How to Apply to Economics at Lehigh: Degrees in the College of Business (B.S. in Business and Economics) and the College of Arts & Sciences (B.A. and B.S.), Entered by Choosing a College at Application and Declaring the Major Later, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania houses the Department of Economics in the College of Business, but offers economics degrees in two colleges: the B.S. in Business and Economics in the College of Business, where you can major in Economics, and a B.A. and a B.S. in Economics in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS). The department page lists these three undergraduate degrees. This guide covers fall 2027 entry for U.S., international (including Chinese) and transfer applicants, based on Lehigh’s official pages. The site has a separate business guide, so only the economics-related parts are covered here.

1. What the programs are

• College of Business: B.S. in Business and Economics, Economics major: 124 credits plus a writing requirement, with at least 48 credits taken outside the College of Business. The business site says this is the college’s largest undergraduate degree, with about 1,260 students, and that students may major in up to two areas among Accounting, Business Information Systems, Economics, Finance, Management, Marketing and Supply Chain Management. The economics major adds 18 credits beyond the business core.
• CAS B.A. in Economics: the catalog says it suits students interested in consulting, business or public policy careers, or advanced degrees such as law; 38 to 39 credits.
• CAS B.S. in Economics: the catalog describes it as the more robust and technical degree, with math, computer science and econometrics, to prepare for technical careers or graduate study in economics; 58 to 59 credits.
• Joint International Relations and Economics major (IR-Eco): a CAS joint major of 60 to 61 credits.
• Minor: 16 credits, with ECO 001, 119 and 146 plus two electives at the 200 or 300 level (at least one at 300); open to students in CAS, Engineering, Health and inter-college programs such as IBE and CSB.
• Honors: economics majors in either college can request departmental honors by the end of junior year with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better, at least three 200- or 300-level economics courses completed before starting the thesis, and a faculty advisor. The thesis must run at least 5,000 words with an oral presentation, and earns ECO 389 credit.
• Graduate link: the catalog and department site list an accelerated 4+1 M.S. in Applied Economics for undergraduates; its conditions were not read here, so see the College of Business graduate pages.
• STEM designation: the pages read here do not say whether Lehigh’s economics programs are STEM-designated. That is not published in what we read, so ask the department or the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS).

2. How admission works: choose the college first, the major later

• You choose a college when you apply. Lehigh has four undergraduate colleges, and the Common App has an “Intended College or Program” drop-down (the admissions page mentions it in the 7-year program instructions). For the economics major in business, apply to the College of Business; for the B.A. or B.S., apply to Arts & Sciences. The pages read here publish no separate admission standard or quota for economics.
• College of Business: students choose a major by the end of the second semester of sophomore year, and a GPA of 2.0 or higher in the major is required to graduate. A student must declare one major before a second, and a double major within the college needs at least 10 courses (30 credits) across both.
• College of Arts & Sciences: students can declare after the end of the first semester and are expected to do so by the end of the fourth semester; a major advisor from the department is then assigned. The pages read here state no GPA or course-grade threshold for the economics major.
• Switching colleges within Lehigh (“college switching”): you must have sophomore status and have completed at least 12 credits in your college of matriculation. The receiving college may require up to three introductory courses (minimum C-). The College of Business requires MATH 081 or MATH 021, and ECO 001 (equivalents including approved transfer or AP credit count). File a Petition to Change Colleges at least three weeks before registration for the term of the move, and expect that it may take more than eight semesters to finish.

3. Prerequisites and course sequence

• Admissions minimums, all colleges: the equivalent of a standard four-year high school curriculum, minimum 16 units: English 4, foreign language 2, social science 2, laboratory science 2, college-preparatory mathematics 3, electives 3. Lehigh says it waives the foreign language requirement only in exceptional cases. No separate high school prerequisite for economics is listed.
• College of Business, first year (the catalog’s planning sequence): WRT 001 or 003, MATH 021 or 081 (calculus), ECO 001 (Principles of Economics, 4 credits), BUS 001, ECO 045 (Statistical Methods), BUS 003, MGT 043 and BUAN 044; the second year includes ECO 146 or 119. Economics majors take both intermediate courses, ECO 119 and ECO 146, plus ECO 157 (Statistical Methods II) and 12 credits of electives (at least one course from each list, with at least two of the four courses at the 300 level).
• CAS B.A. core: ECO 001, 119 and 146; ECO 045 or MATH 231; ECO 157; one calculus option (MATH 021, 051, 061 with 062, 075 with 076, or 081); three field electives (at least two at the 300 level), two applying-economics electives, a breadth course (3 to 4 credits), and four career seminars led by the Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD) and economics faculty, to be completed within a year of declaring.
• CAS B.S. core: the B.A. core plus ECO 357 (Econometrics), MATH 021 and 022 (or equivalents), a linear algebra course (MATH 043, 205 or 242) and 4 credits of approved computer science (CSE), with four field electives and 12 credits of applying electives.
• Prerequisites: the catalog lists ECO 001 plus a calculus course (MATH 021, 031, 051, 075 and 076, 061 and 062, or 081) for ECO 119 and 146.
• Math placement: the pages read here do not describe an entry math placement exam. That is not published in what we read.
• Elective lists differ: the department’s web page and the 2026-27 catalog do not list identical economics electives (the web page has ECO 235 and 247; the catalog has ECO 310 and 363). Follow the catalog and check with your advisor.

