Admissions Interview FAQs

An interview gives voice to all the parts of your application. It gives us a change to engage with you, and it provides you the opportunity to add one more facet, one more distinguishing feature, to your application. It is also a time for you to ask questions about the College and take the time to assess if Lafayette is the right fit for you. Interviews at Lafayette are informational and evaluative.

Rarely, if ever, does an interview affect a student’s application in a negative way and, in many cases, the interview is what made us decide to admit a student to Lafayette.

If you request an interview, you will be interviewed by one of the following

• Admissions counselor, a member of the admissions staff. Our staff conduct interviews in person on campus, virtually, and regionally in areas to which they travel to recruit the newest members of the Lafayette community. 
• Senior interviewer, a student who is a senior at Lafayette and has been trained to interview prospective students. Senior interviewers conduct in-person interviews on campus and virtual interviews.
• Alum of Lafayette. Alumni interviews are only available in late fall and early winter, usually November, December, and January. To request an alumni interview, you need to submit your application first. Most alumni interviews are conducted virtually.

In the application process, all types of interviews carry the same weight. No matter who interviews you or where your interview takes place, the purpose is to get to know you as person who had ideas, thoughts, dreams, and goals. Each student is allowed ONE interview per admissions cycle.

• On-campus Interview: This will take place on campus in Easton, PA, with a senior interviewer or admissions counselor. We will conduct a 25-30 minute chat with you and also take a few minutes to chat with any family members/guardians/counselors who accompany you to campus. An on-campus interview can occur before or after you apply to Lafayette.
• Virtual Interview: We use an online platform or Zoom link to interview you through video conferencing. Virtual interviews can take place with an admissions counselor, senior interviewer or alum of the College. Find a comfortable place where you will have few disturbances for your interview. The interview is approximately 25-30 minutes long. A virtual interview can occur before or after you apply to Lafayette.
• Regional Interview: As our admissions counselors travel the world in the fall, they often offer in-person interviews near you. Check the off-campus interviews to see if any are available near you.
• Alumni Interview: Interviews with alumni of Lafayette College occur virtually. Unlike the other interview types, you must have already submitted your application in order to request an alumni interview. Alumni interviews are available in late fall.
• Community-Based Organization Interview: Lafayette maintains relationships with a variety of community-based organizations, such as Posse, Upward Bound, OppNet, and more. Our admissions counselors may offer in-person or virtual interviews to students associate with these types of organizations. These usually occur virtually but may happen in person if an admissions counselor visits your group or if you group visits campus.

Yes. Students may participate in interviewing before submitting their applications. In fact, this is a great way to decide if you want to apply to Lafayette as you gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities available to you at the College.

The exception to this is the alumni interviews. We want to maximize the time of our alumni volunteers. Therefore a student must have applied to Lafayette in order to request an alumni interview.

An interview is not required, but it is recommended. Please note that considerable weight is given to the interview when we review candidates for Marquis Awards.

Seniors in high school and transfer student can register for interviews from late June through mid-January. Interviews for the Fall 2025 application cycle end on January 10, 2025.

No. High school students are granted one interview per admissions cycle, whether that is an in-person interview, virtual interview, or interview through a community-based organization. If you have something to add to your application after you have applied and interviewed, please email the information to admissions@lafayette.edu.

Yes. Transfer students and gap-year students who interviewed when they were in high school may interview again as part of a new application to Lafayette College.

Yes. We offer in-person interviews on campus. You must sign up ahead of time through our visit website to secure an interview slot.

If you can’t make it to campus or don’t have time when you visit, feel free to interview with us via a virtual interview.