1,658 students are from 24 states and six countries.
 

During his academic year opening community welcome, Dr. James MacLaren, President, announced that Lebanon Valley College had 1,658 full-time undergraduate students enrolled this fall. This total surpasses the previous record of 1,651 in 2018.  

A perennial U.S. News & World Report Best Value in Regional Universities North listee, LVC continues to provide access and opportunity for all students, particularly Pell Grant eligible and first-generation enrollees. This fall’s new class included 23% who were the first in their families to attend college, up from 19% last fall. Roughly 28% of all LVC full-time undergraduates are first-generation, and 29% are Pell-Grant eligible.  

Pell students are typically from families demonstrating exceptional financial need and are historically far less likely to enroll in and graduate from college. The College has made it a priority for all students to afford an LVC education through generous financial aid and guaranteed merit scholarships that exceeded $52 million in 2023-24, and extensive support systems, some described below, to help them stay in college and succeed.   

“Achieving this milestone is a result of a College-wide goal to recruit and support our students through hands-on experiences, mentoring, and career preparation,” said MacLaren. “This success is a culmination of LVC’s high academic quality, successful athletic programs and coaches, and an ecosystem of support.” 

LVC recently revised its general education curriculum to make transferring into the College more seamless for students from a community college or four-year school. It established pathways to minimize barriers, ease the transition, and foster success for all students as they attain their Valley degrees.  

This support ecosystem includes the Center for Academic Success and Exploratory Majors, which provides comprehensive, student-centered support to all LVC students. The center’s primary services include one-on-one academic coaching, peer subject tutoring, and advising for Exploratory (undeclared) majors.  

First-generation students participate in the Dutchmen First program to develop a support network and resources to assist in a smooth transition to college and build a path to continued academic, career, and life success. Through educational workshops and social events, Dutchmen First students gain the tools to navigate college life while earning a $500 yearly scholarship. 

The College’s Edward and Lynn Breen Center for Career and Professional Development provides students, beginning their first semester, with one-on-one attention from career coaches to help them learn how to search for the right first career, refine their personal brand to get noticed, and build their strongest résumés.  

LVC alumni succeed in fields ranging from business and the sciences to healthcare and education. They benefit from several majors with 100% job offer rates and 100% exam pass rates.  

Close faculty-student relationships and mentoring are hallmarks of the LVC experience, often leading to lifelong professional and personal relationships. Students choose Lebanon Valley College for various reasons, including its generous financial aid, competitive athletic programs (40% of LVC students compete as NCAA Division III student-athletes), beautiful campus, and proximity to countless recreational and outdoor activities.