How to Apply to Mathematics at Lehigh: B.A. and B.S. in Mathematics and in Statistics and Data Science in the College of Arts & Sciences, Early Decision but No Early Action, and Requirements for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania offers undergraduate mathematics through the Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts & Sciences. This guide follows Lehigh’s website, the department’s website and the 2026-27 catalog for fall 2027 entry, for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Computer science is not covered here (this site has a separate article); statistics and data science gets a brief mention in section 1.

1. Degrees and tracks

• Degrees: the department lists four undergraduate degrees: B.A. with a major in mathematics, B.S. in mathematics, B.A. with a major in statistics and data science, and B.S. in statistics and data science, plus minors in pure mathematics, applied mathematics, probability and statistics, and actuarial science. The catalog adds that students can earn a bachelor’s and a master of education degree with Pennsylvania teacher certification in five years.
• B.A. in mathematics: described as emphasising fundamental principles and the techniques needed to use mathematics effectively, preparing students for mathematically oriented careers or graduate study, and flexible enough to combine with a second major. Catalog requirements: calculus (12 credits: MATH 021, 022, 023); a 15-credit core (MATH 163 Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning, MATH 242 Linear Algebra, MATH 243 Algebra, MATH 301 Principles of Analysis I); at least five advanced mathematics electives (at least 15 credits, at least one at the 300 level, at most one outside the department); 42–47 credits in total, with a 2.0 average in major courses.
• B.S. in mathematics: a more extensive and intensive study, especially recommended in the catalog for students intending graduate study in mathematics, applied mathematics or closely related fields. It has the same calculus and core, plus at least eight advanced electives (at least 24 credits, at least four at the 300 level, at most two outside the department), two approved computer science courses with a programming component (5–6 credits, waived for computer science majors or minors), and 56–65 credits in total. Suggested concentrations: applied mathematical modeling (for graduate study in applied or computational mathematics), probability and statistics (for students interested in actuarial science), and theoretical mathematics (for graduate study in mathematics or applied mathematics); students may design their own, for example in data science, computer science or mathematical economics.
• Statistics and data science: the B.A. is 41–47 credits; the B.S. has a standard and an applied track plus an actuarial science concentration. Not covered here; see the department pages.
• College of Arts & Sciences requirements (catalog): at least 12 courses in the Liberal Arts Program (a Big Questions Seminar, two first-year writing courses, one mathematics course, and at least two courses in each of four disciplinary perspectives), 120 credit hours to graduate, a minimum of 30 credits in the major, and a 2.0 GPA in the major and overall.

2. How admission works: apply to Lehigh, then find an advisor and declare

• At application: you apply through the Common Application or Coalition Application with Scoir. A note on the admissions requirements page refers to an “Intended College or Program” drop-down, but the pages read do not say whether mathematics is a separate admission or an Arts & Sciences admission, or whether it has its own admission standard; ask the admissions office.
• Declaring: the department says you must first secure a faculty advisor, either by asking any department faculty member or by emailing inlumath@lehigh.edu with your interests and goals so the department can suggest professors. Once a faculty member agrees, notify the department immediately so it can forward the Major Declaration form to that advisor for signature. The deadline, any grade threshold and any capacity limits for declaring are not stated on the pages read. Undergraduate advisors listed: Mark Skandera (mathematics) and Professor Wei-Min Huang (statistics).
• Switching colleges (catalog): students may switch colleges after reaching sophomore status and completing at least 12 credits in their college of matriculation; the receiving college may require up to three introductory courses (no prerequisites) with C- or better; the petition is due at least three weeks before registration opens for the target semester. This is the general rule; any mathematics-specific condition is not stated on the pages read.
• Departmental honors: students may earn honors by writing a senior thesis; the department chair accepts them in the junior year based on grades and a thesis proposal prepared with a thesis advisor of their choice; an oral presentation and a written thesis are required.

