Federal data does help, even though no one explains it well. This article takes what the United States government reports about Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and translates it into something you can actually use: how much it costs, who gets in, who stays, and what questions you need to ask before your child signs anything.
I am not going to tell you whether Lehigh is the right college for your family. No one knows that yet, not even you. But if this school is on your child’s list, you deserve to understand it as clearly as you would understand a contract before signing it.
What Kind of University Lehigh Is
Let’s start with the basics. Lehigh University is a private, nonprofit, four-year or higher institution. The Carnegie Classification system—the way the United States categorizes its universities according to what they do—places it among doctoral universities with high research activity. It also describes Lehigh as a medium-sized, four-year, primarily residential school: in the most recent snapshot from that classification, between 25 and 49 of every 100 undergraduates lived in institution-controlled housing, and at least half studied full time.
The highest level Lehigh reports offering is the doctorate, and IPEDS—the federal higher education data system—classifies it as an institution that primarily awards bachelor’s degrees or higher-level credentials. That tells you the scale of the operation, not whether your child’s specific major is offered there or whether it connects to a graduate program. You have to verify that program by program.
One thing worth clarifying from the outset: Lehigh has none of these three federal designations. It is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this federal directory, 138 have at least one of the three. Lehigh’s lack of these designations says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are active, and whether your child can speak with someone who already attends the university.
Where is it? In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in Northampton County, within the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metropolitan area. Its census code places it within a city, which tells you where it is, not how to get there. If your child is considering living at home, the advice is simple: drive the route on a weekday at the actual time of the child’s classes. GPS estimates almost never match real traffic.
On selectivity, here is the short version: Carnegie already places Lehigh in its most selective admissions group. That does not measure how well it teaches. It measures whom it admits. We will look at the exact number admitted later, along with the full context.
The Real Size: How Many Students There Are and Who They Are
In the official fall count, Lehigh had 7,590 enrolled students. It is neither a small school nor an enormous one: it falls within the official band of 5,000 to 9,999. Compared with the 941 selective private four-year schools in this census, it is on the larger side: between one and three out of every ten schools in that group have more students.
But that total hides something important. It is divided between 5,811 undergraduate students and 1,779 graduate students. If your child is entering a bachelor’s degree program, the relevant number is 5,811, not the total of 7,590. A substantial part of this school consists of people who have already completed a bachelor’s degree and are pursuing something else.
And who are those 5,811? Among the undergraduate students reported in the fall of 2023, 11 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. That is a small minority, although compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census that report the data, Lehigh ranks above the midpoint of the group without reaching the top quarter. If you are a Latino family considering this school, it is worth saying plainly: there are relatively few Latino students here. That does not remove Lehigh from the list, but it is a reason to ask during a visit what specifically exists for Latino students—a student group, a cultural center, or someone in the office who speaks Spanish.
The undergraduate population is almost evenly split between men and women: 48 out of every 100 are women. And one fact stands out: fewer than 25 out of every 100 first-time students were permanent residents of Pennsylvania—exactly 23 out of every 100. The rest came from other states or other countries, or their residency was not reported. This does not measure distance or travel costs, but if your family lives far away, it is useful to know that most of your child’s classmates also came from elsewhere.
How Academics Work There
Lehigh organizes its academic year into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The institution reported that it accepts credit for AP exams, but it did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. Accepting AP does not mean it grants credit for every exam—it does not say what scores are required or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific degree program. Request a written transfer-credit evaluation before enrollment; do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand. Lehigh also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.
Between July 2022 and June 2023, Lehigh awarded 1,266 bachelor’s degrees across 19 fields of study. The field awarding the most degrees was business and management, with 27 out of every 100 degrees that year—a substantial share, but not a monopoly. No other field surpassed it, but it did not account for the bulk of the degrees either. Compared with the 942 selective private schools in this census, Lehigh is in the quarter awarding the most degrees per year. Nineteen fields with rows in the report do not mean nineteen majors in the current catalog—a field may group together several programs and may report zero. Verify the exact program that interests your child.
On group size: the official ratio is 10 full-time-equivalent students for each full-time-equivalent instructional staff member. Compared with similar schools, Lehigh falls below the midpoint—a low aggregate ratio. But be careful: this number does not tell you the size of first-year classes. It is an institution-wide average, not classroom-level data.
