The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings named Lehigh No. 15 out of the top 500 universities in the country.
It’s the second straight year Lehigh, which netted an overall score of 84.6, was featured among the nation’s top colleges and universities. Schools are ranked based on three main pillars: Student Outcomes (70%), Learning Environment (20%) and Diversity (10%). Lehigh’s ranking was boosted by its “Student Outcomes,” earning a 99 in Salary Impact Score and an 85 in Graduation Rate Score. Years to pay off net price, in which Lehigh came in at 1 year, 8 months, is also factored in Student Outcomes.
The overall rankings recognize “how well each college sets graduates up for financial success,” along with “how much a school improves students’ chances of graduating and their future earnings.” These outcomes are combined with feedback from those surveyed on college life.
In addition to overall college rankings, the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2025 rankings featured other lists, including Best Salaries, in which Lehigh ranked No. 13. For this list, schools were ranked in order of impact regarding the salaries of graduates and how those salaries relate to the cost of attending that school.
The 2025 rankings were expanded to include 100 additional schools and half of the schools in the top 50 this year are new. For the rankings, nearly 55,000 students and alumni were surveyed online between January and May 2024 and those responses were aggregated with the more than 57,000 responses received for last year’s rankings. With duplicate responses removed, the total sample size of the survey topped 112,000 students and alumni.
Lehigh University’s distinctive academic programs attract a talented pool of prospective students. Prospective students looking for a more complete picture of Lehigh should connect with our Admissions office to answer questions, schedule a visit and attend an information session.