How to strengthen your Lehigh application

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Best application round for you

ED rate (52.1%) is materially higher than RD (29.0%). If Lehigh is your top choice and you can commit financially, this is the highest-leverage round.

What Lehigh weights most

Lehigh weights demonstrated interest and major-specific fit heavily—applicants targeting engineering or business should show concrete engagement (summer programs, competitions, coursework) rather than vague enthusiasm. The school favors students who've researched specific programs (integrated business-engineering, for example) and can articulate why Lehigh's structure suits their goals; they're notably stricter on this fit requirement than comparable peers. GPA carries more weight than SAT, and they reward upward grade trajectories and rigor in STEM/business courses.

Supplemental essay strategy

Use Lehigh's supplemental to name specific resources—a professor's research, a particular capstone project, the co-op network for your intended major—that you've already researched; vague "I love Lehigh" essays underperform. For engineering applicants especially, connect the dots between a concrete problem you're interested in solving and how Lehigh's hands-on curriculum (labs, design courses, internship partnerships) positions you to do it. ED1 (November deadline) is strategically smart for Lehigh given their demonstrated-interest emphasis.

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Where to focus next

If you only have time for one thing this month, do this:

1. Read 2 admitted-student essays from Lehigh (search official admissions site or Reddit r/lehigh). Notice the level of specificity — that's the bar.
2. Write the ‘why this school’ supplement first, before anything else. If you can't fill 250 words with school-specific reasons, pick a different school.
3. Find one current student to ask about their experience — admissions offices often connect prospective applicants with current students. The follow-up email becomes specific essay material.