3. Prerequisites and placement

• High school preparation: the admissions page asks for the equivalent of a standard four-year high school curriculum, with minimums of 4 English, 2 foreign language, 2 social science, 2 laboratory science, 3 college preparatory mathematics and 3 electives (16 units); most admitted students exceed them. Any further high school maths requirement for the major is not stated on the pages read. The department’s placement page says a solid high school precalculus course (functions and trigonometry especially) is necessary, and that calculators are not used in Lehigh calculus classes.
• Four calculus sequences (catalog): MATH 021, 022, 023 Calculus I–III (12 credits), taken by most mathematics, science and engineering students; MATH 031, 032, 033 Honors Calculus (12 credits), the same material in greater depth with more rigor and proof, for students with exceptional ability, and per the department placement into MATH 031 needs department permission based on motivation, SAT scores and prior courses; MATH 051, 052 Survey of Calculus (7 credits); MATH 081, 082 Calculus with Business Applications (8 credits). The last two are not sufficient preparation for most later mathematics courses, so students planning further study in mathematics should choose MATH 021, 022. MATH 075 and 076 form a slower two-semester substitute for MATH 021. The honors sequence is accepted in place of MATH 021–023 for the major.
• Placement guidance: after choosing a sequence, the department uses the SAT quantitative score as a guideline. Students interested in any sequence with a quantitative SAT below 600 should take MATH 000 Preparation for Calculus (2 credits, not counted toward graduation credits but counted in the GPA, C- or better needed); with 600 or above they can take MATH 051 or 081; those wanting MATH 021 with an SAT between 600 and 650 should consider MATH 075 and 076. The page mentions a calculus readiness test but does not describe how it is taken; contact Professor Terry Napier (tjn2@lehigh.edu) or inlumath@lehigh.edu.
• AP: AP Calculus AB 4 or 5 may earn 4 credits for MATH 021; BC 4 or 5 may earn 8 credits for MATH 021 and 022. The department recommends considering starting a semester below your AP level because many AP courses do not prepare students adequately for Lehigh calculus, at the cost of giving up some or all AP credit; depending on demand it may offer anticipatory exams for MATH 051, 021, 022 and 023 during orientation. Approved college courses taken in high school may also earn credit, case by case.
• IB and A-levels (international students page): IB scores of 5 or better in higher-level subjects (the page reads “higher-level or subjects”) and A-level grades of A or B may earn credit, evaluated individually; the pages read do not give the mathematics course equivalents.
• Honors maths sequence: MATH 031–033, above.
• Maths competitions: the pages read do not say how they are viewed in admission.

4. Deadlines and materials

• First-year deadlines (admissions page; some dates show no year, so check they apply to fall 2027): early decision I (binding) 1 November, decision mid-December; early decision II (binding) 1 January, decision mid-February; regular decision 1 January, decision late March. Lehigh has no early action. The admissions FAQ says ED I and ED II applicants are considered for admission and merit scholarships in the same holistic way.
• Platforms: the Common Application or Coalition Application with Scoir, with the Lehigh questions and writing supplement.
• Materials: application and writing supplement; school report (including counselor recommendation) and official high school transcript; one teacher recommendation (not stated to be from a maths teacher); mid-year report and transcript; final report and transcript after graduation; a USD 75 application fee; SAT/ACT optional; the Early Decision Agreement form for ED applicants. An interview is not required.
• Testing: test-optional indefinitely; scores are superscored with no preference between SAT and ACT; official scores must reach Lehigh from the testing agency before classes begin; the ACT science section is not required.
• Review: holistic, considering rank, grades in context, trend (especially senior-year courses), performance in courses related to the intended area of study, course difficulty, recommendations, extracurriculars and leadership, and demonstrated interest.

5. US domestic applicants

• Costs for 2026-27: tuition USD 69,420, typical first-year housing USD 11,470, full meal plan USD 7,760, technology fee USD 630, activity fee USD 290 and wellness fee USD 250, totalling USD 89,820; students in certain programs and majors pay an extra USD 910 fee (an Engineering and Science fee, Arts and Sciences fee or Health fee). Lehigh is private and the pages read show no in-state/out-of-state difference.
• Aid: the tuition and aid page describes a long-standing commitment to need-based aid; undergraduates from families with total income under USD 75,000 are eligible for a full tuition grant (the Lehigh Commitment); 26% of admitted students for 2025-26 received a merit scholarship of USD 15,000 or more a year. Financial aid deadlines: ED I 1 November, ED II 1 January, regular decision 15 January. Priority or guaranteed admission for state residents is not mentioned on the pages read.
• Department scholarships: the department pages read do not list mathematics-specific scholarships; ask the department.

6. International applicants

• Who counts: non-US citizens wherever they attend high school; eligible non-citizens for federal aid (such as permanent residents and refugees) are treated as domestic, and US citizens abroad apply as domestic students.
• Education requirement: applicants must be completing or have completed the equivalent of 12 years of education, or the programme that leaves them eligible for university study in their system; students with only O-level, GCSE or IGCSE are not eligible.
• English: required unless your first language is English or your last two full years of formal instruction (excluding the current year) were in English. TOEFL and IELTS are preferred; TOEFL iBT Home Edition and Duolingo are considered when those are unavailable; SAT and ACT cannot substitute. The first-year part of the requirements page says the most competitive candidates score above 90 on the TOEFL and 120 on Duolingo; its transfer part and the international page add 7.0 on the IELTS. The international page’s guidance: scores indicating strong readiness are TOEFL 95+ (5.5+ on the scale starting 21 January 2026), IELTS 7.5+ and Duolingo 120+; TOEFL 86–94 (4.0–5.0 on the new scale), IELTS 6.5–7.0 and Duolingo 110–119 may suggest a need for extra language support; anything lower raises considerable concern about readiness.
• Funds and aid: non-citizens who cannot pay the full cost submit the CSS Profile (or, if the fee is a hardship, the limited-place ISAFA; the CSS Profile is strongly preferred) by the admission deadline: 1 November for ED I, 15 January for ED II or regular decision. Lehigh is need-aware for non-citizens. The requirements page says costs can be “upwards of USD 93,400” a year and the international page says “over USD 98,900”; both figures appear. No bank statement is needed at application, only if you are admitted and enrol. Aid packages range from full tuition, room and board to a few thousand dollars; merit scholarships range from USD 5,000 to full tuition with no separate application; offers are not increased later except for cost-of-attendance rises, and are not adjusted for currency changes.
• Fee waiver: the international page describes an application fee waiver for families who cannot contribute more than USD 10,000 a year and for whom the fee is a hardship; see the page for how to request it.
• Credential evaluation: the pages read do not name an evaluation service for high school records (transfer applicants from international institutions where English is not the main language of instruction submit a WES evaluation).

