Liberty University
Private College in Lynchburg, VA. Six-year graduation rate 68%. Median 10-year earnings $44,813.
Ten years after entry, the median Liberty University student earns $44,813 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. The six-year graduation rate of 68% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates carry a median of $24,500 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Liberty University admits 99% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. The applicant pool is large — 24,942 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. 24% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Liberty University →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 68% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. 80% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. Retention drops to 11% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. The student-faculty ratio is 18:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 50,242 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price — what students actually pay after grant aid — is $29,532 a year, at the high end of undergraduate cost. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($30,667 versus $30,545), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Grant aid reaches 83% of students at an average of $7,241. Federal borrowing reaches 49% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 4,367 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $30,667 |
| $30–48k | $27,807 |
| $48–75k | $27,347 |
| $75–110k | $27,142 |
| $110k+ | $30,545 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 24,476 of these 50,242 students, totalling $180,679,232 — an average of $7,382 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Lynchburg City) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
Fine imposed by Federal Agency
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)