Liberty University

Liberty University (LU), known simply as Liberty, is a conservative, private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns as Lynchburg Baptist College, Liberty is among the world's largest Christian universities and one of the largest private non-profit universities in the United States by total student enrollment. Liberty University consists of 17 colleges, including the Helms School of Government and the Rawlings School of Divinity. Most of its enrollment is in online courses; in 2020, the university enrolled about 15,000 in its residential program and 80,000 online. Liberty's tuition fees are among the lowest in the United States. Liberty's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the Liberty Flames. Their athletics program joined Conference USA as a full member in 2023. The university requires undergraduate students to take three evangelical biblical studies classes. Its honor code, called the "Liberty Way", prohibits premarital sex, cohabitation, any kind of romantic relationship between members of the same sex, and alcohol use. It places a strong emphasis on creationism. Liberty University is perceived as a "bastion of the Christian right", playing a prominent role in Republican politics under Falwell and his son and successor Jerry Falwell Jr.; Falwell Jr. left in 2020 amid allegations of sexual and professional impropriety and was later sued by the university. Dondi E. Costin is the current president of Liberty University. The university has faced multiple controversies, including allegations of nepotism, sexual assault mismanagement, racial and LGBTQ discrimination, censorship, and regulatory violations, culminating in a $14 million Clery Act fine in 2024 for systemic underreporting of campus crimes.