Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college based in Easton, Pennsylvania, with a small satellite campus in New York City. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the school first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the school after General Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution who toured the country in 1824–25, as “a testimony of respect for [his] talents, virtues, and signal services… in the great cause of freedom”.

Lafayette is considered a Hidden Ivy as well as one of the northeastern Little Ivies.

Located on College Hill in Easton, the campus is in the Lehigh Valley, about 70 mi (110 km) west of New York City and 60 mi (97 km) north of Philadelphia. Lafayette College guarantees campus housing to all enrolled students. The school requires students to live in campus housing unless approved for residing in private off-campus housing, or at home as a commuter.

The student body, consisting entirely of undergraduates, comes from 46 U.S. states and territories and nearly 60 countries. Students at Lafayette have access to more than 250 clubs and organizations, including athletics, fraternities and sororities, special interest groups, community service clubs, and honor societies. Lafayette College’s athletic program is notable for The Rivalry with nearby Lehigh University. Since 1884, the two football teams have met 155 times, making it the most played rivalry in the history of college football.