College Tour: Liberty University

After about six months of no college tours, my family and I decided to tour another college last weekend. This time, it was Liberty University as part of their ExperienceLU event.  

The Basics 

Liberty University is a private, Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia. They are not affiliated with a specific denomination, and in total between on-campus and online there are about 135,000 students. Approximately 16,000 students attend in-person.  

The Christian Aspect 

Liberty has two main opportunities for campus-wide worship. Convocation is held every Wednesday and Friday at 10:30am. Convocation attendance is mandatory for every student who lives on campus, with one skip allowed per semester and allowances for emergencies and illnesses. There are no classes during these times. They also have an optional gathering every Wednesday evening for further worship and teaching that eventually breaks into small groups at dorms.  

During our tour, the tour guides and staff frequently referred to their Christian faith and made sure it was obvious that Liberty is a Christian university. We even listened to a mini-sermon from a Bible professor.  

Academics 

Liberty has over 200 Bachelor’s degree programs within multiple different schools. Some of these include the School of Aeronautics, the School of Business, and the School of Divinity. There are also a huge variety of programs offered entirely online if you can’t or don’t want to move for college. And with some options, like Business Administration, Liberty has specializations which allows you to tailor your degree to your interests.  

Additionally, Liberty University has an Honors College. This provides honors students with the opportunity to be in smaller general education classes, complete projects and independent study for a few classes within their major, and write a Senior Thesis. To be considered for this, if you meet the requirements you must mail in a separate application specifically for the Honors College, which can be found here.  

The student to faculty ratio is 18:1 and most classes seem to have 18-21 students, with many of the general education classes extending to around 100, and some of the honors specific classes around 10.  

Freedom Tower

Student Life 

Liberty does a wonderful job at keeping students engaged on campus. Between multiple dining options, a large gym with an indoor track, pool, and soccer fields (among other things), and campus ministries, clubs, and sports, it seems like there would always be something to do at the school. As for housing, there are three main types of housing: The Commons, Traditional, and Apartment Style. With resident directors, assistants, and shepherds, each student is cared for and looked after while they live on campus. 

Liberty University is an NCAA Division I school, with 20 sports in that category. There are also over 40 club sports (which require tryouts), and a variety of intramurals. If you’re not into sports, there are over 100 student-led clubs as well as a number of campus activities.  

Convocation Building

Scholarships and Admissions 

Liberty has a 99% acceptance rate. In addition to a handful of non merit-based scholarships, like the Virginia resident or Honors Program scholarships, Liberty offers some generous merit-based scholarships. Most of these are based on GPA and range from $1750-$6500. However, if you have an SAT score of 1540 (or the equivalent on the CLT or ACT), you are eligible for a full-tuition scholarship.  

For National Merit Scholar Commended Students and Semifinalists, there is a full tuition scholarship. To receive this scholarship, you must be a member in the Honors College. For NMSC Finalists, Liberty offers a full-ride (tuition, room, and board) scholarship.  

 

I enjoyed our visit to Liberty University. It is a beautiful campus, and they seem dedicated not only to their academics but also their Christian faith.