Lehigh University (LU) Academics and Admissions

Academics

Founded in 1865, Lehigh is a coeducational, private university located in Bethlehem, Pa., about 75 miles from New York City and 50 miles from Philadelphia. The 1,600-acre university is spread over three contiguous campuses: The Asa Packer Campus, Mountaintop Campus, and Murray H. Goodman Campus. More than 150 buildings and 180 acres of playing fields are on this campus of about 6,900 undergraduates and graduate students.

Students who enroll at Lehigh attend one of its four colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Economics, the College of Education and the P.C Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Lehigh offers more than 90 different programs and majors, and more than 2,000 courses. The university’s average class size is 27 students, and its large classes do offer small sections in addition to the lectures. The student-to-faculty ratio at Lehigh is 10:1. Lehigh’s two libraries hold more than 1.2 million volumes and also 150 scholarly databases available for research.

Students who attend Lehigh can take advantage of the school’s academic support services, including a learning center, assistance with study skills, tutoring and a writing center. It offers English as a Second Language classes and services, an honors program, independent study opportunities, internships, an exchange student program and career counseling.

Lehigh’s Study Abroad program is extensive, offering undergraduates 200 programs in 60 different countries. You can spend a semester abroad in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia/New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East. If you prefer to travel during college breaks, Lehigh offers winter break programs in Costa Rica, Martinique, Spain, and Singapore; summer programs n Belgium, Ireland, London, Paris, Prague, Shanghai, and Kenya; and a spring break program in Israel. The programs are all led by members of the Lehigh faculty.

Lehigh also has agreements with 13 exchange colleges and universities around the world, which allow students to enroll at an exchange university as an international exchange student. Lehigh offers $2,000 travel grants to qualifying students who attend one of the exchange schools for a semester or year.

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Information Summary

Ranks 5th in Pennsylvania and 35th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	98.0
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$68,595
Admission Success rate	N/A
ACT / SAT 75%ile scores	33 / 1450
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	11 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	94% / N/A
Enrollment Total (all students)	6,849

Admissions

Lehigh University is rated by U.S. News and World Report as one of the country’s “most selective” colleges, and the statistics show that to be the case. Out of 10,328 applicants last fall, 3,913, or about 38 percent, were accepted. Approximately 518 students were accepted by early decision, and another 196 applicants were “Lehigh legacy” students — those with a family alumni connection to the school.

About 95 percent of accepted students were in the top 10 percent in their high school graduating class, and the vast majority of admitted students — 2,539 — scored in the 1300 to 1490 range on the SATs. Students of color made up 18 percent of the total number of accepted students last fall.

Lehigh accepts the Common Application from all applicants, and you can apply easily online.

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Financial Aid

Financial aid is an important factor when applying to a university with tuition and housing costs in the high $40,000s. So in 2010-11, more than half of Lehigh’s students received financial aid amounting to about $59 million in university grants and scholarships. Many of Lehigh’s scholarships are supported by the school’s endowment, which is valued at about $1 billion.

Lehigh offers students both need-based and merit-based scholarships, including academic merit awards for students in the top tier of their applicant pool. Dean’s Scholars are chosen for award of $10,000 a year for students who excel academically and have shown leadership skills in high school. The need-based Lehigh Scholars award goes to students with solid academic skills and a demonstration need. Students who receive the award must maintain a 2.8 grade point average at while at Lehigh.

In addition, talented singers can apply for the Cutler Sametz Choral Arts Scholarships, which provide qualifying students with $2,500 and free vocal lessons. Recipients are expected to join the Universityb Choir, Lehigh’s 50-voice ensemble which performs throughout the U.S. If you’re a talented musician, you might want to consider the Snyder Family Marching 97 Scholarship, award to musically talented students. It provides annual awards of $1,000 to $2,500 and recipients must join the Marching Band. Baker Gifted Arts Scholarships of $3,000 are available to students who demonstrate outstanding talent in instrumental music or theater. Performing arts scholarships of $3,000 in instrumental music and theater are also available to students.

