Private nonprofit · University

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia · Small city

99.0%
Admit rate
$29,357
Avg net price
65%
Graduation rate
$44,813
Median earnings

Liberty University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Lynchburg, Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 50,012 undergraduates. It has a Evangelical Christian religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitLarge · 50,012 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 99% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Conference USACold winters

About Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. Monacan Indian Nation and other Siouan Tutelo-speaking tribes had lived in the area for over 10,000 years, driving the Virginia Algonquians eastward to the coastal areas. Of Virginia's larger metro areas, Forbes Magazine ranked Lynchburg the fifth best place in Virginia for business in 2006, with Virginia being the best state in the country for business. In the same survey, Lynchburg achieved the rank of 109th in the nation. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
42 miles to Roanoke, VA
To the ocean
105 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to Lynchburg Regional Airport - Preston Glenn Field (LYH)

How Liberty University compares

Selectivity99.0%

More selective than 6% · #40 most selective of 43 in Virginia

Graduation rate65%

Higher than 69% · #18 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention80%

Higher than 63%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,813

Higher than 23% · #38 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$29,357

Cheaper than 17% · #40 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$24,500

Lower than 41%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment50,012

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare Liberty University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.

Liberty University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

101,378students
  • Undergraduate50,01249%
  • Graduate51,36651%

Undergraduates by gender

50,012undergrads
  • Women32,20864%
  • Men17,80436%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White57%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic7.9%
  • Asian1.8%
  • Other or multiracial23%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
50,012
Graduate enrollment
51,366
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
42%
Students over 25
48%
Median family income
$31,696
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$79,434
Endowment
$2,598,059,324

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 6,419 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Virginia20%
  • Other U.S. states80%
  • International0.7%

A national draw — only 20% of first-years come from Virginia; 79% arrive from other states.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
99.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$22,465
Room & board
$13,835
Books & supplies
$1,596
Total cost of attendance
$42,025
Average net price
$29,357

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
65%
Graduated on time (4 years)
55%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
1%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,707
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,813
Median debt at graduation
$24,500
Students with federal loans
46%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
31%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
55%
Low-income (Pell)
29%
First-generation
29%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
8,807
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
18%
Housing charge (year)
$7,560
Meal plan (year)
$5,360
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Conference USA
Varsity athletes
670 (311 men · 359 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)256
Football117
Soccer57
Baseball39
Swimming and Diving (combined)37
Lacrosse34
Basketball29
Field Hockey27
Softball27
Tennis19
Volleyball17
Golf11

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
120
Property offenses (2022–2024)
75

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (104,327 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

65reported offenses a year
40 violent a year25 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
28
Motor vehicle theft
19
Rape
6.7
Aggravated assault
5.0
Burglary
3.7
Arson
2.0
Robbery
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$30,667
$30–48k
$27,807
$48–75k
$27,347
$75–110k
$27,142
$110k+
$30,545

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$116,069

$27,347/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$9,570
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 97% — get grant money from Liberty University itself, averaging $9,570, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 4,688 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$44,813
Typical debt at graduation
$24,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
55%
Out-earn a HS grad
58%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$38,491
Men
$55,596

Men out-earn women by $17,105 (44%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
87°F
Winter low
26°F
Annual rain
42.8″
Annual snow
11.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lynchburg Rgnl AP, VA US station (2.4 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Liberty University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Liberty University side by side →

Colleges near Liberty University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.