College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Liberty University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Liberty University graduates earn?

The reported median is $57,700 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $83,615 as its benchmark; the difference is -$25,915 per year.

The median earnings for Liberty University completers four years after completion are $57,700, in the 42nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the peer median of $83,615 by $25,915 among comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $3,806 less than expects for similar students, a level in the 40th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,645.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,451. The STEM component subtracts $665 within the measured factors.

Azimuth ranks the return in the 38th percentile.

The earnings scenarios at Liberty University range from a downside of $44,306 to an upside of $78,080, a spread that reflects the mix of programs available. Individual programs can exceed the upside: Air Transportation completers earn a median of $102,096 four years after completion, and Electrical Engineering graduates earn $89,244.

Among the largest programs, Business Administration and Management awards 1,603 degrees and shows a median of $67,269, while Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies awards 1,368 degrees with a median of $53,357. The earnings differences across these fields are substantial.

An estimated 31.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because the four-year earnings snapshot captures only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings figures understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$57,700
Rank for difference from expectations
40th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Liberty University reported median
$57,700
Peer schools comparable schools · $25,915 above Liberty University
$83,615
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $3,806 above Liberty University
$61,506

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $44,306 to $78,080, around the reported median of $57,700. Compare the lower scenario with Liberty University borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$44,306
Median · reported
$57,700
Higher estimate
$78,080

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Liberty University graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

Liberty University graduates’ reported earnings are $3,806 below that expectation, the 40th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Liberty University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$3,645
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$7,451
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$3,806

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at Liberty University report the highest earnings?

Liberty University fields 35 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, led by Air Transportation at #2 in its field and #1 in Virginia. Completers earn a median of $102,096 four years after completion, and the university awarded 440 degrees in the program.

Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language holds an Azimuth national rank of #2 with 50 degrees awarded and median earnings of $46,899. The largest program, Business Administration and Management, accounts for 1,603 degrees awarded and shows median earnings of $67,269, ranking #120 nationally.

Criminal Justice reaches $61,715 and an Azimuth national rank of #19 on 604 degrees awarded. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, with 1,368 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $53,357 and a national rank of #30.

Azimuth ranks 35 bachelor's programs at Liberty University, and earnings data are published for 44 fields. The university's strongest national showing comes from Air Transportation, which holds a national rank of #2 and the top spot in Virginia at #1.

The program awarded 440 degrees, and its completers earn a median of $102,096 four years after completion. Among the largest programs, Business Administration and Management awarded 1,603 degrees and ranks #120 nationally, with a median of $67,269.

Religion/Religious Studies ranks #5 in its field and #2 in Virginia, with 662 degrees awarded and a median of $47,991. Criminal Justice holds a national rank of #19 and ranks #2 in Virginia, awarding 604 degrees and showing a median of $61,715.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Air Transportation
$102,096
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$89,244
Mechanical Engineering
$89,129
Management Information Systems and Services
$84,228
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$82,883
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$82,116
Mathematics
$81,095
International Relations and National Security Studies
$71,436

Explore Liberty University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show a downside of $44,306, a typical outcome of $57,700, and an upside of $78,080. Anchoring the range in named programs, Air Transportation reaches $102,096 at the high end, while Psychology, one of the largest programs, sits at $45,340 at the lower end.

Four years after completion, Liberty University graduates earn a median of $57,700, which places the university in the 42nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions in the Azimuth coverage set. The earnings cohort is large, at 13,398 completers, and the earnings scenarios show a range from $44,306 on the downside to $78,080 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $57,700.

An estimated 31.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the institution's program mix.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.