7. Applicants from China

• The international page says to contact your regional admissions counselor or email luinternational@lehigh.edu.
• Gaokao: the pages read do not say whether or how Gaokao results are used, nor what is required for Chinese transcripts or school-leaving exam records. Ask your counselor.
• English requirements, the 12-year education rule and the CSS Profile are in section 6, and AP/IB credit in section 3.

8. Research, honors and outcomes

• Honors thesis: see section 2; the list of past theses on the department page is old (the latest dates from 2010).
• Student society: the department website has a student organisation page (URL “lumss”) listing officers and meetings and events; its full name and purpose are not stated there.
• Outcomes (listed on the department page): jobs held by recent graduates include roles in various industries requiring quantitative skills, graduate school in mathematics or other disciplines, tech fields including computer programmer, high school teacher, actuary for a financial company and industry statistician. No figures are given.

9. Transfer students

• Application and deadlines: Common Application or Coalition; fall entry 1 April, spring entry 1 November (no year printed, so check); fall decisions in mid-May; transfer financial aid deadlines are the same dates.
• Requirements: there is no minimum GPA, though competitive applicants typically have 3.25 or above; you must be in good standing at your previous institution. Submit all college transcripts, the final high school transcript (the same high school requirements as first-year students), the conduct report form and the USD 75 fee, plus English results under the conditions above; SAT/ACT are not required; a WES evaluation is needed for international institutions where English is not the main language. There are no transfer interviews.
• Credit: only courses with a grade of C or better transfer, and C- never does; the evaluation is completed only after an offer of admission; transfer grades are not counted in the Lehigh GPA. Mathematics-specific transfer conditions (calculus or linear algebra sequence) are not stated on the pages read. For current students, the department page says to get approval before taking a course elsewhere: Professor Zeng (xiz222@lehigh.edu) for MATH 021 and 022, Professor Zhang (liz5@lehigh.edu) for other mathematics courses and Professor Tang (sit218@lehigh.edu) for probability and statistics, with the approval form, a full syllabus and the official course description; self-study courses are generally not approved.
• Scholarships: Phi Theta Kappa members receive USD 10,000 a year for up to eight semesters (minimum 2.8 GPA); other transfer merit scholarships are limited.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Apply by 1 November (ED I) or 1 January (ED II, regular decision), checking the year on the official site; USD 75 fee; writing supplement, school report and transcript, one teacher recommendation; testing optional
• At least 3 years of college preparatory maths; place into MATH 021 or 031 using the placement guidance; AP Calculus 4–5 may earn credit; file for financial aid by the round’s deadline

International applicants (including China):

• Same dates; English results (TOEFL above 90, IELTS 7.0 and Duolingo 120 are the most competitive levels) unless exempt; the CSS Profile by 1 November or 15 January if you need aid
• Ask your counselor how the Gaokao is used

After entry:

• Complete MATH 021–023 (or 031–033), 163, 242, 243 and 301; find a mathematics faculty advisor and submit the major declaration form; for the B.S., add two computer science courses; keep a 2.0 average in the major

Transfer students:

• Fall 1 April, spring 1 November; GPA typically 3.25 or above; C or better to transfer; confirm mathematics-specific conditions with the department

Sources: Lehigh University, Mathematics: undergraduate; Mathematics: major programs; Mathematics: minor programs; Mathematics: placement and AP credit; Mathematics: transfer credit for outside courses; Mathematics: departmental honors; Mathematics: undergraduate advisors; Arts & Sciences: majors and minors; Catalog: Mathematics; Catalog: College of Arts & Sciences; Catalog: transfer between colleges; Admissions: how to apply; Admissions: requirements; Admissions: international students; Admissions: transfer students; Admissions: tuition and aid. Course requirements are from the 2026-27 catalog; the admissions pages show some dates without a year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry, and see Lehigh’s website for the latest.