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Lehigh

Lehigh climbs the wooded side of South Mountain above Bethlehem — a campus of stone Gothic buildings, serious engineering, and staircases that double as cardio. Below sits the old Bethlehem Steel plant reborn as an arts district, and every November brings the other half of college football's most-played rivalry.

Move-inLate August
BedsTwin XL
A/CVaries by hall
Jump to the checklist ↓
01
The one thing generic lists get wrong

What to wear in Bethlehem, month by month

This region runs from a humid late summer to a hard winter in about ten weeks. The mistake out-of-region families make is packing the whole year in August.

Move-in (Aug)62–85°FWarm and humid on the mountainside — a fan matters in the halls without A/C.
Sept–Oct45–72°FThe mountain turns gold and red — Lehigh's best season.
Nov–Dec28–48°FCold, gray, and windy on the slope. Full winter kit by Thanksgiving.
Jan–Feb22–42°FSnow on the mountain stairs — boots with real tread are a safety item.
Mar–May40–68°FMud season, then a green spring canopy over campus.
The flip: pack a fan for the warm first weeks, then real winter gear — and above all, shoes you can climb in. Lehigh's campus gains a few hundred feet of elevation, and your student's hall might be most of the way up.
02
Straight from the housing office

What Lehigh lets you bring

✓ Bring it
  • Twin XL bedding (confirm your specific hall)
  • UL/ETL power strip with a built-in circuit breaker — not a bare extension cord
  • Damage-free wall hangings like Command strips — no nails or screws
  • Low-draw LED desk and task lamps
  • A fan, a reusable water bottle, and UL-listed electronics
✕ Leave it home
  • Open-coil / open-flame cooking: toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, hot plates, electric grills, sandwich makers
  • Candles, incense, wax warmers, and anything with an open flame
  • Halogen lamps
  • Extension cords without a breaker; outlet splitters and multi-plug adapters
  • Space heaters and personal A/C units (unless your school provides/approves them)
  • Hoverboards, e-scooters, e-bikes, and other e-mobility devices
  • Weapons of any kind — including decorative — and fireworks

These come from Lehigh's official housing pages and cover the essentials plus the genuinely local rules. Double-check the current official guidance before you buy — policies and renovations change every year.

03
Before you can move in

Getting your room at Lehigh

  1. 01
    After you deposit

    Apply for housing

    The first-year application opens in late spring — preferences and a lifestyle profile drive the matching; Lehigh assigns halls and roommates centrally.

  2. 02
    Mid-summer

    Assignment posts

    Hall, room, roommate, and mailing details arrive over the summer.

  3. 03
    Late August

    Move in + orientation

    Arrivals are staggered before classes start. Unload fast at the hall, park below, and let the move-in crews handle the stairs.

Lehigh campus
04
The actual buildings

Where you'll live at Lehigh

First-year halls

First-years live on campus, mostly in the halls along the lower and middle mountain. Where you land on the slope shapes your daily climb — every option is social, some are just steeper than others.

McClintic-Marshall (M&M)The big one

Lehigh's classic first-year hall — big, loud, and central, with the Rathbone dining hall nearby.

Dravo & RichardsThe neighbors

The traditional halls beside M&M on the mountainside — corridors, common rooms, and quick access to the academic core.

Lower CentennialsThe small-hall option

A cluster of smaller houses ('the Cents') for first-years who'd rather know all forty neighbors than some of four hundred.

05
Tick as you pack

The Lehigh move-in checklist

0 / 57 packedSaved on this device as you go.

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Bedding6

Bath5

Laundry4

Storage & organization6

Desk & study4

Electronics6

Cleaning5

Kitchen — within the rules5

Health & meds4

Clothing — see the seasonal guide7

Move-in day go-bag5

06
The stuff nobody puts in one place

Bethlehem logistics, sorted

How to send a package to a Lehigh student

[Student Full Name]
[Box #]
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA 18015
Student mail routes through campus boxes — the number arrives with the room assignment. Students bring their ID to pick up.

The Rivalry

Lehigh–Lafayette (never the other way round, locally) is college football's most-played rivalry — 160-plus meetings since 1884. Rivalry week is the emotional peak of the fall semester; book visit weekends around it.

The mountain is a personality

Campus climbs South Mountain, and everything is measured in elevation — your hall, your classes, your calves. Students call the result 'Lehigh legs.' The views over the valley, especially at sunset, are the payoff.
07
Beyond the campus gates

Bethlehem & around

The rebirth

SteelStacks

The old Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces, now an arts campus — concerts, festivals, and the best industrial backdrop in America.

The postcard

Historic Main Street

Moravian Bethlehem's 1740s stone buildings, shops, and the 'Christmas City' lights across the river.

The doorstep

South Side

New Street's restaurants, coffee, and galleries start at the bottom of campus.

The trail

The D&L Trail

165 canal-side miles along the Lehigh — flat, scenic, and perfect for a borrowed bike.

Lehigh campus
08
For move-in, family weekend & graduation

Where to stay near Lehigh

The landmark

Historic Hotel Bethlehem

Main Street

The 1922 grande dame on Main Street — book a year out for graduation and the Rivalry.

Full resort

Wind Creek Bethlehem

SteelStacks

The casino resort in the old Steel works — big, reliable, five minutes from campus.

Campus-close

Hyatt Place Bethlehem

South Side

The modern option nearest the university.

Graduation and Lehigh–Lafayette weekends fill the valley — book the moment dates post. Allentown's chains add depth ten minutes west, and ABE airport is fifteen minutes away.
09
Gear up

Lehigh gear & gifts

Lehigh University BookstoreThe official campus store in the Clayton University Center — brown and white by the yard.↗M.LaHart & Co.Officially licensed premium Lehigh gifts — watches, frames, and desk pieces.↗