Lehigh University

What Lehigh University does

Lehigh University is a private, nonprofit Carnegie R1 research university founded in 1865 and headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It enrolls 7,000+ undergraduate and graduate students across five colleges (Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Health, and P.C. Rossin College of Engineering & Applied Science), with an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The institution delivers degree programs on-campus and through online/distance education, executive education via the Vistex Institute housed in a LEED Gold-certified $35 million Business Innovation Building, and AI certifications through partnerships with Google AI for Education Accelerator and LinkedIn Learning under its campus-wide AI Readiness initiative launched October 2023.

Lehigh operates multiple research centers with distinct technology portfolios: CERCat (a consortium with Rice University and insurance/reinsurance Industry Advisory Board members including Arch Insurance, Chubb, Everest Re, and Moody's) develops AI-driven catastrophe modeling, remote sensing damage assessment, and hurricane/climate hazard prediction; ACES (Center for Advancing Community Electrification Solutions) researches grid electrification and AI data center energy; and additional labs work on smart grid ML control (NSF CAREER-awarded), DARPA METALS AI-powered aerospace component design with MIT and Carnegie Mellon, DOE-funded clean hydrogen and rare earth extraction, and wearable technology for women's health with Ultrahuman and Geisinger. Core revenue streams include tuition and fees, federal and state research grants (DOE, NSF, DARPA), executive education, and the Q1 2026 Lehigh Business Supply Chain Risk Management Index with CSCMP.

The university's go-to-market combines traditional admissions recruitment, online education distribution, executive/corporate partnerships, and sponsored research consortia. With $154M+ in recent DOE commitments, a 92% Class of 2025 graduate placement rate, $77K average starting salary, and a Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranking of 29th best U.S. university, Lehigh positions itself as an outcomes-oriented R1 institution with interdisciplinary research depth in AI, energy, catastrophe modeling, and healthcare. The GO Beyond Campaign for Future Makers is the most ambitious fundraising effort in its history.

Name

Lehigh University

Legal name

Lehigh University

Website

https://lehigh.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Lehigh University is a private Carnegie R1 research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, serving 7,000+ undergraduate and graduate students across five colleges through on-campus, online, and executive education programs while operating AI-driven research centers in catastrophe modeling, energy, smart grids, and healthcare.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Research university
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate education
• Sponsored research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate education programs including online and distance education offerings
2. Research Grants and Sponsored Programs: Federal and state research funding from agencies including DOE, NSF, DARPA for various research initiatives in energy, engineering, and catastrophe modeling
3. Executive Education and Corporate Partnerships: Revenue from Vistex Institute for Executive Education and corporate training programs housed in Business Innovation Building
4. Supply Chain Research Index: Q1 2026 Lehigh Business Supply Chain Risk Management Index launched with CSCMP providing research and benchmarking services
5. AI Education Certifications: Google AI for Education Accelerator and LinkedIn Learning partnerships provide AI certifications as part of AI Readiness initiative

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lehigh University delivers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs across five undergraduate colleges and a graduate college, alongside faculty-led sponsored research and industry-engagement activities. It also operates research centers, continuing education, and executive education offerings for working professionals and corporate partners.

Product overview

Lehigh University is a Carnegie-classified R1 research institution offering educational programs through five colleges (Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Health, and P.C. Rossin College of Engineering & Applied Science). The university's technology offerings include research centers focused on AI-driven catastrophe modeling (CERCat), electrification solutions (ACES), and smart grid research. The institution operates the AI Readiness initiative for student AI education and provides library/technology services including research computing, digital collections, and campus safety applications like HawkWatch. The 158th commencement in 2026 featured over 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GO Beyond: The Campaign for Future Makers - Lehigh's fundraising and engagement campaign
• ACES
• CERCat

