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Lehigh · Pennsylvania

Lehigh Merit Aid

A private research university where 11.5% of first-year students receive non-need institutional merit averaging $21,666, with the Founder's and Trustees' Scholarships covering full or half tuition, Dean's Scholarships at $15,000 to $25,000 per year, and a new Soaring Together full-tuition program for gender equity, all renewable with a 3.0 GPA.

Verified Apr 2026Analyst pt-browser
Merit tiers41 automatic on stats
Get merit aid12%First-year students, CDS 2025-2026
Last verifiedApr 2026Analyst pt-browser

Who this school is for

Families targeting an engineering-strong research university in the Lehigh Valley where merit is awarded through holistic review with no published stat cutoffs. Lehigh is test-optional but rates test scores as Important in admissions. Students of any major can earn performing arts scholarships in music, choral, theatre, and marching band through separate applications with January and February deadlines, making them easy to miss and easy to stack.

Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $89,820 for 2026-2027. Tuition $69,420, required fees $1,170, food and housing $19,230 (housing $11,470, food $7,760), books and supplies $1,000, other expenses $1,500. Five-year Arts/Engineering students have extended scholarship eligibility (10 semesters). Source

Institutional merit aid tiers

Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.

Full tuition or half tuition per year

Founder's and Trustees' Scholarships

ApplicationRenewable for up to 8 semesters (10 for five-year Arts/Engineering programs). Requires minimum 3.0 GPA and full-time enrollment.

RequirementsAll applicants automatically considered during admission review, no separate application required. Recipients described as the top tier of the applicant pool. Test-optional; no published GPA/SAT/ACT cutoffs.

At 2026-2027 tuition of $69,420, full tuition covers $69,420/year and half tuition covers $34,710/year.

Source

$15,000 to $25,000 per year

Dean's Scholarship

ApplicationRenewable for up to 8 semesters (10 for five-year programs). Requires minimum 3.0 GPA and full-time enrollment.

RequirementsAll applicants automatically considered during admission review, no separate application. Awarded for academic excellence and demonstrated leadership. Starting with Fall 2024 entering class. Test-optional.

Source

Full tuition

Soaring Together Scholarship

ApplicationRenewal conditions not published on lehigh.edu.

RequirementsCompetitive. Requires a separate application with a creative submission (500-word essay, video under 5 minutes, slides, social media account, or other creative format) addressing gender equity. Deadline February 1. Approximately 8-10 awards per incoming class (~50 total scholars across all class years). First available for Class of 2030.

Source

$1,000 to $2,000 per year

National Merit Scholarship

AutomaticRenewal details not explicitly stated on the merit page.

RequirementsAutomatic for National Merit Finalists who select Lehigh as first choice and are not receiving other National Merit aid. The catalog specifies $2,000 annually for finalists.

Source

Outside scholarship stacking policy

Outside scholarships first reduce loans and work-study. If total aid exceeds cost of attendance, Lehigh reduces institutional aid. State grants directly displace Lehigh grants dollar-for-dollar. Employer tuition benefits displace Lehigh grants once total gift-aid exceeds calculated need.

Lehigh's published policy states outside scholarships may require adjustment of loans and work-study if total need-based aid exceeds FAFSA-determined financial need (loan-first, which is favorable). However, if total aid from all sources exceeds the cost of attendance, Lehigh will reduce institutional aid. State grants are treated differently: a state grant directly reduces the Lehigh University Grant dollar-for-dollar. Employer tuition benefits trigger grant reduction once total gift-aid exceeds calculated financial need, which is more aggressive than the private-scholarship treatment. Students must report all outside aid to the financial aid office.

Source

Common Data Set snapshot

From the Lehigh Common Data Set 2025-2026:

SAT mid-50%1380–148025th / 75th percentile
ACT mid-50%31–3425th / 75th percentile
Receive institutional merit12%First-year students
Average merit award$21,666Across recipients

Source: Common Data Set

Lesser-known scholarships at Lehigh

Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.

Amount$5,000 per yearEligibilityMust join University Choir plus one additional ensemble. Free vocal lessons provided. Open to students of any major. Separate music department application, deadline January 10.

Renewable for four years with 2.8 GPA. This is available to non-music majors, making it easy to overlook.

Source

Amount$5,000 per yearEligibilityMust participate in two ensembles. Free lessons on primary instrument. Open to any major. Separate application, deadline January 10.

Renewable for four years with 2.8 GPA. Non-music majors who play an instrument often miss this.

Source

Amount$3,000 per yearEligibilityExceptional talent in performance, design, technical, or playwriting. Active involvement in Department of Theatre required. Separate application, deadline February 10.

Renewable for four years with 2.8 GPA.

Source

Amount$1,500 per year, increasing annually over four yearsEligibilityMust perform with the Marching 97 (Lehigh's marching band). Separate application, deadline January 10.

Renewable for four years with 2.8 GPA. Any major eligible.

Source

Common mistakes at Lehigh

  1. The Asa Packer name appears on lehigh.edu only for a graduate MBA Social Entrepreneurship Award and the Asa Packer Society (a donor recognition program). It is not a named undergraduate merit scholarship. The actual undergraduate tiers are Founder's and Trustees' (full or half tuition) and Dean's ($15,000-$25,000).

  2. Music and choral scholarships have a January 10 deadline, and theatre scholarships close February 10. These are available to students of any major and are stackable with academic merit awards. Many families focus only on the automatic merit consideration and miss thousands in arts funding their student could have earned.

  3. A Pennsylvania State Grant directly reduces the Lehigh University Grant by the same amount. The student's net cost stays the same. Families should still apply (it does not hurt), but should not expect a state grant to lower their out-of-pocket bill at Lehigh.

Lehigh merit aid FAQ

  • Does Lehigh automatically consider all applicants for merit scholarships?

    For the Founder's/Trustees' and Dean's Scholarships, yes. All applicants are automatically considered during admission review with no separate application needed. However, performing arts scholarships (music, choral, theatre, marching band) and the Soaring Together Scholarship require separate applications with deadlines in January and February.

  • What GPA does my student need to keep their Lehigh merit scholarship?

    The Founder's/Trustees' and Dean's Scholarships require a minimum 3.0 GPA and full-time enrollment. Performing arts and marching scholarships require a 2.8 GPA minimum. The Phi Theta Kappa transfer scholarship also requires 2.8. All academic merit awards are renewable for up to 8 semesters (10 for five-year Arts/Engineering programs).

  • Is Lehigh test-optional, and do test scores affect merit scholarship consideration?

    Lehigh is test-optional (SAT/ACT submission is recommended but not required). The CDS rates standardized test scores as Important, not Very Important, in admission decisions. The merit scholarship page does not list minimum test scores for any award tier. The enrolled class middle 50% is SAT 1380-1480 and ACT 31-34.

  • What is the realistic chance of getting merit aid at Lehigh?

    Per the CDS (2025-2026), 177 out of 1,535 first-year students (11.5%) who had no financial need received institutional non-need-based merit scholarships, averaging $21,666. The Dean's Scholarship ranges from $15,000 to $25,000, while Founder's/Trustees' covers full or half tuition ($34,710 or $69,420 at 2026-2027 rates). Roughly 1 in 9 first-year students receives pure merit aid.

  • Can performing arts scholarships stack with academic merit at Lehigh?

    The CDS confirms Lehigh awards non-need-based aid for academics, art, athletics, leadership, and music/drama as separate criteria. However, if total aid from all sources exceeds cost of attendance, Lehigh will reduce institutional aid. Contact Financial Aid to confirm stacking rules for your specific combination.