Lehigh University is a small research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. There are 5,047 undergraduate students and 1,802 graduate students, placing it on the larger side of small. Lehigh is recognized as an NGO by the United Nations and has 56 UN-related programs every year. They also have impressive academics, but they are better known for the social side of things. Lehigh has a very significant Greek-life and a lot of school spirit, which shows itself at the annual Lehigh-Lafayette football games. 53% of the class of 2022 was filled with Early Decision applicants.
There is also something about Lehigh that is both good to know if you intend to apply and generally informative for prospective applicants to any college. Lehigh accepted a higher percentage of students with a 1400-1490 SAT (or 32-33 ACT) than students with a higher SAT or ACT score. Why would they do that? Well, college admissions is about finding a good fit — not just for the student, but also for the school. The Lehigh admissions team knows that someone with a 1550 SAT is applying to them as a safety. If the applicant gets in, they will nearly certainly choose to go to a more selective school.
One of the critical statistics colleges need to manage is matriculation rate, or what percentage of accepted students choose to attend. Colleges don’t want to accept people that they are sure would turn down the offer of admission anyway because that drives down their matriculation rate. You need safeties, but one of the reasons that acceptance to safeties isn’t guaranteed is that they don’t want to accept people who won’t accept them. Which is all to say, you need to be really strategic about your college lists (and we have some resources to help!).
The acceptance rate at Lehigh University is 22%.
This year, one of the supplemental questions was carried over. The other two are brand new.
With the understanding that you are able to change Colleges at Lehigh after one year, why did you choose to apply to the College or program you selected above?
This question is in the general questions section, and there is no word count. There is also only a very small area in which to insert your answer. However, the tiny space does allow you to enter approximately 100 words. We do not recommend using all 100 words because if they wanted that many words, they would have made the box bigger.
We believe that the sweet spot for this question is under 50 words, and so you need to be specific and concise. Later in the application, they ask for why you have applied to Lehigh, so you only need to state why you selected the college or major — not why you picked it at Lehigh. If you have pursued the topic in high school either in the classroom or as an extracurricular, you should use that experience as the foundation for intending to continue to pursue it in college.
How did you first learn about Lehigh University and what motivated you to apply? (150 words)
This is the “why us?” question that you didn’t need to answer further up — which is good because this is another one where you don’t have a lot of space. A 150-word limit demands conciseness. Your answer must include your intended major, a professor you would like to study under, a class you’d like to take, a program you’d like to engage with (this could be research, study abroad, or any other academically-oriented program), and a club you would like to join. Please do not make this ‘club’ a Greek organization. Instead, look for a student-run on-campus organization that is related to an area of interest that you have included in your activities section.
Finally, try to squeeze in a story that frames your area of interest and emphasizes, why you are so confident in what you want to study, and why you know Lehigh is the place to pursue it.
Your time at Lehigh will be shaped in large part by others. What personal perspective will you contribute based on your unique interests, experiences, and background? (250 words)
This is an interesting question because it tends to spark cliché or overused responses. For example, many people immediately start brainstorming answers focused on their religion or race. This does not mean that writing about religion or race is completely ruled out, but we would love for you to try to come up with something more creative, and more unique to you, before you explore well-trodden ground.
Look through your activities supplement (the section of your Common App where you put your activities in). What is missing? What isn’t shown there because it’s not really an activity, but it is something you are passionate about? What were you nervous about putting on because it felt niche or strange or like 150-characters wasn’t enough space to explain how important it is to you? Pick that thing. Lean into your passion and share it here. Take this space to show who you are, and to make it clear that you’ll be bringing that enthusiasm to Lehigh along with you.
If you’re still wondering how to make headway on your supplements, please send us a note. We help students write exceptional applications.