Lehigh also has a limited number of athletic scholarships, and applicants who are National Merit Finalists receive small scholarships as well. President’s Scholars receive a fifth year of free undergraduate or graduate study at Lehigh.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 1351st for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in Pennsylvania.

Students

Lehigh requires freshmen and sophomores to live in on-campus housing. First-year residence halls all surround the campus and afford students a short walk to classes, libraries, the gym and other activities.

Most rooms are doubles, but a limited number are singles and triples. All rooms are smoke-free and equipped with a phone, cable TV connections and direct Internet access. Dorms at Lehigh also include lounges, kitchens and study rooms. Students get their choice of themed housing as well, including CHOICE housing, whose residents sign a pledge to refrain from smoking or drinking in their residence hall; coed housing; South Mountain College housing for students from the College of Arts and Sciences; and Live.Learn.Serve housing for students interested in community service.

Although sophomores are required to live on campus, the choices widen for students who choose to join one of Lehigh’s 20 fraternities or nine sororities. Sophomores are also offered apartment-style units, suites, and special-interest housing.

Lehigh has a strong Greek community and most chapter houses are located on the “Hill,” which is located along Upper and Lower Sayre Park Roads. Lehigh’s Greek communities do a lot of community service and philanthropy work in the Bethlehem community.

There are three residence dining facilities at Lehigh, along with a number of retail and café options around the campus, including a deli, bakery and a sandwich shop in the Ulrich Student Center. The Cup, an ice cream shop on campus, is and and Johnny’s Bagels at Campus Square, are extremely popular with student. Lehigh offers nine different meal plans. Students who join fraternities and sororities have their own cooks. Fraternity brothers get lunch and dinner made for them every weekday, and sorority sisters get a homecooked dinner.

Students also like frequenting the restaurants, cafes and shopping malls in Bethlehem, the city that surrounds the Lehigh campus.

Clubs and activities at Lehigh are endless, with more than 150 diverse clubs to choose from. You can try out for A Whole Step Up, the Lehigh male a capella singing group; join the African American Cultural Club; share your love of Japanese anime in the anime club; work on the Lehigh student newspaper, “Brown and White”; or try your hand at the Lehigh Dance Team or the LU Step Team.

There are clubs and organizations based on academic interests, and lots of club sports teams you can join, including a cricket team, an equestrian team, men’s and women’s ultimate Frisbee teams, and the Lehigh Roller Hockey Club, whose members compete against other universities in serious Tier I division play of the Philadelphia Collegiate Roller Hockey League.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are a members of NCAA, and the college offers a wide variety of varsity sports for university athletes. Men’s varsity sports are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field and wrestling. There also is a varsity club rowing team. Women’s sports at Lehigh are basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

School spirit rules at Lehigh, where the university has a Student Spirit Committee, a marching band, a pep band, a dance team, cheerleaders, and Clutch, the Hawk mascot (who is played by a number of different students). All of these groups combined help to build attendance at Lehigh’s athletic events. The school also hosts the annual Lehigh-Lafayette Bonfire and a first-year Student Rally, where all freshmen receive their first Hawk’s nest T-shirts.

One of the country’s best-known rivalries involves the Lehigh and Lafayette College football teams, among the largest attended contests each year. The rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette, located just 20 miles away in Easton, Pa., is a lot like the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. The Lehigh-Lafayette football teams have met 146 times since 1884, only one year after official football rules were established.

In recent years, Lehigh has dominated the series, including wins in 2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09, and 2009-10. In 42 years, Lehigh has won 36 times and has lost twice. There have been six ties.

Bibliography

College Admissions – SAT – University & College Search Tool. The College Board. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.

College Prowler. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

Lehigh Sports. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

Lehigh University | Campus Information & Services | Best College | US News. US News & World Report | News & Rankings | Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, and More. US News & World Report. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

Lehigh University. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

Lehigh Sports. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.

Lehigh University