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Liberty University is a private evangelical Christian university founded by Jerry Falwell SR in 1971 in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty is situated in a rural setting with a campus that houses over 15,000 students locally and over 90,000 students online. Liberty University has 17 colleges with a foundation in conservative Christian education, required Bible study, and an honor code that prohibits premarital sexual relations for all students.
Liberty University, originally named Lynchburg Baptist College, is funded by major donors including the former school president Jerry Falwell Jr, who transformed the university’s distance learning program into the majority online school it is today. The campus at Liberty University consists of a collection of large buildings like the 17-story Freedom Tower, the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, and the Equestrian Center.
Liberty University is the largest Christian university in the world. Students that attend campus in-person can participate in a range of social clubs, volunteer programs, and even catch a local minor league baseball Lynchburg Hillcats game. Noble Liberty alumni include basketball player Seth Curry, gospel recording artist Guy Penrod, and former Atlanta Brave Sid Bream.
Lynchburg, VA 24515
* These statistics utilize the most recently released data from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System)
Sources for school statistics and data include U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Data may vary depending on school and academic year.
- Law (LAW) - Professional schools
- Osteopathic Medicine (OSTEO) - Programs leading to the D.O. degree
- Theology (THEOL) - Freestanding schools, as well as programs affiliated with larger institutions, offering graduate professional education for ministry and graduate study of theology (John W. Rawlings School of Divinity)
- Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
- Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
- Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
- Public Health Programs (PHPBG) - Baccalaureate and Graduate level programs offered outside a school of public health
- Teacher Education (TED) - Baccalaureate and graduate programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional personnel for elementary and secondary schools
Source data obtained from U.S. Department of Education's Office of Post-secondary Education (OPE)
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Based on 7 ReviewsLU alumni excel in a variety of careers. Graduates include Dean Parker, founder of Cloud Communications Alliance and Callis Communications; Susan Wise Bauer, author and English instructor at The College of William and Mary; Paul Dixon, former president of Cedarville University; Shannon Bream, Supreme Court reporter for Fox News; Samantha Steele, ESPN College GameDay reporter; Terry Fator, singer, ventriloquist and season two winner of America’s Got Talent; Courtney Garrett, Miss Virginia; William Franklin Graham IV, evangelist and grandson of Billy Graham; Octavio De La Grana, current assistant coach and head scout for the Miami Heat; and Mike Brown, wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers.
At Liberty University near Lynchburg, Virginia, the school greets students in the elegant new visitor’s center. Opened in 1971, LU has expanded to 7,000 acres and in the last three years has spent more than $500 million to upgrade its academic, athletic and housing facilities. The observatory features a 20-inch research telescope and a classroom for up to 20 people. The Jerry Falwell Library was finished in 2014 and the same year marked the completion of the center for medical and health sciences and the launch of the LU College of Osteopathic Medicine. But stay tuned for more. Construction of the 275-foot Freedom Tower and classroom building at the Rawlings School of Divinity are underway and set to open in spring 2017. Whether you’re hanging out in the apartment-style dorms of East Campus, attending a play in the Tower Theater, hanging out in LaHaye Student Center or taking to the slopes in the Mountain Snowflex Centre, you’ll never feel bored.
More than 95,000 students worldwide are earning their degrees with LU’s flexible online classes, as the university offers 245 distance learning programs from the certificate to the doctoral level. LU takes the distance out of distance learning by providing ways for students to feel “connected, engaged, and encouraged.” Hear Christian speakers, authors and musicians by attending weekly streaming convocations. Students get a sense of the classroom atmosphere through video events, live chats, blogs, and social media or keep up on the latest by logging onto Yammer, the online community where they can connect, engage and encourage one another. Adults can sign up for continuing education courses to upgrade their professional skills, become re-certified in their chosen fields, or introduce themselves to Scuba diving, wilderness first aid, or American Sign Language.
The LU Flames are part of the Big South Conference, with 11 universities including Campbell, Coastal Carolina, Radford and Winthrop. Students compete in 20 NCAA Division I sports in the 22,000-seat Williams Stadium and new baseball and softball stadiums. More than 9,000 fans wearing the school’s red, white and blue crowd the Vines Center, known as “The Furnace,” for roundball and team members get ready for games in the recently-built basketball practice facility. The Academic and Performance Center, opening in summer 2017, will have an Olympic sport weight room and centralized training facility. Students can follow their favorite teams with the Flames Minute and clock countdown to the next big game at Liberty.edu/flames.
The university is divided into 16 colleges and schools offering 520 programs of study for undergraduate and graduate degrees. Residential students mingle with others from 50 states and 80 countries, while those studying online may encounter distance learners from 90 nations. The Liberty Way, the school’s honor code and an integral part of the community, addresses academic and non-academic misconduct and guides learning in fidelity to the Christian faith. Monday-Wednesday-Friday morning convocations offer world-class speakers and a praise and worship band. Residential students volunteer more than 300,000 hours each year in campus and community activities. Every professor goes through a rigorous interview proves that confirms a born-again relationship with Jesus and a commitment to teaching excellence. Religion reigns as the most popular major and LU prepares its students to be “Champions for Christ.”