Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Liberty University

Students comparing Liberty University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Lynchburg, Virginia50,012 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 47Private nonprofitResearch universityWashington Monthly ranked

The short answer

Liberty University: Washington Monthly ranks it #315 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #499 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #517 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 50,012 undergraduates, admits 99.0% of applicants, and posts a 65.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,465; aid recipients pay $29,357 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $44,813.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
99.0%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$29,357

19% below the $36,300 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$44,813

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
65.3%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$24,500

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedLiberty University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Liberty University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National universities, liberal arts, regional and specialty listsNot ranked by this source
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#315of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#499of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#517of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Liberty University's position moves 80 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Liberty University

Liberty University is a private nonprofit institution in Lynchburg, Virginia. Federal data show 80.1% first-year retention and a 18:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $29,357 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $36,300 sticker cost against $29,357 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Liberty University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$22,465

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
38.3%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$13,835

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $36,300 a year, but the average family pays $29,357 — a 19% difference. 38.3% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Liberty University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    18:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    80.1%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    50,012

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Liberty University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $22,465 and on-campus room and board is $13,835, for a published total of $36,300 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $29,357.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 99.0%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Samford University

    Birmingham, ALPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Samford University: U.S. News ranks it #179 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #254 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1245 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #248 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #246 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 4,206 undergraduates, admits 82.4% of applicants, and posts a 77.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $40,150; aid recipients pay $32,622 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $58,469.

    Acceptance rate
    82.4%
    Average net price
    $32,622
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $58,469
    6-yr graduation rate
    77.0%
    US News · National universities#179 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#254 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1245 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    4,206 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 47 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Hampden-Sydney College

    Hampden-Sydney, VAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Hampden-Sydney College: U.S. News ranks it #103 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #318 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1286 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #115 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #208 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 5 College Library. It enrolls 946 undergraduates, admits 40.9% of applicants, and posts a 62.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $54,550; aid recipients pay $22,400 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $67,640.

    Acceptance rate
    40.9%
    Average net price
    $22,400
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $67,640
    6-yr graduation rate
    62.2%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#103 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#318 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1286 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    946 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 46 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Nova Southeastern University

    Fort Lauderdale, FLPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Nova Southeastern University: U.S. News ranks it #257 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #733 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #364 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #362 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 7,240 undergraduates, admits 73.2% of applicants, and posts a 63.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $38,700; aid recipients pay $30,371 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $59,209.

    Acceptance rate
    73.2%
    Average net price
    $30,371
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $59,209
    6-yr graduation rate
    63.3%
    US News · National universities#257 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#733 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#364 of 500+2 more on profile

    7,240 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 49 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Liberty University against these