4. AP, IB and A-Level credit

• The admissions FAQ says the Office of the Registrar reviews all college-level credit after you are admitted. How AP Economics or other subjects map to the economics courses is not published in the pages read here, so ask the Registrar before you enroll.
• International students page: IB Higher Level scores of 5 or better may earn credit, and A-Level grades of A or B qualify; each student’s credentials are evaluated individually for course equivalency.
• Transfer page: most AP scores of 4 and 5 count (Calculus AB, Chemistry and both English exams need a 5), and most IB Higher Level scores of 6 and 7. The international page (IB 5+) and the transfer page (IB 6 or 7) differ slightly, so rely on the Registrar’s evaluation.

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Early Decision I (binding): November 1, decision in mid-December.
• Early Decision II (binding): January 1, decision in mid-February.
• Regular Decision: January 1, decision in late March.
• There is no Early Action; Lehigh says so directly.
• The pages print no year, so confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry.
• How to apply: the Common App or the Coalition App with Scoir, with Lehigh’s questions and writing supplement. Required: the school report (including a counselor recommendation) and official high school transcript, one teacher recommendation, a mid-year report after the first semester, and a final transcript after graduation. The application fee is $75. Interviews are not required.
• Testing: Lehigh is test-optional indefinitely, and submitted scores are superscored. The ACT science section is not required. Official scores must reach Lehigh from the College Board or ACT before the first day of classes, and any discrepancy may be cause to reverse admission.
• Aid deadlines for early rounds: Early Decision I applicants submit the CSS Profile and tax forms by November 1, Early Decision II applicants by January 15; everyone applying for aid then files the FAFSA and CSS Profile (if not already done) by February 1.

6. By reader

U.S. applicants

• The tuition page lists one tuition figure with no in-state and out-of-state split, and it does not mention in-state preference. That is not published in what we read.
• Testing is optional. The tuition page describes the Lehigh Commitment: undergraduates from families with total income below $75,000 are eligible for a full tuition grant. The page does not say whether it is limited to U.S. citizens, so ask the financial aid office.
• The tuition page says 26% of the admitted students for 2025-26 received a merit scholarship of $15,000 or more per year; the international FAQ says no separate application is needed for merit consideration.
• U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens apply for aid as domestic students with the FAFSA and CSS Profile.

International applicants

• Who counts: any non-U.S. citizen, wherever you attend high school; permanent residents, refugees and others eligible for federal aid are treated as domestic.
• Admission is need-aware. Lehigh has limited aid for international students; some candidates with no demonstrated need may be admitted without aid, and some it would like to admit may be declined because the aid budget is exhausted.
• English proficiency: required unless English is your first language or your last two full years (excluding the current year) of formal instruction were in English. TOEFL and IELTS are preferred; TOEFL Home Edition and the Duolingo English Test are considered if those are unavailable. Lehigh says the most competitive candidates score above 90 on the TOEFL, 7.0 on the IELTS or 120 on Duolingo. A separate guidance table lists scores that “generally indicate strong English proficiency”: TOEFL iBT 95+ (tests before January 21, 2026) or 5.5+ (from January 21, 2026), IELTS 7.5+, Duolingo 120+. The IELTS figures differ (7.0 and 7.5), so check Lehigh for the latest.
• Education requirement: applicants must be completing or have completed the equivalent of 12 years of primary and secondary education, or the program that makes them eligible for university study in their system; those with only O-Level, GCSE or IGCSE are not eligible yet.
• Financial documents: no bank statement is needed at application, only after admission and a decision to enroll. If your family cannot pay the full cost for all years, submit the CSS Profile ($25) or the International Student Application for Financial Aid (ISAFA) with your application; Lehigh strongly prefers the CSS Profile. Deadlines are November 1 for Early Decision I, and January 15 for Early Decision II or Regular Decision. Aid offers are final and Lehigh cannot adjust for currency changes.
• Costs: Lehigh’s pages quote different yearly totals; see section 7.

