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AlmaSpire

Easton, PA · Private · 2,757 undergraduates · suburban

Lafayette College

Selective

A small liberal-arts college keeps engineering fully inside the undergraduate experience rather than separating it into a distant professional school.

Shuvaev / CC BY-SA 3.0

Institutional profile

Top tier Exceptional in career outcomes, and strong in academic standing.
Academic Strong Affordability Solid Career Exceptional Mobility Steady Experience Steady
Academic standing Strong
Affordability Solid
Career outcomes Exceptional
Mobility Steady
Student experience Steady
Admission
31.5% admitted

9,874 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
89.1%

$91,410 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Lafayette College apart

Academic design

Engineering-inclined first-years share design, calculus, chemistry, and seminar coursework before choosing among engineering fields.

Campus pattern

College Hill concentrates academic and residential life above downtown Easton, giving students a traditional campus with a small city immediately below.

A signature opportunity

A common first-year engineering launch lets students explore engineering disciplines before committing to a specific field.

Can I get in?

31.5% admitted

Applicants do not apply to an engineering major, but students considering engineering should follow the first-semester engineering sequence because switching in later is harder.

Recent applicant pool

9,874

About 31 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 31.5%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%1340–1490
12401580
ACT middle 50%30–33
2835

Of admitted students, 31% submitted an SAT, and 14% submitted an ACT. The ACT range comes from a small share of admitted students and does not describe the full class.

Entered with a 4.0 GPA10.5%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Lafayette College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Lafayette College weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Engineering-inclined first-years share design, calculus, chemistry, and seminar coursework before choosing among engineering fields.

02

Make institutional fit specific

A small liberal-arts college keeps engineering fully inside the undergraduate experience rather than separating it into a distant professional school.

03

Use the application route carefully

Applicants do not apply to an engineering major, but students considering engineering should follow the first-semester engineering sequence because switching in later is harder.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Applicants do not apply to an engineering major, but students considering engineering should follow the first-semester engineering sequence because switching in later is harder.

Early DecisionNov 1
Early Decision IIJan 5
Regular DecisionJan 5
Fee and waiver$65 application fee

Fee waiver: accepted

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$91,382
Average annual cost after aid$34,000
Affordability profileSolid

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Lafayette College

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years89.1%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one90.9%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$91,410

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Economics

Recent graduates100
Median earnings$112,864

Political Science and Government

Recent graduates71
Median earnings$87,904

Mechanical Engineering

Recent graduates54
Median earnings$101,348

Biology, General

Recent graduates50
Median earnings$82,109

Neurobiology and Neurosciences

Recent graduates48
Median earnings

What is campus life like?

Lafayette College beyond the classroom

College Hill concentrates academic and residential life above downtown Easton, giving students a traditional campus with a small city immediately below.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Engineering-inclined first-years share design, calculus, chemistry, and seminar coursework before choosing among engineering fields.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

College Hill concentrates academic and residential life above downtown Easton, giving students a traditional campus with a small city immediately below.

Signature opportunity

A reason to look closer

A common first-year engineering launch lets students explore engineering disciplines before committing to a specific field.

2,757 undergraduatesMid-Atlanticsuburban setting99% of first-year students live on campus