Lafayette College

Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, on College Hill overlooking the Lehigh Valley. Founded in 1826, the college offers undergraduate programs in the arts, sciences, social sciences, and engineering. It is one of the few liberal arts colleges in the United States to provide accredited engineering programs alongside a traditional liberal arts curriculum. Lafayette College operates as a residential institution and competes in NCAA Division I athletics as a member of the Patriot League. Students are often drawn to its combination of small class sizes, close faculty interaction, and opportunities for interdisciplinary study, research, and community engagement in a suburban campus setting.

Lafayette College was founded in 1826 in Easton, Pennsylvania, when Governor John Andrew Shulze signed the college’s charter on March 9 of that year. Named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette following his celebrated visit to the United States in 1824–1825, the institution was established by local citizens who sought to expand educational opportunity in the region. George Junkin became Lafayette College’s first president in 1832, guiding its early academic development. During the nineteenth century, Lafayette College broadened its curriculum and became one of the first American colleges to establish a chair in English language and literature. The college gradually expanded its academic offerings, campus facilities, and national profile while maintaining its liberal arts foundation. In the twentieth century, Lafayette College transitioned to coeducation in 1970 and strengthened programs in engineering and the sciences, shaping its modern identity as a residential liberal arts college with engineering.