Applicants from China

• Lehigh does not publish separate requirements for applicants from China or describe how the Gaokao is used. Chinese applicants follow the international rules; the requirements pages read here do not mention Chinese school records or leaving exams.
• The international page says OISS provides visa documents and the International Center for Academic and Professional English (ICAPE) supports multilingual students. It gives no figure for Chinese students.
• The catalog lists ECO 342 The Chinese Economy - A Comprehensive Study among the applying-economics electives.
• International admissions email: luinternational@lehigh.edu. Whether other school-leaving records are accepted is not published in what we read, so ask admissions.

7. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 typical cost (US$): tuition 69,420, typical first-year housing 11,470, full meal plan 7,760, technology fee 630, activity fee 290 and wellness fee 250, for 89,820. For need-based aid Lehigh also budgets $1,000 for books and $1,500 for personal expenses. Students in certain programs and majors pay an extra $910 (Engineering and Science fee, Arts and Sciences fee or Health fee); the page does not say which majors, so ask whether it applies to economics.
• The pages disagree on yearly totals: the international page says tuition, room and board can total over $98,900, the international FAQ and admissions requirements say over $93,400, and the tuition page’s cost table totals $89,820. Lehigh does not explain the difference, so use the financial aid office’s budget.
• International scholarships: the international FAQ says merit scholarships range from $5,000 to full tuition with no separate application.

8. Internships and research

• Economics electives include research and practice courses: Federal Reserve Challenge Competition (ECO 201), Project Evaluation Practicum (ECO 259), Community Consulting Practicum (ECO 273), Supervised Research (ECO 274), Martindale Research Seminar (ECO 362) and Honors Project (ECO 389). Only one of ECO 259, 273 and 274 may count toward the elective requirement, per the catalog footnotes.
• The department runs a Fed Challenge Club, which prepares students through the year for the Federal Reserve’s national competition.
• CAS economics majors complete four career seminars; College of Business students complete a required Student to Professional Co-Curriculum.
• The pages read here give no internship statistics, so none are quoted.

9. Transfer

• External transfer: fall entry closes April 1 (decision in mid-May); spring entry closes November 1 (decision in late December). Use the Common App or Coalition App for transfer; the fee is $75.
• GPA: no minimum, though competitive applicants typically have 3.25 or above. You must be in good academic standing at your previous institution.
• Materials: transcripts from every college attended, the final high school transcript, and a conduct report form sent by the issuing institution. Course descriptions are not required (the Registrar will ask if needed). Test scores are not required and transfer interviews are not offered. A college instructor recommendation is not listed on the transfer or requirements pages.
• Credit: evaluated after admission. Only grades of C or better transfer, C- never does, pass/fail is not accepted, courses must come from accredited institutions, quarter credits convert at 3:2, and transfer grades are not counted in the Lehigh GPA.
• International transfer students: if you attended an institution outside the U.S. where English is not the main language of instruction, a World Education Services (WES) evaluation is required. The English requirement matches first-year applicants.
• Entering the economics major: the pages read here list no separate conditions for transferring into economics (see the general rules for switching colleges in section 2). Merit aid for transfers is limited; Phi Theta Kappa members receive $10,000 a year, and applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree are not eligible for institutional need-based aid.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Choose the College of Business (B.S. in Business and Economics; choose the major by the end of the second semester of sophomore year) or Arts & Sciences (B.A. or B.S. in Economics; declare by the end of the fourth semester)
• At least three years of college-preparatory math; ED I on November 1, ED II or Regular Decision on January 1; for aid, file the FAFSA and CSS Profile

International applicants (including China):

• Same deadlines; English scores unless waived; the CSS Profile or ISAFA with your application if you need aid
• Admission is need-aware; China: how the Gaokao is used is not published, so ask admissions

Transfer applicants:

• Fall entry closes April 1; no minimum GPA, competitive applicants usually 3.25+; grades of C or better transfer; international transfers submit a WES evaluation

Sources: Lehigh University, Department of Economics; Economics major (College of Business); B.S. in Business and Economics; Catalog: Economics (2026-27); Catalog: College of Business; Catalog: College of Arts & Sciences; Catalog: transfer between colleges; How to apply and deadlines; Admissions requirements; International students; Transfer students; Tuition and aid. The deadline pages print no year, so confirm the dates are for fall 2027 entry; costs are 2026-27. Check Lehigh for the latest details.