Liberty University Online: Cost and Outcomes (2026)

Liberty University charged $22,465 in tuition and fees for 2024-25, and its average net price was $29,357 for 2023-24, according to College Scorecard’s June 2026 data. 44% of students who started in 2016-17 earned a credential within eight years.

Liberty is a private nonprofit in Lynchburg, VA, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). It reports an Evangelical Christian affiliation, and its residential campus and Liberty University Online share one federal ID, so the figures here mix both.

Liberty is a private Christian university accredited by SACSCOC

Fact	Liberty
Control	Private nonprofit
Accreditor	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Location	Lynchburg, VA
Undergraduates studying fully online (fall 2024)	74%
Degree-seeking undergraduates (fall 2024)	50,012
Graduate students (fall 2024)	51,366
Undergraduates 25 or older (fall 2023)	48%
Admission rate (fall 2024)	99%
Federal school ID (UNITID)	232557
Religious affiliation	Evangelical Christian

Liberty tuition is $22,465 a year, and the average net price is $29,357

Scorecard lists $22,465 in tuition and fees for 2024-25, the same for in-state and out-of-state students.

Net price is the full cost of attendance, including housing and living costs, minus grants and scholarships. Scorecard’s average covers full-time, first-time undergraduates who got federal aid in 2023-24: 2,625 students at Liberty.

Family income	Average net price, 2023-24
$0 to $30,000	$30,667
$30,001 to $48,000	$27,807
$48,001 to $75,000	$27,347
$75,001 to $110,000	$27,142
$110,001 and up	$30,545

The lowest-income band paid the most on average: $30,667 for families earning under $30,000, against $27,142 for $75,001 to $110,000.

For 2026-27, Pell pays up to $7,395 a year to eligible undergraduates, and your own net price depends on your income, family size and state. The SAI Calculator estimates your Student Aid Index and Pell from an income range in about two minutes, and shows the result before it asks for an email.

44% of Liberty students earn a credential within eight years

Measure	Liberty
Earned a credential within 8 years (all students who started in 2016-17)	44%
Graduated within 6 years (first-time, full-time students only)	64%
Median earnings 6 years after starting	$39,707
Median earnings 10 years after starting	$44,813
Graduates’ median earnings 4 years after finishing	$57,700
Graduates’ median federal loan debt	$24,500
Undergraduates with a Pell Grant (2023-24)	38%
Undergraduates with a federal loan (2023-24)	46%

The gap between the two graduation rates is wide. It suggests first-time, full-time starters finished far more often than the part-time and transfer students who make up the rest of the 2016-17 group.

These are school-wide medians. Your payoff depends on the program, the job you target and what you pay.

Business and counseling psychology produce most Liberty graduates

These are Liberty’s five largest fields by graduates in 2022-23, from Scorecard’s field-of-study file.

Field and credential	Graduates, 2022-23	Median earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations (bachelor's)	1,519	$67,269	$25,000
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (master's)	1,392	$51,976	$50,911
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (bachelor's)	1,356	$53,357	$20,832
Theological and Ministerial Studies (master's)	1,269	$56,700	$34,166
Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's)	1,268	$90,025	$34,166

Field and credential Business Administration, Management and Operations (bachelor's)

Graduates, 2022-23 1,519

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $67,269

Median federal debt $25,000

Field and credential Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (master's)

Graduates, 2022-23 1,392

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $51,976

Median federal debt $50,911

Field and credential Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (bachelor's)

Graduates, 2022-23 1,356

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $53,357

Median federal debt $20,832

Field and credential Theological and Ministerial Studies (master's)

Graduates, 2022-23 1,269

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $56,700

Median federal debt $34,166

Field and credential Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's)

Graduates, 2022-23 1,268

Median earnings, 4 yrs after $90,025

Median federal debt $34,166

Field names are the federal Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) categories Scorecard uses, not Liberty’s program titles. Earnings are medians for graduates who got federal aid, four years after finishing, and debt is their median federal loan balance.

Who Liberty fits, and the watch-outs

It fits if

• You want a faith-based school. Liberty reports an Evangelical Christian affiliation.
• You want online study with a campus option. 13% of undergraduates mixed online and campus courses in fall 2024.
• You are headed for graduate study. Liberty enrolled 51,366 graduate students in fall 2024, more than its 50,012 degree-seeking undergraduates.

Watch-outs

• Price. The average net price was $29,357 for 2023-24, and $30,667 for families earning under $30,000.
• Graduate debt. The counseling psychology master’s median federal debt is $50,911; the school-wide graduate median is $24,500.
• Completion. 56% of students who started in 2016-17 had no Liberty credential eight years later.

Check your own aid before you apply to Liberty

Liberty’s averages describe what other students paid. The SAISAI, Student Aid Index. The number your FAFSA produces. Schools use it to work out your Pell Grant and other need-based aid: the lower it is, the more aid you can get. Calculator applies the 2026-27 federal formula to your income and family, takes about two minutes, and shows the result before any email or school contact.

To compare on the same measures, see Southern New Hampshire University (35% eight-year rate, $21,082 median debt) or Western Governors University (52%, $11,116).

School	Earned a credential within 8 years	Graduates' median federal debt
Liberty University	44%	$24,500
Southern New Hampshire University	35%	$21,082
Western Governors University	52%	$11,116

Degree Sources may refer readers to schools through partners. School matching is optional and comes after you see your aid result. The figures here come from federal data, and this profile does not rank schools.