2026–27 Common App cycle · Bethlehem, PA
Lehigh University supplemental essays
8 prompts, 8 required, about 1050 words in total. Below: each prompt, what it is really asking, where drafts go wrong, and the shape of an answer that works.
Free, no card. Paste a draft and Admitify reads it line by line against the prompt. It never writes for you.
The prompts, one by one
- How you learned about Lehighup to 200 words · Open prompt
“How did you first learn about Lehigh University and what motivated you to apply?”
What it's really askingWhatever matters to you that the rest of the application hasn't shown. Lehigh University is giving you the floor; the question is what you choose to put on it.
Where drafts go wrongUsing the space to summarise achievements, apologise for a weakness, or restate the personal statement. Choosing a topic because it sounds like what colleges want.
The shape of a strong answerOne subject the reader couldn't guess from your file, told through a specific scene. Keep it in your own voice; if it sounds like a brochure, cut it. End on something still unresolved.
- Something great right nowup to 200 words · Open prompt
“At Lehigh, we believe in pausing to celebrate the good—meaningful moments that bring joy, pride or motivation. What's something great happening in your life right now?”
What it's really askingWhatever matters to you that the rest of the application hasn't shown. Lehigh University is giving you the floor; the question is what you choose to put on it.
Where drafts go wrongUsing the space to summarise achievements, apologise for a weakness, or restate the personal statement. Choosing a topic because it sounds like what colleges want.
The shape of a strong answerOne subject the reader couldn't guess from your file, told through a specific scene. Keep it in your own voice; if it sounds like a brochure, cut it. End on something still unresolved.
- Program fit: Arts and Sciences / Businessup to 200 words · Why this major
“How will the unique combination of college, program, major and/or 4+1 program that you selected above allow you to achieve your educational or professional goals?”
What it's really askingThe moment this subject stopped being a class and became a question you couldn't drop. Lehigh University wants evidence you've chosen on purpose, not by default.
Where drafts go wrongTurning it into a résumé: grades, awards and "I have always been passionate about." A list of achievements is not a reason to study something. Grand missions ("to cure cancer") read as borrowed.
The shape of a strong answerOne specific experience, one specific confusion or question it left you with, and what you did about it on your own. Then one or two things in Lehigh University's version of the major that match that question. Small and real beats big and vague.
- Program fit: Arts-Engineering dual degreeno stated word limit · Why this major
“How will the 5-year dual degree Arts-Engineering program, which requires a major in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering, allow you to achieve your educational or professional goals?”
What it's really askingThe moment this subject stopped being a class and became a question you couldn't drop. Lehigh University wants evidence you've chosen on purpose, not by default.
Where drafts go wrongTurning it into a résumé: grades, awards and "I have always been passionate about." A list of achievements is not a reason to study something. Grand missions ("to cure cancer") read as borrowed.
The shape of a strong answerOne specific experience, one specific confusion or question it left you with, and what you did about it on your own. Then one or two things in Lehigh University's version of the major that match that question. Small and real beats big and vague.
- Program fit: Computer Science & Businessup to 150 words · Intellectual curiosity
“What makes the Computer Science and Business (CSB) program the best fit for your academic and/or professional goals?”
What it's really askingWhether you think about things when nobody is grading you. Lehigh University wants a specific idea, question or project and the way your mind moved through it.
Where drafts go wrongName-dropping a big topic (AI, climate, quantum) and describing it instead of your own thinking about it. Essays that could have been written from the Wikipedia page.
The shape of a strong answerOne specific question or thing you made. The wrong turns and what you tried next. What you still don't know. Curiosity reads as unfinished; that's the point. At 150 words there is room for exactly one example, explained properly.
- Program fit: IDEAS Honors Programup to 150 words · Program essay
“What makes the Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts & Sciences (IDEAS) Honors Program the best fit for your academic and/or professional goals?”
What it's really askingWhy this specific program at Lehigh University, and whether you understand what it adds beyond the regular degree. Honors and scholar programs read these for fit with how they teach, not for how impressive you are.
Where drafts go wrongTreating it as another "why us" or restating your transcript. Not mentioning anything the program actually does.
The shape of a strong answerName one thing the program does that the regular path doesn't (seminars, research, cohort, a specific project) and connect it to something you've already done. Show you'd use it, not just qualify for it. At 150 words there is room for exactly one example, explained properly.
- Program fit: IBE Honors Programup to 150 words · Program essay
“What makes the Integrated Business & Engineering (IBE) Honors Program the best fit for your academic and/or professional goals?”
What it's really askingWhy this specific program at Lehigh University, and whether you understand what it adds beyond the regular degree. Honors and scholar programs read these for fit with how they teach, not for how impressive you are.
Where drafts go wrongTreating it as another "why us" or restating your transcript. Not mentioning anything the program actually does.
The shape of a strong answerName one thing the program does that the regular path doesn't (seminars, research, cohort, a specific project) and connect it to something you've already done. Show you'd use it, not just qualify for it. At 150 words there is room for exactly one example, explained properly.
- Program fit: Integrated Business & Healthno stated word limit · Goals
“What makes the Integrated Business & Health (IBH) Program the best fit for your academic and/or professional goals?”
What it's really askingWhether you've thought past admission. Lehigh University wants a direction and the reasoning behind it, not a guaranteed career plan.
Where drafts go wrongA job title with no reasoning, or a mission so large it can't be checked ("change the world"). Plans that don't connect to anything you've done.
The shape of a strong answerThe problem or kind of work that pulls you, one thing you've already done toward it, and what you'd need next that Lehigh University provides. It's fine to say the plan might change; say what wouldn't.
Every US applicant also writes the Common App personal statement: 650 words, seven prompts. Don't repeat it here; the supplements are for what the statement didn't show.
A self-check before you submit
Cover the school name and read the essay. Then cover your name and read it again. It should fail the first test (it only makes sense for Lehigh University) and pass the second (only you could have written it). If it passes the first test, it's a brochure. If it fails the second, it's a template.
Run your draft through Admitify, free →Prompts verified September 2026 against Lehigh University's published application. Admission facts and requirements for Lehigh University are on its university page. Spotted a change? Tell us.