Picture yourself on a beautifully wooded campus spanning 2,358 acres, one of the country's largest private campuses. Nearly 7,000 students call this hillside university "home." With four distinguished colleges, Lehigh strikes the perfect balance: It's an internationally recognized research university with a small college atmosphere.
Lehigh is a premier private residential research university. Most of our students—undergraduate and graduate—live on campus, allowing research and discovery to happen almost anywhere. We are ranked in the top tier of national research universities each year, and our four colleges have earned a reputation for their entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary approach to learning.
Today, more than 77,000 alumni from around the world have earned a Lehigh diploma, and nearly 95% of last year's graduates have gone on to find career-related opportunities just six months after leaving campus. Located in Pennsylvania's scenic Lehigh Valley, the campus is near both New York City and Philadelphia and is right in the Mid-Atlantic corridor. The Lehigh Valley region is home to about 820,000 people, giving our students and the campus community plenty to do. Our campus is on South Mountain in Bethlehem. It consists of three contiguous areas:
- The Asa Packer Campus (home to most of our academic and residential buildings)
- Mountaintop Campus
- the Murray H. Goodman Campus (where many of the athletic facilities are located)
At Lehigh, we celebrate our diversity, and we embrace our academic, cultural, economic, and physical differences. We respect one another, we look out for one another, and we help one another succeed. These principles are not just words on paper; they are what we believe in and what we expect of our entire campus community.
We foster a culture of discovery, built on our recognition that new understanding and graduates who carry a spirit of inquiry into the world are our most significant contributions to society. Research at Lehigh is at the center of how we look at the world, how we work to contribute to its betterment, and how we educate. A hallmark of Lehigh's research culture is our commitment to meaningful exchange among disciplines. Working to make the most of our residential environment, we encourage faculty, staff, and students from disparate fields of study to work side-by-side. We expect people with diverse perspectives to challenge, inform, and inspire each other.
We are a community of artists and creators, scholars of the written word, and the natural world of human experience and endeavor. We are eagerly engaged with the world, much of our work motivated by the pressing concerns and startling possibilities we see, and always striving to convey new understanding to those who can make fair use of it.
Lehigh University blends rigorous academic programs with a vibrant life outside the classroom, offering distinctive programs that support, guide, challenge, and inspire our students. From the time you step onto campus to begin your Lehigh experience until the day you leave with your diploma, our staff will help you chart your unique path for success ¬¬ all within a safe, vibrant living environment that fosters personal growth and development.
Lehigh University's history is closely related to the rise of America as an industrial power. Asa Packer, an industrial pioneer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, the vision of our founder, set the foundation for generations of students to learn and live among the nation's brightest scholars.
In 1865, Packer, president of Lehigh Valley Railroad, presented a $500,000 gift to build a university that would contribute to the "intellectual and moral improvement" of men in the Lehigh Valley. It was the largest donation of its kind to any educational institution in America at that time. The site that Packer chose for his university was a railroad junction across the Lehigh River from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a community founded in 1741 by Moravian missionaries. The site was selected because it was within walking distance for managers of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Packer and his associates designed the school to focus on mathematics and science education, but provide pupils with sufficient classics knowledge. As did many others, he knew that a strong national economy depended on more than technical skills. It needed people broadly educated in the liberal arts and sciences — people who could combine practical skills with informed judgments and strong moral self-discipline. He kept this in mind when founding the university.
Now, 150 years later, Lehigh is still honoring this proud heritage as it looks ahead to the future. What began as a home for 39 eager young scholars is now a thriving university of more than 4,600 undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students. Lehigh's history is an ongoing process that continues with each generation of Lehigh students, leaders, and faculty who take the past and leave their distinct mark for the future. From the first class of students who arrived on South Mountain to the class of 2015, Lehigh has maintained its tradition of excellence while keeping in step with a dynamic world.
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