Liberty University

What Liberty University does

Liberty University is a private, nonprofit Christian university founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia. It operates a three-channel educational portfolio: residential on-campus programs in Lynchburg (NCAA Division I athletics, ~700+ areas of study from associate to doctoral, an 18:1 student-faculty ratio, and a 120,000-sq-ft Sodexo-operated dining facility serving 12,000+ meal plan students); Liberty University Online, offering 600+ degree programs to students across 49 states under NC-SARA reciprocity; and the Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA), a fully online K-12 program. Total enrollment is reported at 144,000+ students across modalities, with a 300,000+ alumni network. Specialized academic infrastructure includes the School of Aeronautics — one of only two collegiate programs (alongside Embry-Riddle) with a Frasca VITAL FVS 100 flight simulator — and wholly owned subsidiaries Liberty University Online Academy and the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Technology and platform architecture rest on the Canvas LMS, Microsoft 365 (including Copilot) for productivity, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Applications for digital transformation, the myLU student portal, and native iOS/Android mobile apps. Revenue mechanics are tuition-driven: full-time residential undergraduate tuition is $12,325 per semester ($24,650 annually) with part-time at $845 per credit hour; mandatory undergraduate and graduate fees totaled $55.6M and $31.1M respectively for AY 2024-2025. The go-to-market combines a sales-led traditional admissions motion (campus visits, CFAW, DecideLU, recruitment events) for residential students with a direct-to-consumer self-serve online enrollment motion across 49 states, plus athletics-driven recruitment through the Liberty Flames brand.

Strategically, Liberty has invested aggressively in aviation infrastructure (Frasca simulator and Extra 300 aircraft acquired 2024), renewed a flagship 10-year Sodexo campus dining partnership in 2026, expanded corporate-style athletics sponsorships (Abich Financial Services), and deepened academic partnerships with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the FDA. Liberty holds SACSCOC institutional accreditation, NC-SARA reciprocity, and Washington State authorization, and is led by President Dondi E. Costin and Chancellor Jonathan Falwell (son of the founder), with no disclosed parent company or external equity ownership.

Name

Liberty University

Legal name

Liberty University

Website

https://liberty.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Liberty University is a private, nonprofit Christian university founded in 1971 in Lynchburg, Virginia, delivering residential, online (600+ programs across 49 states via NC-SARA), and K-12 education to 144,000+ students with 300,000+ alumni and NCAA Division I athletics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Online degree programs
• Christian university
• Aviation pilot training
• K-12 online academy

Headquarters

HQ city

Lynchburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Residential Undergraduate Tuition: Full-time students (12-18 credits) pay $12,325 per semester or $24,650 annually. Part-time students under 12 credits pay $845 per credit. Tuition rates reflect academic year 2025-2026.
2. Campus Dining Services: One of the nation's largest campus dining programs operated by Sodexo under 10-year partnership renewal. Includes 120,000-square-foot flagship dining facility with 27 platforms and 24 retail concepts, serving more than 12,000 meal plan students.
3. Online Education Programs: Over 600 online programs offered to students across 49 states through NC-SARA participation. Revenue from online tuition complements residential programs.
4. K-12 Online Academy (LUOA): 100% online K-12 academy serving homeschool and virtual students. Provides educational services to younger demographic.
5. Student Fees: Mandatory fees including application fees, graduation completion fees, student and activity fees, health fees, academic access fees, and technology fees. Undergraduate mandatory fees totaled $55,626,633.72 for 2024-2025 academic year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Liberty University is a private Christian university that delivers higher education through three primary channels: residential on-campus degree programs at its Virginia campus with 700+ programs of study, Liberty University Online providing 600+ distance-learning degree programs to students across 49 U.S. states, and the Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA) serving K-12 students. Revenue is generated primarily from tuition and mandatory fees across these modalities.

Product overview

Liberty University is a Christian university offering a comprehensive educational portfolio consisting of three main offerings: residential on-campus programs at its Virginia campus (with over 700 areas of study), Liberty University Online Programs (over 600 online degree programs), and Liberty University Online Academy (a 100% online K-12 academy). Supporting infrastructure includes the myLU Portal for student and faculty access to academic resources, School of Aeronautics with specialized flight training facilities, and campus dining services operated by Sodexo. The university serves over 144,000 total students across residential and online modalities, with a focus on training Champions for Christ.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Liberty Flames: The university's NCAA athletic program nickname and brand for its sports teams
• Liberty University Online
• Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA)
• Liberty Worship Collective
• LU Serve
• LU Shepherd
• The Journey

