Lock Haven University

Lock Haven University offers an excellent and affordable education characterized by a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences for all students, majors in the arts and sciences, and a special emphasis on professional programs.

All programs are enhanced with real-world experiences and co-curricular activities that enable students to realize their full potential. In close personal interactions with faculty who are passionate about teaching, students are challenged to develop their minds and skills in order to be responsible citizens and to succeed in a global and technologically advanced society.

Lock Haven University will be nationally recognized for transforming students’ lives by providing:

• A welcoming and inclusive community of supportive faculty and staff that prioritizes the well-being and intellectual life of our students and also challenges them to ever-greater success.
• An immersive, high-quality academic learning environment that combines traditional, interdisciplinary, and professional experiences in and out of the classroom.
• A strong academic foundation that promotes the collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking necessary for navigating and succeeding in an ever-changing world.
• An engaging community with a diversity of cultural perspectives that encourages students to be responsible global citizens.
• A commitment to public service as a resource for personal, educational, cultural, and economic development for the region and state.

As part of PASSHE, Lock Haven University shares in the system's mission of providing "access and affordability of excellent undergraduate and graduate education." The university seeks to provide students from a broad cross-section of the Commonwealth with a high-quality education that they and their families can afford.

The liberal arts and sciences provide the essential foundation for an LHU education. Skills in gathering and synthesizing information, critical thinking, and communication are necessary for upper-level studies, whether in the liberal arts and sciences or a professional program. In addition, these skills, along with the ability to work with others and an understanding of the social and global context of their work, are highly prized by employers.

Since its founding for the purpose of training teachers, professional programs have always been central to an LHU education. In addition to teacher education, the university's professional programs today include health science, business, sport administration and recreation management, criminal justice, social work, communication, and computer science. Such programs are attractive to students and parents who see college as an important part of career preparation. These programs also address critical needs of our region and the Commonwealth.

LHU students excel not only in the classroom, but in their communities and world. All students must complete learning experiences outside the classroom. In internships, field placements, and student teaching assignments, students apply classroom skills to professional practice. Research projects enable students to assume responsibility for their own learning and often to advance knowledge in their fields. Students in the fine and performing arts develop proficiency through performances and exhibitions. Service-learning opportunities make students more aware of needs in their communities and develop civic responsibility. The university's international emphasis (including international students, study and service abroad, and classroom and co-curricular learning opportunities), enables students to develop a wider perspective on the world and themselves.

Students develop maturity, responsibility, teamwork, leadership and interpersonal skills through participation in a variety of student clubs and organizations. All students, regardless of their major, have the opportunity to participate in the arts. The university competes in 18 varsity sports, along with several competitive club teams, and offers an extensive intramural program.

Students say that the thing they like best about LHU is that faculty and staff care deeply about their success and well-being. They value close personal interactions with faculty members who know them by name. This insures that the university really is The Haven, a place where students are encouraged to make the most of opportunities to explore their potential and build a foundation for their future success.

Small class sizes and the personal support we provide each student mean you’ll be more than a face in the crowd. With more than 60 degree programs and an emphasis on real-world experience, we help you find the path that’s right for you.
Get a new perspective on the world by seeing it for yourself. Spend a semester or a year abroad in one of more than 20 countries, where you’ll take courses, live like a local, and have an experience you’ll never forget.

When you graduate, you’ll take more than a degree with you. You’ll also take the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of a liberal arts education, which can help you adapt to more job environments and lead to a more rewarding, successful career.

From your first visit to your fifty year reunion, being a part of Lock Haven University is much more than getting a degree. It’s new experiences and time-worn traditions. It’s a community that becomes family, a campus that becomes home.

We operate on a rolling admissions basis. Students are encouraged to apply for admission in the fall. Typically decisions are rendered within 10-12 days after your application and all required documents are submitted. During our peak application times (November-January), the process may take longer.