The institution also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and teacher-certification preparation programs, including state approval for initial certification.
Getting Into Lehigh: What It Requires and What the Data Shows
Here we reach one of the central pieces. Lehigh reported that it does not have open admission: it reviews requirements before saying yes.
Of the nine admission considerations measured by this report, Lehigh marked five as required: the high school record, high school GPA, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam when applicable. Put plainly, gathering documents is not enough here. The essay is required, so your child has to write.
Other pieces are not required but are considered if submitted: completion of the college-preparatory curriculum the university requests, work experience, and whether a family member attended—the factor known as legacy status. Your child cannot change that last factor. If it does not apply, do not spend energy on it. Spend that energy on what is within your child’s control.
The published undergraduate application fee is $75.
How selective is Lehigh in practice? In the 2023 cycle, Lehigh reported 18,415 first-time applicants. It offered admission to 5,389. That is 29 out of every 100. On the other side, 13,026 applicants did not receive an offer. Compared with the 942 selective private schools in this census, Lehigh is among those that admit the fewest: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, accepted a larger percentage of their applicants. It is fine for Lehigh to be on your child’s list. It should not be the only school on it.
And a practical warning: that 29 out of every 100 applies to the school as a whole. IPEDS does not report how many students get into each specific major. If your child is pursuing a particular program, request that number directly from admissions.
Now, something interesting: out of every 100 students Lehigh admitted for the first-year class of 2023, only 28 ultimately enrolled there. The other 72 had an acceptance letter in hand and chose somewhere else. Compared with similar schools, this places Lehigh on the high side—at most of those schools, a smaller share of admitted students enroll. This number does not measure how difficult it is to get in; it measures what other families decided after receiving an acceptance letter. When your child’s admission decisions arrive, this figure is not what will decide for you: place the letters side by side and compare net price, major, and distance before the deposit deadline.
On standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required at Lehigh. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid. Among the students who enrolled, 33 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores—a high proportion compared with similar schools. Among those who did submit them, the middle half scored between 670 and 730 in reading and writing, and between 680 and 760 in mathematics. Importantly, those ranges are for students who had already enrolled, not for all applicants. That 670 is not a minimum for admission, and that 730 does not guarantee anything either.
What if your child arrives as a transfer student? In the fall of 2023, Lehigh reported 47 undergraduate students who entered the university for the first time after studying at another institution. That is a headcount, not a rate, and it places Lehigh in the lower half compared with similar schools. The transfer-out rate—how many students who enter as first-time students eventually transfer elsewhere—is not reported in this file. That does not prove that no one transfers; it only means the data is not included here.
What It Costs and What Students Actually Pay
At Lehigh University, among 110 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $15,440. Among 101 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $19,495; among 291 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $50,046. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $34,606 between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 110 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 291 students. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $33,289.
$15,440 was the average net price for families in the lowest-income band in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you decide whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
Because the price varies so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial aid letter you receive is what matters.
Grants, Loans, and Who Ultimately Signs What
At Lehigh, aid that does not have to be repaid—grants and scholarships—reached 54 out of every 100 degree-seeking students. That is more than half, but not everyone. Compared with similar schools, Lehigh falls within the quarter where grant or scholarship aid reaches fewer students. Among those who received it, the average for the year was $46,247.
That is real money, but it is not a price. A high average among those who received aid does not mean your child’s offer will be that large. What matters is the amount remaining after aid, and you have to request that number from each school.
Pell—the federal grant for low-income families—reached 18 out of every 100 degree-seeking students.
And now the loans. 38 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan in the 2022-23 school year. More than two out of ten, but fewer than half. Among those who borrowed, the average amount per student was $5,983 that school year. Compared with similar schools, Lehigh is on the low side: seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, had a higher proportion of students with loans.
Some students here made it through the year without debt, and others borrowed. This overall percentage does not determine which group your child will fall into—the financial aid letter sent specifically to your child does.
And one clarification worth emphasizing: that average of $5,983 covers a single year and only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, bank debt, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt carried upon graduation—for that, you would have to add all four years, and that figure is not in this report. If Lehigh remains on the list, this is a question worth asking the financial aid office directly: what is the average total in student loans at graduation?
As for payment options, the institution reports that it offers a prepaid tuition plan and an installment payment plan—options that may help manage cash flow during the year, although they do not change the total amount.
