Online General Certificate Admission Procedures

Online General Certificate Admission Procedures

Liberty University Graduate Admissions Office:
Phone:  (800) 424-9596
Fax: (888) 301-3577
Email: LUOgrad@liberty.edu
Website: www.liberty.edu/online
M, Tu, Th, F: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST
Wed. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. EST
Sat. 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST

Mailing Address:
Liberty University
Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515

Items to be Submitted

Applicants must submit the following items to Liberty’s online Admissions Office in order to be considered for admission. Admission decisions are not made until all documentation has been received and evaluated.

  1. Application for Admission
    Application can be made online at apply.liberty.edu. To initiate an application for online programs by phone, graduate students may contact Liberty University at (800) 424-9596.
  2. Application Fee is non-refundable. 
    The fee is deferred until Financial Check-in.
  3. Academic Records
    Applicants to master’s-level certificate programs must submit official transcripts for admission. The official transcripts must adhere to the specific program’s requirements for admission. All applicants applying to Liberty University must be eligible for readmission or re-enrollment at the last institution attended.

    In some cases, additional transcripts may be required in order for an acceptance decision to occur. An official transcript is one that is received directly from the educational institution attended, or is sent to Liberty University (by any party) within the original, sealed, university envelope. Official transcripts should be sent to the Liberty University Graduate Admissions Office.

    Applicants holding a bachelor’s degree from an unaccredited institution who have also earned a master’s degree from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree. The Office of Graduate Admission may request additional documentation from applicants who do not meet admissions standards. If the Office of Graduate Admissions determines that the documentation justifies the candidate’s potential for success, the Office of Graduate Admissions may present the documentation to the Office of the Provost with a request to admit the student.

    Liberty University does not engage in unlawful discrimination or harassment because of race, color, ancestry, religion, age, sex, national origin, pregnancy or childbirth, disability or military veteran status in its educational programs and activities. Liberty University maintains its Christian mission and reserves its right to discriminate on the basis of religion to the extent that applicable law respects its right to act in furtherance of its religious objectives.
  4. Additional Requirements for Admission
    Please see the Program Specific Admissions Procedures in the individual program sections of this catalog for information regarding minimum GPA requirements and additional items needed for acceptance.

Conditional Enrollment

Conditional enrollment is not available to students pursuing certificates.

Self-Certification Form

Undergraduate students seeking admission to an online graduate certificate are not permitted to complete a Self-Certification. Students must submit transcripts indicating successful completion of a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Transfer Students

Graduate applicants who intend to transfer to the University must be eligible for re-enrollment or readmission to the graduate program at the institution they most recently attended.

Transfer Credit Policy

Note: Transfer credit accepted by the university is denoted on the unofficial and official transcript in a section denoted as transfer credit accepted by the institution along with the originating institution and grade of P with no GPA value.

  1. Undergraduate Studies
    1. Accreditation: Accredited Institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
    2. Grades: Grade of ‘C-‘ or higher. Grades of P/P+ are eligible to transfer as long as the grading system at the transfer institution states that ‘P’ or ‘P+’ is equivalent to ‘C-‘ or better. Grades of P/P- are not able to transfer if they are not equivalent to ‘C-‘ or better.
    3. Equivalency: Coursework must be similar in content and scope of courses offered at Liberty University by at least 60%. Courses that are not significantly similar to a Liberty University course may transfer as elective credit. Elective credit is coded as 1XX, 2XX, 3XX or 4XX, depending on the level of the course.
    4. Credit Hours: Coursework must be at least 2/3rds the number of hours required by Liberty. The 2/3 rule may create a shortage of credit hours (all coursework is met, but a total of 60 or 120 hours is not). Additional credit must be taken to meet the credit hour requirement.
    5. Conversion: Liberty University operates on the semester system. Courses completed under a different credit hour system must be converted to the semester system.
    6. Age of credit: Liberty offers a lifetime acceptance of credit, with the exception of those courses wherein the University faculty has determined the course content changes significantly over time.
    7. Non-transferable: For specific information concerning non-transferable courses, please visit Registrar - Transferring Coursework.
    8. Residency requirement: 25% of major and 25% of degree must be taken through Liberty University.
  2. Graduate Studies
    1. Accreditation: Accredited Institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
    2. Grades: Grade of ‘B-‘ or higher except for programs that allow ‘C-‘ or higher. Grades of P/P+ are eligible to transfer as long as the grading system at the transfer institution states that ‘P’ or ‘P+’ is equivalent to ‘B-‘ or better. Grades of P/P- are not able to transfer if they are not equivalent to ‘B-‘ or better.
    3. Equivalency: Coursework must be similar in content and scope of courses offered at Liberty University by at least 80%. Courses that are not significantly similar to a Liberty University course may transfer as elective credit. Elective credit is coded as 5XX, 6XX, 7XX, 8XX or 9XX, depending on the level of the course.
    4. Credit Hours: Coursework must be the exact number of credit hours as the LU requirement.
    5. Conversion: Liberty University operates on the semester system. Courses completed under a different credit hour system must be converted to the semester system.
    6. Age of credit: 10 years for master’s-level and post-master’s (Education Specialist and Master of Theology) programs and 7 years for doctoral-level programs. Any exceptions to this policy will be noted in the Transfer Credit Matrix. Age of the course is determined at the time of evaluation based on the completion date of the transfer course.
    7. Non-transferable: For specific information regarding non-transferable courses, please visit Registrar - Transferring Coursework.
    8. Residency requirement: 50% of program hours may be transferred including credit from an earned degree from Liberty University. Any exceptions to this policy will be noted in the individual degree’s Program of Study page in this Catalog.
  3. Special (Non-Degree-Seeking) Students – Special students, whether undergraduate or Graduate, are not eligible to receive transfer credit of any type.      

