Lafayette College

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania

2550 UG

$832,000,000 endowment

Lafayette College is a liberal arts college with about 2500 undergraduate students.  It has a lovely campus that feels substantial and traditional. Lafayette is one of my favorites for several reasons. The academics are great. The college offers 4 majors in engineering, which is also unusual for a liberal arts college. Few LACs even have engineering, and when they do, it’s usually just one general engineering major. Lafayette is strong in all the sciences. There is a healthy spirit regarding Varsity sports on campus and a thriving social scene. Students are serious about their academics but also very community oriented. About a third of students are involved in Greek life. Greek life is said to be laid back. Also there is an even gender balance, which is unusual for lots of colleges. Lafayette is also a rare bird in that it meets the full demonstrated need of students while also offering merit aid. The college overlooks the Delaware River in Easton, Pennsylvania, population 30,000. Easton is located in the Lehigh Valley, population 800,000. It is about 70 miles west of New York City and 60 miles north of Philadelphia. The scenic Pocono Mountains are about 35 miles north. Easton is a really cute historic town that is pleasing and quaint. Lafayette has a bit of a traditional college feel.

Lehigh participates in the National Survey of Student Engagement.  Here are their results: http://www.lafayette.edu/about/lafayette-at-a-glance/national-survey-of-student-engagement/

Academics:

37 BA degrees; 14 BS degrees; 4 engineering degrees

4 academic divisions:

Humanities

Social sciences

Natural sciences

Engineering: chemical, civil, electrical and computer, mechanical,

• Students can double major or coordinate majors in 2 different departments
• Engineering students take the same courses freshman year so that they can explore all areas of engineering before choosing major.
• Students can design their own majors
• http://www.lafayette.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/
• I notice that while the biology department is a good size, the chemistry and physics departments are relatively small. I suspect this is because the engineering majors draw lots of the stem students away.

4-year grad rate:         88.3%

5-year grad rate:         90.0%

6-year grad rate:         90.3%

Freshman retention    91%rate:

61% of classes have < 20 students

38% have 20-50

1% have over 50

Student Life

• 46 states are represented, 48 countries are represented
• Lafayette has 250 clubs
• Vibrant Art Scene:
• DI athletics
• 100% of freshmen and 94% of all students live on campus
• 30% of students in fraternities or sororities
• Rush happens first semester sophomore year
• Students must live in their respective Greek houses at least one semester
• Students tend to be active and involved in lots of things
• Some parties on campus—not a huge party school
• Stuff to do on campus on weekends sponsored by school and also stuff to do in Easton.
• Good college food.
• Traditions:
  • 1000 nights formal for freshmen to commemorate 100 more days of college
  • Block Party: yearly before the homecoming football game. Hosts arts, performances, choral groups, etc
  • Rivalry Week before Lehigh Football game.
  • Presidential Ball each fall semester
  • LaFaPalooza: on annual National Day of Service
  • Singing of the Alma Mater
  • Midnight Breakfast

Admissions:

28% overall admit rate

32.4% for girls/24% boys

49% ED admit rate

Mid-range scores:

GPA: 3.4-3.84  unweighted

SAT erw:          650-720  (admitted)               620-700 (enrolled)

SATm:             660-750 (admitted)                620-720 (enrolled)

ACT:                 30-33  (admitted)                  28-32 (enrolled)

ACT ED 27-31

Admission Stats

27% of males and 34% of females were admitted to class of 2021. 30 % admit rate in total

46% ED

51% in top 10% of hs class

Cost-of-attendance: $66,890 (2017-2018)

Lafayette has good financial aid.  It looks like last year they met the full need of all students. However, they are need aware in admissions.  It’s very hard to get awarded full aid there.

6.5% of students get an average of $27,000 in merit award. The Marquis Fellowship is for $42,000/year.  The Marquis Scholarship is for $24,000/year.

There are full and half ride merit scholarships.