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of Class of 2025 graduates employed or continuing education within 6 months
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability14 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• West Virginia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026University research partner for DOE rare earth elements extraction from industrial waste streams.
• Penn StateminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026University research partner for DOE rare earth elements extraction from industrial waste streams.
• University of KentuckyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026University research partner for DOE rare earth elements extraction from industrial waste streams.
• UC DavisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026University research partner for DOE rare earth elements extraction from industrial waste streams.
• Keystone AI + Quantum Factory PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Statewide innovation network including Carnegie Mellon, Drexel, Penn State, Temple, UPenn, Pitt, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Team Pennsylvania for AI and quantum research translation.
• Idaho National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Clean hydrogen production research partnership with Lehigh and Energy Research Company selected for major DOE funding round.
• Energy Research CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Clean hydrogen generation research partner in DOE-funded project combining machine learning with laser-based sensors and AI fiber-optic sensors.
• Rice UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Launched Consortium for Enhancing Resilience and Catastrophe Modeling (CERCat) to improve disaster resilience through academic-industry collaboration. Faculty leaders include Professor Jamie Padgett and David Casigrande. Six research projects launched August 2025.
• Arch InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025CERCat Industry Advisory Board inaugural chair Kurtis Malone serves as chair. Collaboration on catastrophe modeling research including AI-driven damage assessment and hazard prediction.
• Chubb InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025CERCat Industry Advisory Board member contributing to research priorities for hurricane, wildfire, flood, and severe convective storm modeling.
• Everest ReinsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025CERCat consortium member from reinsurance sector providing industry perspective on catastrophe risk management research.
• Moody'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025CERCat Industry Advisory Board member providing catastrophe modeling and risk assessment expertise.
• IRENESminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Coal mine waste reclamation project in Illinois as part of DOE rare earth elements initiative.
• Geisinger Health SystemminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Pediatric and adolescent athlete wearable tech research addressing gaps in available devices for younger populations.
• MITcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024DARPA METALS program collaboration developing AI-powered design tools for aerospace components using compositionally graded alloys.
• Carnegie Mellon UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024DARPA METALS program for AI-powered aerospace component design combining machine learning, topology optimization, and generative modeling.
• Google AI for Education AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Partnership for AI Readiness initiative providing Gemini for Education and NotebookLM tools to enhance teaching, learning, and research across campus.
• LinkedIn LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023AI certifications and courses partnership as part of AI Readiness initiative positioning Lehigh as leader in AI education.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Drexel University: Private R1 research university in Philadelphia, PA with strong engineering college and applied research model. Geographic peer sharing Pennsylvania labor market, R1 status, and engineering-led identity, plus co-participation in Keystone AI + Quantum Factory.
• Tufts University: Private R1 research university in Medford, MA with comparable enrollment (~7,000 undergrad), five-school structure, and engineering focus (School of Engineering). Closely matched in size, selectivity, and private R1 positioning.
• Bucknell University: Private university in Lewisburg, PA with strong engineering college (College of Engineering) and similar enrollment (~4,000 undergrads, 7,000+ students). Regional peer competing with Lehigh for Pennsylvania students and engineering talent.
• Case Western Reserve University: Private R1 research university in Cleveland, OH with comparable size (~7,000 students), strong engineering college (Case School of Engineering), and similar emphasis on industry partnerships and federal research funding. Highly comparable in scale and strategic posture to Lehigh.
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Private polytechnic-style R1 university in Massachusetts with project-based applied learning model. Comparable in size, engineering intensity, and industry-partnered applied research orientation.
• Carnegie Mellon University: Private R1 research university in Pittsburgh, PA with strong engineering and applied sciences focus. Direct peer sharing Lehigh's geographic (Pennsylvania), Carnegie R1, and engineering-intensive identity, and co-participant in the Keystone AI + Quantum Factory innovation network and DARPA METALS program.
• Stevens Institute of Technology: Private R1 research university in Hoboken, NJ with concentrated engineering/tech identity and similar enrollment scale. Competes with Lehigh for Northeast private R1 engineering applicants and faculty talent.
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Private polytechnic-style R1 research university in Troy, NY with a STEM/engineering identity even more concentrated than Lehigh's. Comparable in size, tuition model, and engineering/applied-science differentiation against larger private universities.
• Rice University: Private R1 research university in Houston, TX and Lehigh's explicit co-lead on the CERCat catastrophe-modeling consortium launched April 2025. Closest strategic partner with a similar size, endowment tier, and engineering/applied sciences emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Cornell University: Private Ivy League R1 university with broad engineering and applied sciences footprint. Larger, broader incumbent peer operating with the same private R1 research-intensive model and competing for similar faculty, students, and federal research dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/lehighuofficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/6273769863
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/164707
• Instagraminstagram.com/lehighu
• TikToktiktok.com/@lehighadmissions
• Xx.com/LehighU

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lehigh University