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School data & stats
Outcomes
Cost
Community
Overview
Liberty is a large evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. in the early 1970s, that pairs a substantial residential campus with one of the country's largest online degree operations, launched decades ago as one of the first major players in Christian distance education. Its identity is built around a conservative, Baptist-rooted Christian worldview woven through academics, student life, and campus policy alike, and it has grown into one of the largest universities in the country by total enrollment, mostly through its online reach.
Academics
The academic range is broad and professionally oriented, spanning aviation through its School of Aeronautics, nursing, business, engineering, and law, alongside a prominent School of Divinity and Helms School of Government that reflect the university's religious and public-service mission. Online and residential students often share the same degree programs and faculty, with the online side serving a far larger population than the Lynchburg campus itself, and cinematic arts and esports have become fast-growing residential programs.
Campus & student life
Residential campus life centers on convocation, a large recurring gathering that functions as both worship service and community event, along with a student honor code (the Liberty Way) governing conduct, dress, and visitation. Athletics compete at the Division I level as the Flames, with a football program that moved into a new conference after years as an FBS independent, and campus recreation includes the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, a synthetic ski and snowboard slope unusual for a Virginia campus. ROTC and a strong military-connected student population are also part of the culture.
Getting in
Admissions is broadly accessible rather than highly selective, and applicants should expect the university's Christian mission and honor code to be a real, not nominal, part of what they're signing up for, including expectations around faith commitment alongside academic credentials. Rolling and early enrollment options make it straightforward to apply, and residential and online admission processes differ somewhat given how differently those two populations experience the university.
After graduation
Graduates go on to a wide range of paths depending on program: aviation graduates into commercial and regional airline pipelines, nursing and business graduates into regional and national employers, and divinity and government graduates often into ministry, nonprofit, or policy-adjacent work. The online population, being older and already working in many cases, often uses a Liberty degree for career advancement within an existing job rather than as a first step into the workforce.
Worth knowing
Prospective students should know the honor code applies most fully to residential students and shapes daily life, including chapel and convocation attendance, conduct standards, and dress and visitation rules, while online students experience a much more flexible version of the same institution. The university's scale as an online provider means its brand recognition often outpaces awareness of its traditional residential campus and Division I athletics program.
Admissions
Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)
Applying (2026-27 cycle)
Apply through Common App or Own application.
Supplemental essays (2)
Describe how your personal faith and beliefs contribute to your college search process.
Liberty's mission is to develop Christ-centered leaders. Describe how you will contribute to this mission as a Liberty student.
Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗
liberty.edu ↗High school coursework
Recommended4 years of English · 2-3 years of college preparatory mathematics · 2 years of laboratory science · 2 years of social science · 2 years of foreign language · 4 units of electives (art, music, drama, etc.)
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