Dr. Elizabeth Meade, President | Cedar Crest College
Dr. Elizabeth Meade, President | Cedar Crest College
Of the 15 institutions in the county, five provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Muhlenberg College, Falcon Institute of Health and Science and DeSales University.
At least 10,905 people applied to Lehigh County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.
NCES data shows that among them, around 15,059 students enrolled in the universities, including 13,908 in undergraduate and 1,151 in graduate programs. Only 3.7% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.
The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (57.5%) and Hispanic (22.2%) students.
Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Lehigh Carbon Community College stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 6,242 students.
U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.
This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.
NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for Lehigh Career & Technical Institute in Lehigh County.
Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.
| Institution | # of Applicants | # of Admitted Students | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley | -- | -- | 95 |
| Lehigh Carbon Community College | -- | -- | 6,242 |
| DeSales University | 3,662 | 2,820 | 2,991 |
| Muhlenberg College | 4,329 | 2,857 | 1,959 |
| Cedar Crest College | 946 | 795 | 1,324 |
| Welder Training and Testing Institute | -- | -- | 52 |
| The Beauty Institute | -- | -- | 51 |
| Miller-Motte College-McCann-Allentown | -- | -- | 233 |
| St Lukes Hospital School of Nursing | -- | -- | 337 |
| Lincoln Technical Institute-Allentown | -- | -- | 419 |
| Metro Beauty Academy | -- | -- | 186 |
| Triangle Tech Inc-Bethlehem | -- | -- | 120 |
| Falcon Institute of Health and Science | 162 | 162 | 162 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley | 1,806 | 1,698 | 888 |
| Lehigh Career & Technical Institute | -- | -- | -- |
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