Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA · founded 1971 · 135,000 students · religious · NCAA Division I (Conference USA)

Known for: It is one of the world's largest Christian universities, founded by televangelist Jerry Falwell Sr., and is known for its conservative evangelical identity, expansive online education programs, and significant political influence.

Rankings

U.S. News national: #395
Forbes: #552

Top programmes

Business
Nursing
Education
Religion
Aeronautics
Cinema

Notable alumni

Jerry Falwell Jr. — Former president of Liberty University, son of the founder
Samuel Rodriguez — President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
Rashad Jennings — Former NFL running back, 'Dancing with the Stars' champion
Sidney Mohede — Indonesian worship leader and songwriter
Jonathan Falwell — Senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church
C.J. Prosise — NFL running back
Candace Cameron Bure — Actress ('Full House'), attended but did not graduate

Traditions

Convocation
Flames Football Games at Williams Stadium
Snowflex
College For A Weekend (CFAW)
Liberty Mountain Trail Runs

If Liberty University were…

As a food: Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich with waffle fries — Like this Christian-owned fast-food staple, it's reliably conservative, aggressively expanding, and sustains the faithful through long days of spiritual and academic warfare.
As an athlete: Tim Tebow — The devout quarterback who wore Bible verses on his eye black—combining athletic prowess with evangelical visibility, unapologetically mixing touchdowns with testimony.
As a person alive today: Mike Pence — The former vice president who never dines alone with women not his wife—embodying Liberty's blend of political access, traditional values, and performative piety.
As a historical figure: William Jennings Bryan — The populist orator who prosecuted the Scopes Monkey Trial—like Liberty, he fought culture wars in the name of faith while building a massive grassroots movement.
As a movie or TV show: God's Not Dead — Like this Pure Flix franchise, it's a parallel universe of Christian academia where faith is constantly under siege but triumphs through debate team victories and courtroom drama.
As a US president: Donald Trump — The unlikely champion of evangelical causes who delivered the 2017 commencement address—like Liberty, he represents a transactional alliance between faith and political power.
As a city: Colorado Springs — The evangelical powerhouse at the base of Pikes Peak—both are purpose-built conservative citadels where megachurches and military values mix with mountain air and cultural isolation.
As an element: Carbon — The backbone of both diamonds and coal—versatile, foundational, and capable of forming radically different structures under pressure, much like Liberty's dual identity as traditional campus and online behemoth.
As a car: Ford F-250 Super Duty — Massive, unapologetically American, and built for purpose—Liberty hauls 100,000+ students through a conservative Christian education with patriotic fervor and Division I sports. It's the mega-enrollment workhorse of evan

Campus life

Campus life is centered around conservative Christian values, with required convocation attendance and a strict code of conduct ('The Liberty Way'). There is a strong emphasis on community, ministry, and athletics. Social life is active but regulated, with many campus-organized events.

The film, scored

This profile answers “if Liberty University were a movie or TV show?” with God's Not Dead (2014). Like this Pure Flix franchise, it's a parallel universe of Christian academia where faith is constantly under siege but triumphs through debate team victories and courtroom drama. It sits in the 18th percentile on rankquant, which re-centres every critic score on the reviewer who gave it, so a percentile means position against peers rather than a raw star average. The full film & TV catalogue ranks the rest the same way.