Transfer Credit Policy Areas & Procedures

  1. Higher Education Institutions
    1. Domestic Higher Education Institutions: Domestic higher education institutions are defined as US institutions that provide postsecondary instruction that aims to culminate in the award of a degree, diploma, or certificate of higher studies.
      1. Accredited: Domestic higher education institutions regionally or nationally accredited by an agency officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Refer to Undergraduate and Graduate Studies transfer policies.
      2. Unaccredited: Domestic higher education institutions not regionally or nationally accredited by an agency officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). These institutions must go through an internal vetting process before they can be approved for transfer credit. If approved, refer to Undergraduate and Graduate Studies transfer policies.
    2. International Higher Education Institutions: International higher education institutions are defined as non-U.S. institutions that provide postsecondary instruction that aims to culminate in the award of a degree, diploma, or certificate of higher studies. College-level academic coursework completed outside of the U.S. must first be evaluated by a credential evaluation service provider that is a member of the National Association of Credential Services (NACES). All standard Undergraduate and Graduate Studies transfer policies will apply to the course-by-course transcript evaluation completed by Transfer Evaluations.
  2. Experiential Learning: Liberty University recognizes that learners have valuable experiences that they bring to the academic environment of higher education. For that reason, LU believes students should receive college credit for learning that can be demonstrated through experience via our Experience Plus Program. Transfer policy standards are applied to Experiential learning evaluations as applicable.
    1. Certifications
      1. Certificate Programs: academic departments vet curriculum, learning outcomes, and instructor’s qualifications for certificate programs and make a recommendation for transfer credit equivalencies in accordance with university’s transfer policies.
      2. Professional Experience: academic departments vet professional experience, job skills, and industry-recognized experience and make recommendations for transfer credit equivalencies.
    2. Credit by Examination
      1. Institutional Challenge Examinations (ICE): ICE is available to students with a satisfactory justification of previous knowledge in a subject area based upon a non-college training program, job experience, or self-learning. Students must successfully complete the examination to earn college credit.
      2. Advance Placement (AP): AP is a College Board program geared for high school students seeking to earn college credit and preparedness. The Transfer Evaluations department generally reviews all AP offerings on a yearly basis and creates a transfer equivalency sheet.
      3. College-Level Examination Program (CLEP): CLEP provides students an opportunity to gain college credit for acquired knowledge and skills through a testing process. The Transfer Evaluations department generally reviews all CLEP offerings on a yearly basis and creates a transfer equivalency sheet.
      4. DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST): DSST tests provides students an opportunity to earn college credit for learning acquired outside the traditional classroom. The Transfer Evaluations department generally reviews all DSST offerings on a yearly basis and creates a transfer equivalency sheet.
      5. Excelsior College Exam (ECE): ECE is a credit-by-examination program that provides students with the opportunity to have their college-level learning recognized by earning college credit.
      6. International Baccalaureate (IB): The IB Diploma Programme is a program for students ages 16-19 that assesses students work as direct evidence achievement against the stated goals of the program.
      7. NOCTI Business Solutions: Technical training that can be equated to college credit through NOCTI assessments with collaboration of the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS).
      8. University of Cambridge International Exams (CIE): Exam-based qualifications, which are created, corrected, administered, and regulated by Cambridge.
    3. Portfolio: Students can earn transfer credit for LU courses by demonstrating competency of the course learning objectives they are petitioning credit for. This process is typically geared toward students who have field experience. Students are required to complete a series of essay-type questions and encouraged to provide supplementary documentation that will help them demonstrate competency in the subject. The requests are reviewed by qualified faculty members within the specific academic departments who use a grading rubric to assess student’s competencies in the different disciplines.
    4. Military Experience: Liberty University provides evaluations of military training and experience for college credit. All credit granted for military training and experienced is given based on the American Council on Education (ACE) guidebook, A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services and qualified faculty members within the specific academic departments at Liberty University. Liberty University accepts military transcripts, certificates of completion, and most official documents that demonstrate prior military training and experience for consideration of transfer credit (including the DD214, 2-1, 2Z, or DD295).
    5. Other Online-course Providers (non-traditional institutions): Liberty University recognizes non-traditional or non-institutional credit that students may have completed or are seeking to complete. LU accepts courses from other online-course providers based on the American Council on Education (ACE) guide and the recommendations of qualified faculty members within the specific academic departments at Liberty University.
    6. Ministry Partnership Program: Rawlings School of Divinity (SOD) works with ministry partners directly to determine if the experiential and classroom training they provide can be awarded transfer credit through an internal vetting process. Ministry partners are not higher education unaccredited institutions.
      1. Initial Vetting: SOD sets an initial call to discuss the process and follows-up with an application document to understand doctrinal statement, mission, purpose, and philosophy of education of the ministry.
      2. Decision: SOD decides to move or not to move forward with the partnership. If yes, the decision is communicated to Online Provost, Enrollment Management, and Registrar’s Office.
      3. Initial Evaluation: SOD reviews academic content of the training in question to determine if it aligns with LU course objectives and makes an initial recommendation on transfer equivalencies.
      4. Secondary Evaluation: Information is sent to Admissions Verification and Registrar’s Office for a second review. Transfer team reviews the proposed transfer equivalencies and provides additional feedback. SOD develops the additional website information and works with Enrollment Management for dissemination of the information.
      5. Final Decision: MOU is generated and signed by Liberty University and ministry partner. Approvals are updated on Experience Plus website.

