, but funds are limited and admission is need-aware for those who apply for aid; aid offered at admission will not be raised later except for cost increases.
- 97%
- Average need met, first-year need-based aid recipients (CDS 2025-26)
- $57,846
- Average need-based grant, first-years with need (CDS 2025-26)
- 208 students, averaging $62,165
- International undergraduates receiving institutional aid (CDS 2025-26)
- Pay no tuition (Lehigh Commitment)
- Families with income under $75,000
- 26%
- Admitted students for 2025-26 with merit awards of $15,000+ per year
- $89,820; Lehigh adds $1,000 for books and $1,500 personal expenses when calculating aid
- 2026-27 direct costs, first year on campus
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Computer Science and Business (CSB)
A joint degree from the College of Business and the computer science department of the engineering college.
Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE)
An honors programme integrating business and engineering coursework into a single Bachelor of Science.
Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts and Sciences (IDEAS)
A four-year honors program run jointly by Arts and Sciences and Engineering for students who refuse to pick one side.
Integrated Degree in Business and Health (IBH)
Pairs core business principles with health economics and policy for careers in the health industry.
7-Year BA/DMD Bio-Dental Program
An accelerated combined degree leading to dental school at the University of Pennsylvania.
4+1 Accelerated Master's Programs
Let undergraduates add a master's degree with one extra year.
Research
- Classified R1 (very high research activity), with more than 80 research-based graduate programs.
- University Research Centers include the Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience, Lehigh's first, which studies natural disasters and health threats.
- Engineering research centres include the Center for Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems (ATLSS) in the P.C. Rossin College, alongside newer centres for AI and business transformation and community electrification.
- The Mountaintop campus hosts summer research programs; its 2026 expo showcased 75 student and faculty projects.
Schools & faculties
- College of Arts and Sciences
- P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science
- College of Business
- College of Health
- College of Education
Lehigh reports 92 percent successful outcomes for its graduating class (64% employed, 24% continuing education) and a $77,000 average starting salary for 2025 graduates. College Scorecard: median earnings of $105,584 ten years after entry (and $88,810 six years after entry) for federally aided students.
Student life
Lehigh is a close-knit, residential campus where most of life happens on the hill: first-years are guided by Gryphons, Lehigh's name for resident advisers, and the Residence Hall Association runs programming across the halls. Lehigh reports 94 percent extracurricular participation, from the Marching 97 band to the Mustard and Cheese Drama Society and the beekeeping club. Greek life has deep roots on campus, and school spirit peaks in the week before the Lafayette game.
- The Rivalry with Lafayette College, played since 1884 and the most-played game in college football.
- Spirit Week bed races, where student teams drag-race decorated beds down Packer Avenue.
- 26 NCAA Division I sports in the Patriot League, as the Mountain Hawks.
- 40 percent of students study or learn internationally during their degree.
Housing. Students living on campus are supported by Gryphons (resident advisers), and typical first-year housing costs $11,470 for 2026-27.
Location
Bethlehem is a small city in Pennsylvania's historically industrial Lehigh Valley. Lehigh's original Asa Packer campus is built into the north slope of South Mountain, looking down over the city's South Side, while the Mountaintop campus on the summit and the Murray H. Goodman campus beyond it hold research buildings, playing fields and Goodman Stadium. It is a compact, walkable college-town setting where campus and city meet at the foot of the hill.
Nearest airport: Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)
Notable alumni
- LI Lee IacoccaFormer Chrysler chairman; industrial engineering (1945)
- RP Roger PenskeMotorsport team owner and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient (1959)
- MB Martin BaronFormer editor of The Washington Post and The Boston Globe (1976)
- CE Cathy EngelbertFirst female CEO of Deloitte and first WNBA commissioner (1986)
- SC Stacey Cunningham67th president of the New York Stock Exchange; industrial engineering (1996)
- TH Terry HartNASA Space Shuttle astronaut; mechanical engineering (1968)
- MJ Maria JacquemettonMad Men producer and writer, Emmy-nominated for drama writing (1983)
- JP Joseph PerellaInvestment banker who co-founded Wasserstein Perella and Perella Weinberg Partners; accounting degree (1964)
Frequently asked questions
What is Lehigh University's acceptance rate?
Lehigh admitted 5,601 of 19,342 first-year applicants for fall 2025, an acceptance rate of about 29%. More than half of the entering class enrolled through binding Early Decision.
Is Lehigh test-optional?
Yes, indefinitely. SAT and ACT scores are optional and superscored if sent; enrolled students who submitted had a middle-50% SAT of 1380-1480 and ACT of 31-34.
Does Lehigh have Early Action?
No. Lehigh offers binding Early Decision I (November 1) and Early Decision II (January 1), plus Regular Decision (January 1).
How much does Lehigh cost per year?
For 2026-27, tuition is $69,420 and typical direct costs including housing, meals and fees are $89,820. Families earning under $75,000 pay no tuition through the Lehigh Commitment.
Does Lehigh give financial aid to international students?
Yes, need-based and merit aid are available, but funding is limited and admission is need-aware for internationals who request aid. In 2025-26, 208 international undergraduates received institutional aid averaging $62,165.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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