Liberty University Review: Is Liberty University Accredited?
Liberty University is a non-profit private institution that offers over 600 degrees at the bachelor’s, masters’, and doctorate levels.
It is in Central Virginia, and it’s an evangelical Christian university. This means that the school has different rules of conduct compared to secular ones. For example, media that runs against typical Christian values isn’t allowed to be consumed on campus. You can’t drink or smoke on campus either.
In this article, we are going to analyze Liberty University’s offer, and see if it’s the right choice for someone looking to further their education. We are also going to see how do employers see its degrees?
Is Liberty University Legit?
Yes, Liberty University is a legit university. There are various requisites to consider a university legit.
Why do people go to university? The overwhelming majority does it to improve their employability. They want to be more interesting for potential employers. Getting a degree proves you are willing to go the extra mile for your education. You put in the effort to improve your situation.
Yes, some people go to university purely out of love for the field. These are the minority.
Does getting a degree from Liberty University improve your employability? Do employers trust the institution? Do you get quality education?
Let’s analyze these points.
Accreditation
Liberty University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges.
Accreditation is the basic requisite all schools must have to be legit. A college without accreditation is barely considered a school.
Liberty University is regionally accredited. Regional accreditation differs from national accreditation in some regards.
Usually, regionally accredited colleges have higher standards of education, and their credits are transferable to most other courses. On the flip side, they are more expensive than their nationally accredited counterparts. They make up for this by being eligible for tuition reimbursement plans.
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The University’s Ranking
This is Liberty University’s biggest weakness. Unfortunately, this university ranked in the bottom 25% of all US colleges in 2020. That’s pretty bad. It means that 3/4ths of US colleges are better than Liberty University. Considering
While rankings don’t always paint the full picture, a rank so low must raise some eyebrows. Apparently, the main reason this university has such a low rank is because it seems to focus more on the religious side than the practical world.
Another big issue lamented by many who went to Liberty University is the size of the classes. In order to keep costs low, the university has no issues cramping as many students possible in every class. Hardly an optimal learning experience.
It’s an issue even for those who attend an online course, because if tens of people have to ask questions to the teacher, they’ll have to wait their turn for a while. It’s not ideal.
Editor’s note: some of the university’s courses keep producing high-quality graduates. Specifically, their nursing degree programs churn out excellent nurses.
The Coursework and the Teachers
This is what makes or breaks a university. And here is where we unveil why Liberty University is so low in the rankings. The reason is that it is a Christian university. That’s not enough in itself obviously, but it’s how the coursework intertwines with religious teachings that makes the ranks drop so hard.
Consider a course that is the foundation of many science programs: biology. If you know anything about Christianity, you’ll also easily figure out why a biology course taught in a religious course sounds like an oxymoron.
Creationism is the antithesis of evolutionism, which is what students are supposed to learn in biology. That makes it a difficult subject to teach and learn anything from for a student looking for a career in the sciences.
As far as the materials and teachers themselves, they are all pretty good. The materials don’t mix religion with the coursework too much, and the instructors are prepared and kind.
Getting Accepted into Liberty
Getting into Liberty isn’t easy by any means. You need to be an above average high school student, with a GPA above 3.0, and good SAT or ACT scores.
The university is quite selective, as shown by its acceptance rate of 55.5%.
The School’s Reputation
This is Liberty’s biggest downfall. Aside from its low rankings, many employers are skeptical of the university’s ability to deliver quality education.
Expect some people to reject your job application purely because you went to Liberty.
There are also companies who will gladly work with you because of your Christian values. It’s not all doom and gloom out there.
Don’t get discouraged by some negative reviews. The offered education is high-quality. It’s mostly about poor perception by the employers.
Decide by yourself if getting a degree from Liberty aligns with your values. If you aren’t a religious person, or you simply aren’t a Christian, you should probably consider a different school.
Will I Get a Job after Graduating from Liberty University?
This is the million-dollar question.
Yes, you might.
The thing is, Liberty University is a regionally accredited school. It’s recognized as a real institution. That makes it a legit school.
The problem comes with the way the materials are taught. The school’s education is heavily biased towards traditional Christian values, which is a problem with certain sciences, like biology.
If you don’t plan on working in a Christian company, this will certainly become an obstacle. Your teaching won’t be as complete and grounded as if you went to a secular school.
If you plan to work in a Christian company, Liberty University will surely give you an advantage over applicants who went to a secular school. It’s all about what you want to do in your life.
People who went to Liberty attest to the outstanding quality of the programs. Even if it sometimes felt weird having to tie their work with the Bible, it is an excellent learning experience.
Conclusions
Liberty University is a Christian-focused college with a massive offer. With over 600 degrees available, every student will find the right course for them.
Is the university good? People who went to it swear by it. Life is too complicated to give a definitive answer to this question.
Some employers will reject you because of your school choice. Others would reject you anyway because you didn’t go to a top 50 school. Others will gladly accept you because you picked a Christian school.
It all depends on what you want to do with your life. Also, consider how good you are at negotiating and selling yourself. You can probably change most employers’ minds about the school you went to if you can show your skills. Don’t just rely on people’s perceptions about the school.
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