Admission Notification

When all required items have been received, applicants will be notified of an admission decision from the Office of Graduate Admissions or the appropriate academic department. Course registration information and pertinent information about financial check-in are included in the letter of acceptance.

Outgoing Transfer Credit 

Transferability of credit earned through Liberty University is at the discretion of the receiving institution.

Readmission

Students must apply for readmission if they have broken enrollment.

Residential students break enrollment if they do not maintain continuous enrollment every Fall and Spring semester.

Online students break enrollment if they do not matriculate in a course at least once every academic year.

Doctoral candidates break enrollment if they do not maintain continuous enrollment each fall, spring, and summer semester in dissertation, capstone, project, portfolio, thesis, or related courses (e.g., X87, X88, X89, X90, etc.).

Admission status is subject to the terms of any previous academic or disciplinary probation, suspension, or dismissal. Students must submit official transcripts from all educational institutions attended since enrollment at Liberty. Students must receive approval from the Registrar’s Office, Office of Community Life, and Student Financial Services before an acceptance decision can be made.  Admission decisions for re-applicants will be based on the current admission criteria of the respective certificate/degree program at the time the re-application is submitted.

Students who break enrollment and apply for readmission will be required to follow the current certificate/degree completion plan (CCP/DCP) in effect at the time of re-entry to the University.

Any military students wishing to be readmitted who broke enrollment due to deployment must contact the Office of Military Affairs.

Exceptions may apply for Doctoral students in the dissertation process. Students should refer to their DCPs and their program handbooks for more information.

International Student Admission

Applicants who have completed secondary education or college-level academic coursework outside of the U.S. must have their transcripts evaluated by a credential evaluation service provider that is a member of the National Association of Credential Services (NACES®).

If the NACES credential evaluation was completed based on a preliminary secondary transcript for the purpose of admission to the University, the student must also submit a NACES evaluation of the final secondary credential before being permitted to register for second semester courses.

Applicants whose native language is a language other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternate assessment (see below).

Applicants who successfully complete the levels of English-Second-Language (ESL) instruction indicated below at one of three schools will have the TOEFL requirement waived. Students will have their application held until transcripts from one of the below schools are received.

If an international student is seeking admission to an undergraduate program of study and has attended an accredited U.S. high school for a minimum of two years, the English proficiency test requirement may be waived.

If an international student is seeking admission to an undergraduate program of study and has earned a high school diploma at an accredited international high school outside of the U.S. using a U.S. high school curriculum and in which the primary medium of instruction is English, the English proficiency test requirement may be waived. (Proof must be submitted in the form of an official statement from the school's Registrar Office.)

