Lehigh University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Private nonprofit · Open access · CDS 2025-2026
Lehigh University is a private nonprofit university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that admits about 78% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $38,428 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Accounting and Related Services and Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 78% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 5.7 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Lehigh University is a private institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the most recent reporting cycle, Lehigh University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 78%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1337 and an ACT composite around 29. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $38,428 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Lehigh University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Lehigh University?
Lehigh University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Lehigh University weight in admissions?
Lehigh University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Lehigh University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 620–730, with an EBRW midpoint near 645. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1260 |
| 50th percentile | 1350 |
| 75th percentile | 1430 |
| % submitting SAT | 35% |
| 25th percentile | 28 |
| 50th percentile | 30 |
| 75th percentile | 33 |
| % submitting ACT | 4% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Required for some
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 31.78% |
| Top 25% of class | 63.18% |
| Top 50% of class | 88.95% |
| % submitting class rank | 26.5% |
How much does Lehigh University actually cost?
Published tuition is $60,663 for in-state students and $60,663 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $17,550 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $38,428 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 25% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | — |
| Average net price (after aid) | $38,428 |
| Application fee | $65 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Lehigh University
| Regular deadline | 15-Jan |
| Notification date | 1-Apr |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 15-Nov |
| ED acceptance rate | 78% |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | 15-Nov |
Will my child graduate from Lehigh University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Lehigh University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Lehigh University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Accounting and Related Services and Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. Across all programs, Lehigh University confers roughly 1,934 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing program report a median income of about $95,080 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 581 | $95,080 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 299 | $90,655 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 206 | $96,560 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 184 | $99,010 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 169 | $67,219 |
| Computer Science | 168 | $116,867 |
| Biology, General | 167 | $74,257 |
| Marketing | 160 | $83,510 |
Is Lehigh University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Lehigh University disclosed 75 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 5.7 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 10 violent offenses and 17 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Lehigh University?
About 16% of undergraduates at Lehigh University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 12% of men join a fraternity and 8% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Pennsylvania parents ask about
- University of Pennsylvania6% acceptance
- Carnegie Mellon University54% acceptance
- Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus50% acceptance
- Drexel University11% acceptance
- University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus32% acceptance
- Temple University79% acceptance
- Villanova University83% acceptance
- Swarthmore College13% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Lehigh University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Lehigh University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Lehigh University
What GPA do I need for Lehigh University?
Lehigh University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Lehigh University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 620–730, with an EBRW midpoint near 645. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–33.
How much does Lehigh University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Lehigh University after grants and scholarships is $38,428 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Lehigh University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Lehigh University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Lehigh University?
Lehigh University accepts about 78% of applicants out of roughly 38,030 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Lehigh University test-optional?
Yes. Lehigh University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Lehigh University?
About 78% of students at Lehigh University graduate within six years. 89% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Lehigh University?
Lehigh University's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 78%, compared with its overall rate of 78%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Lehigh University look for in applicants?
Lehigh University rates course rigor, class rank, GPA and test scores as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Lehigh University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Lehigh University is a private nonprofit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What are the most popular majors at Lehigh University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Lehigh University by annual graduates are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Accounting and Related Services and Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. The school awards about 1,934 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Lehigh University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Lehigh University reported 75 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 5.7 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Lehigh University?
At Lehigh University, 16% of undergraduates live on campus, 12% of men are in fraternities, 8% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Lehigh University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.