Address: 27 Memorial Drive West, 18015 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States
Engineering, Business, Finance
Lehigh University was founded in 1865 by the industrialist Asa Packer, on South Mountain in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley. It is a private institution, and the Asa Packer Campus on the mountain remains its historic core. Its teaching is organised in five colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Health, and the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.
The College of Health is the newest of these units and was added in recent years, and Business and Engineering sit alongside Arts and Sciences as long-standing parts of the university. In 2024 Lehigh enrolled more than 5,500 undergraduates and more than 1,700 postgraduate students.
Lehigh’s long-running sporting tradition is the football rivalry with Lafayette College, which has been played since 1884. Among its alumni is the automobile executive Lee Iacocca. Applicants and researchers should use the university’s official admissions and research pages for current programme lists, costs and deadlines.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Engineering, Materials, Optics, Project Management, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Located in the Lehigh Valley. Strong historical ties to industry. Known for its integrated learning experiences and research in areas like structural engineering and materials.
Research:
Research strengths in engineering (structural, materials, industrial), business and economics, optics and photonics, and data science.
Famous Alumnis:
Lee Iacocca, Roger Penske, C. J. McCollum, Al Holcomb
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1200
Current students***:
7000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
80000
Pros
Strong engineering and business programs, beautiful campus, good balance between teaching and research, active alumni network.
Cons
Located in a smaller city (Bethlehem), private university cost, some programs are very competitive.
Best For
Students seeking a strong education in engineering or business with a focus on experiential learning and research opportunities, in a traditional private university setting.
Drexel University is another private university on the US east coast, with engineering, health sciences and business as main fields, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Private and engineering-led, Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, adds robotics engineering and computer science to a similar technical profile.
In Hoboken, New Jersey, Stevens Institute of Technology is a private school whose specialties include engineering, computer science and financial engineering.
Engineering, computer science and applied science are the main fields at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a private institution in Troy, New York.
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, is a private university combining engineering with medicine and nursing.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
In the Netherlands, the public Technische Universiteit Delft pairs aerospace and civil engineering, a technical emphasis comparable to Lehigh's engineering college.
Canada's Polytechnique Montréal is a public engineering school in Montreal covering engineering disciplines across the board.
The public Technion - Israel Institute of Technology in Israel offers engineering, aerospace and computer science.
Germany's public Universität Stuttgart concentrates on automotive engineering and aerospace among its technical fields.
An Italian public institution, Politecnico di Torino, teaches automotive engineering and aerospace alongside other engineering fields.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Who founded Lehigh University and when?
The university was founded in 1865 by Asa Packer, an industrialist, on South Mountain in Bethlehem.
Where is Lehigh located?
Lehigh is in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley, with its original campus on South Mountain.
Which colleges make up the university?
There are five: Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Health, and the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Each college lists its own departments, degree programmes and research centres on its official page.
How large is the student body?
In 2024 Lehigh counted more than 5,500 undergraduates and more than 1,700 postgraduate students.
Is Lehigh a public or private university?
It is private, so costs are set by the university. Current figures are published on the official admissions and financial aid pages.
What is the Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry?
Lehigh and Lafayette College have competed in football since 1884.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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