Products and services

• Liberty University Online Programs Over 600 online degree programs including associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees offered globally to distance learners, delivered through NC-SARA reciprocity in 49 U.S. states.
• Residential Campus Programs On-campus educational programs at the Lynchburg, Virginia campus providing the full campus experience including residence halls, dining services, NCAA Division I athletics, face-to-face instruction, and spiritual development activities such as Convocation.
• Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA) A 100% online K-12 academy offering comprehensive educational programs for K-12 students including homeschool and virtual school learners, designed to prepare them for college.
• School of Aeronautics Aviation Training Aviation pilot training program serving 900+ residential students, including simulator-based training using the Frasca flight simulator with VITAL FVS 100 visual system and in-house Upset Prevention and Recovery Training using the Extra 300 aerobatic aircraft.
• Bachelor's Degrees in Government Government degree programs (BA/BS) at Liberty University with specializations in National Security and Intelligence, and Politics and Policy, including Washington Fellowship internship opportunities for public-service-oriented students.
• Office of Disability Accommodation Support (ODAS) Office providing disability accommodations and support services for Liberty University students, including partnerships with student clubs such as LU Autism Advocates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 144,000+ total students served across residential and online programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• SodexoflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Liberty University renewed its partnership with Sodexo through a new 10-year agreement, extending a relationship that began in 1976. Sodexo operates one of the nation's largest campus dining programs with approximately 950 employees, a 120,000-square-foot flagship dining facility with 27 platforms and 24 retail concepts, serving more than 12,000 meal plan students. The partnership positions both institutions for continued growth as Liberty expands enrollment and facilities.
• Abich Financial ServicescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 March 2026Abich Financial Services became the official financial advisor for Liberty University Athletics. The partnership includes prominent branding at Liberty Flames home games across multiple sports, along with marketing integrations across televised and streaming broadcasts. The collaboration holds personal significance for founder Abe Abich, who played baseball for Liberty in 1998.
• Johns Hopkins School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Johns Hopkins Fellowship program is a collaborative partnership between Liberty University's School of Health Sciences and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The fellowship, now in its third year, provides graduate-level public health students with immersive experiences including FDA visits to learn about regulatory science modernization, AI integration in pre-market review, and real-time adverse event reporting.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026FDA hosted Johns Hopkins Fellowship program students from Liberty University at its Maryland facility. Fellows met with FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and officials to discuss regulatory science modernization initiatives including AI integration in pre-market review and increased transparency efforts.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Grand Canyon University: Large private Christian university with a substantial online division (GCU Online) serving nationwide students. Directly comparable in faith-based positioning, online scale, and multi-modal residential/online revenue model.
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: The only other collegiate aviation program with the Frasca VITAL FVS 100 flight simulator. Directly comparable in specialized aviation higher education, residential scale, and pilot-training infrastructure investments.
• Regent University: Private Christian university offering online and residential programs with strong evangelical identity. Comparable in faith-based mission, distance-learning emphasis, and graduate/professional school mix including law.
• Oral Roberts University: Faith-affiliated (Charismatic) private university with residential and online programs. Comparable in evangelical identity, mission-driven campus culture, and commitment to spiritual formation alongside academics.
• Baylor University: Baptist-affiliated private research university offering doctoral and professional programs. Comparable in Baptist heritage, faith-affiliated research profile, NCAA Division I athletics, and mixed residential/online strategy.
• Southern Methodist University: Methodist-affiliated private research university with NCAA Division I athletics (Mustangs) and faith-based campus identity. Comparable in faith-affiliated private research university positioning, professional schools, and Conference USA athletics competition with Liberty Flames.
• Brigham Young University: Largest faith-affiliated (LDS) private university in the U.S. with residential and significant online reach (BYU-Idaho, BYU-Pathway). Comparable in faith-driven identity, large student base, NCAA D-I athletics, and tuition affordability emphasis.
• University of Phoenix: Large online-focused university (now nonprofit) serving working adults nationwide. Comparable in online scale, adult-learner focus, and tuition-driven revenue model. Differs in for-profit heritage and secular positioning.
• Western Governors University: Nonprofit online competency-based university with nationwide reach. Comparable in online nonprofit status, multi-state authorization, and tuition-driven scale serving adult learners.
• Arizona Christian University: Smaller evangelical Christian university offering residential and online programs. Comparable in faith-based mission, evangelical student community, and tuition model targeting Christian families.

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/libertyuonline
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/libertyuniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/LibertyUniversityOnline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/liberty-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/LibertyUniversity
• Pinterestpinterest.com/liberty1971

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Liberty University