Housing, Food, and Life Outside the Classroom
Lehigh does have institution-controlled housing, and it does not require all full-time, first-time students to live there—although that does not say whether a specific program does. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies depending on the plan selected. The reported maximum capacity of institution-controlled housing is 3,021 students, on or off campus.
The existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed when your child needs one. Request in writing this year’s rate, the housing application deadline, and whether housing is guaranteed or applicants are placed on a waiting list.
On ROTC: Lehigh indicated that an opportunity is available, and the only branch confirmed in writing is Army. Neither Navy nor Air Force is marked. If your child is interested in a different branch, it is not confirmed in this report—that does not make it impossible, but you should ask directly.
In athletics, Lehigh competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA. The report confirms NCAA membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field, although it does not specify the division, current teams, or whether athletic scholarships are available. Ask the coach of the sport that interests your child directly.
For distance education, Lehigh offers online courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and reports having at least one program in which all required courses can be completed at a distance. But in the actual fall count, fewer than 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load at a distance. If this matters to your child, confirm in writing whether the specific degree program offers that option.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditures exceed the $100,000 threshold recorded by the federal government—a sign of an operation with real resources, although that threshold does not guarantee the availability of databases specific to your child’s degree program. Ask using the program’s name.
Finally, the institution reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for both current students and graduates, on-campus child care, participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, and a published web address for services for people with disabilities. The presence of these services in the report does not tell you how they work in practice or how accessible they are—you learn that by visiting and asking.
Do They Stay? Do They Graduate? The Outcome Numbers
Here we reach one of the strongest signals in the entire report.
Of the first-time, full-time cohort that entered in the fall of 2022—1,508 students—93 out of every 100 were still enrolled at Lehigh or had already completed their bachelor’s degree the following year. That is a high rate: compared with 930 similar schools, Lehigh is among those retaining the largest share of their cohort. Nine out of ten schools in that comparison group retained an equal or smaller proportion.
That figure combines two different things—students who remain enrolled and those who have already graduated—and does not reveal what happened to the remaining 7 out of every 100. High retention is not a degree; it is a sign that most students did not leave.
On graduation: out of every 100 students who entered a bachelor’s degree program at Lehigh in 2017, 89 graduated within six years—in specific numbers, 1,100 out of 1,233. Using a four-year timeframe, the figure drops to 81 out of every 100—a difference of 8 percentage points that reflects how many needed a little more time. Compared with similar selective private schools, Lehigh is among those graduating the largest shares of students: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, reported an equal or smaller proportion.
That is a high figure, and it is worth saying so without burying it in excessive caution. But the full truth also needs to be stated: a high percentage is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to the class that entered in 2017. What is within your control, starting in the first semester, is ensuring that your child enters with credits in order and knows who the academic advisor is and when registration opens for courses in the degree program.
Expanding the window to eight years, using a different cohort that includes both first-time students and full-time transfer students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016: 88 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school by the August 2023 reporting date. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 87 out of every 100—a difference of only one point from those who did not receive one. The closeness of those figures does not mean the path was equally easy for both groups. Compared with similar schools, Lehigh is, once again, among those graduating the largest shares of their students within this timeframe.
What This Article Cannot Tell You
There is no federal data here on what happens after graduation at Lehigh: not employment, salaries, or the debt a student actually carries after completing four years. That part of the map is not here, and any claim about it would have to come from another source and be verified directly.
Putting the Pieces Together
You now know one part of the map in detail: who Lehigh University is according to what the United States government records about it.
That piece is not the complete plan. What is missing is what your child wants to study, how far your child is willing to live from home, and how far your family is willing or able to stretch financially. No figure in this article answers those questions for you.
What you can do now, with this information in hand, is ask the right questions at the right time: request the AP credit evaluation before enrollment, ask for the admission rate for the specific degree program that interests your child, wait for the financial aid letter before deciding anything, and verify in writing anything that depends on the exact program—housing, ROTC, distance education, and specialized library resources.
Your child’s job is to write the essay, choose a field of study, and build an academic record. Your job is to handle the money and deadlines and provide support without carrying the decision for your child. You do not decide your child’s life, and your child should not have to carry alone the weight of a system that both of you are only beginning to understand.
This article is based on data reported by Lehigh University to the United States Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), primarily for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Lehigh University or any United States government agency; this article is informational and does not constitute individualized admissions advice.