According to Lehigh President Joseph J. Helble, the university’s applicant pool for the Class of 2029 was the second largest in their history. But this certainly means something for current high school students looking to spend long hours studying in Lindy (Linderman Library) or FML (Fairchild-Martindale Library). Check out the Lehigh lingo dictionary if you’re curious to learn more abbreviations and traditions on Lehigh’s campus. And don’t be confused, their annual Turkey Trot doesn’t involve any real turkeys!

Lehigh University Class of 2028 Acceptance Rate

According to the Lafayette University 2024-2025 Common Data Set, of the whopping 20,396 students who applied, only 5,289 were admitted, which equates to a 25.9% acceptance rate. That’s only 1 in 4 lucky students!

Lehigh University Class of 2027 Acceptance Rate

Going back a little further, the Class of 2027 boasted fewer applicants (18,415) but about the same number of acceptances (5,389), meaning they had slightly better odds against a 29.3% acceptance rate.

Lehigh University Class of 2026 Acceptance Rate

Three years ago, the Class of 2026 saw 15,163 applicants and of those, 5,607 were admitted. That’s a 37% acceptance rate, over 10% higher than the Class of 2029!

Noticing a trend? We are too. It’s increasing exclusivity with decreasing acceptance rates. For the rate to drop so drastically in just a few short years, that doesn’t necessarily bode well for the Class for 2030. Many schools are seeing record high numbers of applicants and record low admissions rates, so it behooves students to be in the best possible spot academically when submitting an application. But just what does that entail for Lehigh University?

Lehigh University GPA Requirements

Lehigh doesn’t publish their GPA ranges for students enrolling in the university, but they do publish the class rank of those who submitted with their application and enrolled. And class rank data can be useful in gleaning the high school GPAs of enrolling students. Let’s take a look!

Lehigh University Class of 2028 Class Rank 

From Lehigh University’s 2024-2025 Common Data Set:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	61.26%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	85.71%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	98.55%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	1.45%

Lehigh University Class of 2027 Class Rank 

From Lehigh University’s 2023-2024 Common Data Set:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	56.8%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	83.6%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	98.5%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	1.5%

Lehigh University Class of 2026 Class Rank 

From Lehigh University’s 2022-2023 Common Data Set:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	57%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	87%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	97%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	3%

For the past two years, only about 1.5% of students enrolling in Lehigh University who submitted their GPAs with their application had GPAs that landed them in the bottom half of their high school graduating class. Students should at least be aiming to be in the top half of their graduating class, but if they really want to increase their odds of acceptance, they should aim higher!

Of course, a GPA is only a part of what makes a compelling application to college. Students also need top test scores, strong essays, and of course, a compelling overall narrative that threads throughout their extracurricular activities.

Lehigh University Class of 2028 SAT Scores

We can also take a look at Lehigh’s testing statistics to give students more of an idea of where they stack up to current students at the university. About 30% (29.65%, to be exact) of enrolled students submitted their test score with their application, meaning it’s not necessary to gain acceptance. However, we at Ivy Coach have long been dispellers of the fable of test-optional college admissions. So students should proceed with caution when deciding to leave SAT or ACT scores out of the picture; it may be a fatal mistake. 

The chart below lists the 25th percentile scores of enrolled students in the Class of 2028, meaning the number 25% of the class scored at or below, through the 75th percentile, a.k.a. the score that 25% of the Class of 2028 scored at or above on their SAT.

Assessment	25th PercentileScore	50th PercentileScore	75th PercentileScore
SAT Composite	1380	1430	1490
SAT Evidence-BasedReading and Writing	680	710	730
SAT Math	690	730	770

Ivy Coach’s Help with Lehigh University Candidacy

Wondering whether to submit your student’s test scores or not? What GPA does your student really need? How low will Lehigh University’s acceptance rate sink for the Class of 2030? If all of these questions are bouncing around in your head as a parent of a current high school student (or middle schooler!), you may be anxious for answers. In your quest for answers, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session to get many of those answers from one of our former elite university admissions officers.

Elite college admissions can be daunting, whether your student is applying to a school with a 29% acceptance rate or a 2.9% acceptance rate. There’s no need to make the process even more daunting by stumbling around in the dark. So, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form, and we’ll reach out to let you know how we can illuminate you and your student on the competitive elite college admissions process.