If an international student completes an undergraduate degree at an accredited university/college outside of the U.S. in which the primary medium of instruction is English, the English proficiency test requirement may be waived. (Proof must be submitted in the form of an official statement from the school's Registrar Office.)

Students who have studied for two or more years in a country where a waiver is currently provided, but where the student is not also a citizen of that country, the English proficiency requirement may be waived.

Students who have attended a U.S. college/university for two or more years may not be required to submit a test of English proficiency. Information regarding English proficiency tests may be obtained online as follows:

Graduate Students Only

Applicants must earn a TOEFL score of 8.5 on the Essentials test or 80 on the iBT (Internet Based Test), a 3.9 on the iTEP, a 6.5 on the IELTS, a 105 on the Duolingo English test, a 55 on the Pearson Test of English (PTE), or an equivalent score on an approved alternate test for all graduate degree programs. An official score report sent directly from the testing service must be submitted to the University before an admission decision can be made. Applicants who have an earned degree from a college or university in the U.S. or other English-speaking country or school may have the TOEFL requirement waived by the Office of Graduate Admissions. In addition, the Office of Graduate Admissions may require any student whose native official language is not English, regardless of citizenship, to submit a TOEFL score or score from an approved alternate test, if such documentation is deemed necessary. Enrollment in certain courses may be determined by the student’s English proficiency test score in conjunction with other diagnostic assessments administered after the student matriculates on campus.

Online Students Only

Students living abroad and foreign nationals residing in the U.S. with an appropriate visa status are eligible to enroll in online classes provided they have the necessary Internet access and email service. Enrollment in online courses does not enable students to obtain or remain on Student (F-1) Visa Status.

The University offers general admission to its undergraduate program of study to applicants who achieve one of the following scores on a standardized test of English proficiency:

Residential Students Only

Liberty University is authorized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to issue the SEVIS Form I-20 to eligible international students and their dependent family members. Any person who is not a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident of the United States and who desires to be admitted to the University and attend on campus courses while on Student (F-1) Visa Status must follow the procedure established by the Office of International Admissions. Applications for the fall semester should be submitted by April 1 and applications for the spring semester should be made by October 1.

Any college transcript from an educational institution outside of the U.S. must be officially translated into English and submitted to a credential evaluation service accredited by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) at https://www.naces.org/.

At the discretion of the Office of International Admissions, applicants from English-speaking countries may also be required to submit an English proficiency test score that meets the required minimum.

The University offers general admission to its undergraduate program of study to applicants who achieve one of the following scores on a standardized test of English proficiency:

Some programs within the School of Aeronautics require a higher English language proficiency for the purpose of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification and do not qualify for existing TOEFL waivers. International students from non-English speaking countries must meet these English proficiency requirements before being admitted into any program (Certificate, A.A, or B.S, or Minor) containing FAA certification.

Minimum English proficiency test score requirements for admission into programs containing FAA certification are:

Students enrolled in these programs or courses, who do not reside in an English-speaking country, are not eligible to have the English proficiency test requirement waived.

In accordance with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), non-U.S. citizens are not permitted to enroll in the School of Aeronautics B.S. in Unmanned Aircraft Operations, B.S. in Aviation Maintenance: Unmanned Aerial Systems, or the Certificate in Medium Unmanned Aerial Systems programs. International Students who meet the prescribed English proficiency requirements outlined above are permitted to enroll in the Minor in Unmanned Aerial Systems Operator.

Unmarried students under the age of 21 are required to reside in housing provided by the University. Unmarried students who are 21 years of age or older may choose to reside off campus. It is strongly recommended that a minimum of one semester be spent in University housing to help international students adjust to the local area and culture. On-campus housing is not available for married students or those over the age of 25.

International students must be covered by an adequate health insurance policy each semester of enrollment. A mandatory student health insurance fee is added to the account of international students each fall and spring semester. It is the responsibility of international students to remain enrolled in an adequate health insurance policy while studying at the University.

As part of the admission requirements, international students must document availability of adequate funds to pay for all University-related expenses for the regular nine-month academic schedule. Those who intend to remain during the summer must document additional funds (approximately $4,000 US) for living expenses.

Newly accepted international students are required to complete the International Online Orientation course in Canvas.

Certificate Candidacy

Requirements for Certificate Candidacy vary by program. See the Admission Requirements Matrix for Certificates.

FERPA – Privacy of Student Records: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

Students attending, or who have attended, Liberty University are given certain rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended (20 U.S.C. 1232g) and Rules of the Department of Education (34 C.F.R. Part 99) implementing this Act.

The complete FERPA/Right of Information Policy may be found here.

Additional Information

Additional information regarding the University’s academic and administrative policies and procedures can be found on the University web site at www.liberty.edu/online.

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