Lehigh University is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 90 minutes from New York and Philadelphia. It is best known for engineering, business and its integrated business-and-engineering programmes, with strong ties to Wall Street and industry. Choose it for a focused engineering or business degree with small classes and generous aid.
Bethlehem, United States
Official website: lehigh.edu
#641
Top 50 (U.S. News)
Top 50 graduate engineering school in the US (U.S. News)
9:1
$58,000 – $66,000
International students, undergraduate and most master's programmes
$16,000 – $22,000
Rent, food and local transport
Approximate figures for 2026-27, please verify. Fees change every year and vary by course, so check the latest amount on lehigh.edu before you apply.
MS Computer Science
Masters DegreeDuration
18 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
MS Data Science
Masters DegreeDuration
18 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
MS Financial Engineering
Masters DegreeDuration
18 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
MS Mechanical Engineering
Masters DegreeDuration
18 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
MBA (College of Business)
Masters DegreeDuration
24 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
BS Integrated Business and Engineering
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
IELTS: 7.0, TOEFL: 90
Integrated Business and Engineering honours programme — one of the first of its kind in the US.
Founded by a railroad industrialist in 1865, with engineering at its core ever since.
Mountaintop campus — hillside site with views over the Lehigh Valley and Bethlehem Steel's former works.
Between New York and Philadelphia — both about 90 minutes away.
Graduates join Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Air Products, Lutron, Deloitte and New York's finance and tech firms.
Engineering bachelor's graduates report median starting salaries around USD 80,000-90,000.
STEM master's graduates can work in the US for up to three years on OPT.
Financial engineering alumni work in quantitative roles at banks and hedge funds.
Undergrad
1 Jan 2027
Postgrad
Varies by programme
Undergrad
No UG intake
Postgrad
Varies by programme
The campus climbs South Mountain above Bethlehem, with the Gothic Asa Packer campus at the bottom, engineering and business in the middle and the Mountaintop research campus at the summit.
Bethlehem is a small city in the Lehigh Valley with a historic downtown, the SteelStacks arts venue and moderate rent. New York and Philadelphia are each about 90 minutes by bus or car.
Form I-20 issued by Lehigh
Proof of funds for one academic year
SEVIS I-901 fee payment receipt
Completed DS-160 online application
US embassy or consulate interview
Passport valid six months beyond stay
For fall 2027 undergraduate entry, Early Decision I closes 1 November 2026, and Early Decision II and Regular Decision both close 1 January 2027. Graduate deadlines are set by each department, with most engineering and computer science master's closing between 15 January and 1 March.
Undergraduates start in the fall (late August). Most engineering, computer science and data science master's programmes also admit for spring (January), while financial engineering and the MBA are fall only. Check your programme's admissions page to confirm.
You need an F-1 student visa. The Office of International Students and Scholars issues your Form I-20 after you accept the offer and submit proof of funding. Then pay the SEVIS fee, complete the DS-160 and book an interview at a US embassy or consulate.
Computer science, data science, financial engineering, mechanical engineering and the MBA attract the most international applicants. Graduate admission needs a bachelor's degree with a GPA of at least 3.0, TOEFL 90 or IELTS 7.0, and the GRE or GMAT for some programmes. Undergraduate admission is selective, with an acceptance rate around 30%.
Lehigh offers need-based financial aid to a limited number of international undergraduates, and admission for them is need-aware. Master's applicants may receive partial tuition scholarships in engineering and business, and research-track students can apply for assistantships. Check the financial aid pages for current details.
