How far is lehigh university from philadelphia? The driving distance from Philadelphia to Lehigh University is 56 miles. Your Travel Starts at Philadelphia, PA, USA. It Ends at Lehigh University, 27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA.What is unique about lehigh university? Lehigh is a very good school that commands respect in the business, science and engineering fields; and generally, in all academic circles. Prior to 1971, the school was all male. This is one aspect that made it unique, but not necessarily better.What does lehigh university mean? Lehigh University. Lehigh University is an American private research university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines. As of 2012, the university comprises 4,883 undergraduate students and 2,187 graduate students.