It is organized into three contiguous campuses on and around South Mountain, including: In May 2012, Lehigh was the beneficiary a gift of 755 acres of property in nearby Upper Saucon Township, Pennsylvania from the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation.

[17] Based in Maginnes Hall,[18] the College of Arts and Sciences offers a variety of humanities courses and visual arts programs and many music programs, including a marching band, the Wind Ensemble, and the Philharmonic orchestra.

It has a dedicated Humanities Center, which is the site for many literature and other arts-based programs, including the Drown Writers Series.

[19][vague] Lehigh also has a program called ArtsLehigh,[20] oriented towards enhancing interest in the arts on campus.

Stewart is credited with creating the College of Business in 1918, establishing its original courses and teaching most of the classes himself.

Other notable alumni include Roger Penske, Lee Iacocca, John W. Fisher, and Terry Hart.

[27] The college opened on August 21, 2020, and was the first in the world to offer undergraduate, graduate, and executive degrees in population health.

[28] Admission to Lehigh University is classified as "more selective" by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

[32] U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges Ranking ranked Lehigh tied for 46th[41] among "National Universities", tied for 25th for "Best Undergraduate Teaching", 26th for "Best Value Schools", 51st for "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs", and 45th for "Most Innovative Schools" in its 2024 edition of "Best Colleges".

[45] Lehigh University is nationally ranked 1st in "Best Science Lab Facilities", 10th for “Best College Library”, and 15th for "Most Beautiful Campus" according to The Princeton Review.

[53] In 2023, U.S. News & World Report has identified Lehigh University’s 1-MBA program as ranking 5th in the United States in salary-to-debt ratio.

When the drinking age was increased to 21, fraternities started to run into frequent hazing incidents and disciplinary issues which resulted in many of them being forced by the school to disband in the 1990s.

Lehigh University is home to several unique and cherished traditions, particularly during the annual Spirit Week leading up to the Lehigh-Lafayette football game.

[63] The Marching 97 band also plays a key role in Le-Laf Week, performing traditional Lehigh fight songs as they parade through campus.

The "Eco-flame" tradition, originating in the 1970s when Professor Rich Aaronson invited the band to perform for his ECO 001 class, remains a staple of the week.

[64] Campus-wide events such as Lehigh After Dark’s carnival and the GO campaign launch, which featured a Halsey concert, bring students from various class years and interest groups together, further enhancing the community spirit.

[65] Since 1919 Lehigh maintains a unit in the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps, the Steel Battalion of the 2nd ROTC Brigade, which is headquartered in Jordan Hall on the mountaintop campus.

[67] In 2002, it won the inaugural USA Today/NCAA Foundation Award for having the nation's top graduation rate of all Division I institutions.

Lehigh graduates have competed in the Super Bowl and won gold medals for the U.S. at the Olympic Games.

While it is not a school sport, a number of Lehigh alumni, including Roger Penske, Al Holbert, and John Fitch, went on to successful careers in auto racing.

[73] Home dual meets and tournaments take place in Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall, on the university's main campus.

The men's lacrosse team has achieved historic success over the years, including four Patriot League Championships.

[80] The team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 after rallying to defeat Boston University 11–10 in the championship game.