Liberty University Online Programs Admission Document Directory

When required for program admission, Liberty University mandates that academic recommendation letters be written by a person in the academic field (advisor, faculty, professor, etc.). The letter must be on department letterhead and physically signed by the recommender.

Once you have set up your Liberty Account, you may also submit the recommendation through our electronic system by accessing ASIST > General Information > Admissions Forms. You will then enter your recommender’s emails so that a direct electronic request can be processed. Please note that the link delivered is only usable for seven days, but you can resubmit the request through ASIST as many times as needed.

An accredited bachelor’s degree is required by Liberty University for all online graduate programs. This requirement means that all students applying to this program must submit a transcript demonstrating that they have earned their bachelor’s degree at an institution that is accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. You can check the accreditation of your institution on the website for the Department of Education.

Students applying to the online Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) program in the School of Divinity are required to be currently in a field of ministry. If you are in ministry at a Christian day school, college, or university, working for a Christian denomination, or working as a church staff member, you should include this information in your résumé to be reviewed for admission requirements.

An ecclesiastical endorsement is required for all students with a Liberty University application to the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) program in the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, Liberty’s online seminary. As a Christian college, Liberty University wants to ensure that applicants’ ministry responsibilities will not be unreasonably encumbered by pursuing a degree. The endorsement should indicate the agreement of the church or employing organization with the applicant’s participation in the online Doctor of Ministry program. The ecclesiastical endorsement should be provided on behalf of the church body and signed by a leader within a church or group setting (Chief Deacon, Assistant Pastor, Music Minister, Executive Pastor, Youth Pastor, or Chief Elder). If you are the senior pastor of your church, there are three ways we can accept the letter:

• From the board of deacons
• From the church secretary (only if the letter states that the church body has voted and the majority has agreed upon your pursuit of the Doctor of Ministry degree).
• From a staff member (formal vote not required in this case).

The ecclesiastical endorsement does not have to come from a church; it can also come from an organization such as the Salvation Army or a parachurch organization (ex. A Christian college like Liberty University).

These are acceptable as long as they are completed according to the above context.

In either of these situations, the document must be physically signed (not typed). The same letter cannot be used to complete both a recommendation and an ecclesiastical endorsement. The letter can be faxed, mailed, or scanned and emailed as an attachment.

An official transcript is required for students applying to a Liberty University online doctoral degree program. The official transcript should include the school’s name, the student’s name, courses, and credits earned broken down by semester, cumulative GPA, dates attended, and degree and date conferred.

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution, in a sealed envelope. An Official Transcript can also be received through an electronic transcript database provider such as Scrip-Safe, Docufide, National Student Clearinghouse, Parchment, or others. The transcript should be sent directly to Liberty via the school’s secure system. If an email address is requested, use luoverify@liberty.edu.

Applicants pursuing an acceptance decision to a Liberty University graduate program before their undergraduate degree has been conferred must self-certify that they are within their last semester of completion, with the equivalent of 15 credit hours or fewer remaining, and can show the completion of at least 105 credit hours.

Please contact our admissions office at (800) 424-9595 to submit your Self-Certification over the phone.

A Graduate Status Record is required from all students with a Liberty University application for certain online doctoral degrees. 

An Unofficial College Transcript is acceptable for admission requirements into both undergraduate and graduate programs. The Master of Theology programs, post-graduate programs, and doctoral programs accept only official transcripts for admission. Official transcripts must be received by the completion of the student’s first term, or within 60 days after receiving an accept decision, for the student to be eligible for registration in the following term. An acceptable Unofficial Transcript should include the name of the school, the student name, courses and credits earned, cumulative GPA, dates attended, and degree and date conferred. A College Transcript is considered unofficial if sent via email or fax unless sent electronically through a secure data transfer company such as Scrip-Safe.

Official High School transcripts are required for undergraduate programs. Students may be able to enroll in up to 12 credit hours with unofficial high school transcripts and our high school self-certification form.

• If official high school transcripts are not received within those 12 credit hours, a hold will be placed on the account and additional registration will not be permitted until transcripts are received. The official high school transcript can be waived with 12 or more college credits from an accredited school with an acceptable GPA.

Official High School transcripts are required for undergraduate programs. Students may be able to enroll in up to 12 credit hours with unofficial high school transcripts and our high school self-certification form.

• If official high school transcripts are not received within those 12 credit hours, a hold will be placed on the account and additional registration will not be permitted until transcripts are received. The official high school transcript can be waived with 12 or more college credits from an accredited school with an acceptable GPA.

A current CPR certification is required for all students with a Liberty University application to the Master of Science in Nursing program. A current CPR certification card from the American Heart Association for healthcare providers with AED is required. The certification will need to remain current throughout the degree program. If certification has lapsed, a hold will be placed on enrollment in all nursing courses until the CPR certification is renewed. The certification will need to show either CPR certification or BLS (Basic Life Support) certification. Any other certifications will not be accepted.

All students with a Liberty University admissions application for the Master of Science in Nursing program are required to provide a nursing recommendation form. The recommender will need to fill out the MSN Recommendation Form. An approved recommender is a nursing professor who can provide classroom and/or clinical performance of the student, or a nurse manager who completes the applicant’s annual employment appraisal.

Once you have set up your Liberty Account login, you may also submit the recommendation through our electronic system by accessing ASIST > General Information > Admissions Forms. You will then enter your recommender’s emails so that a direct electronic request can be processed. Please note that the link delivered is only usable for seven days, but you can resubmit the request through ASIST as many times as needed.

Students with a Liberty University application to the Bachelor of Science in Aviation must either confirm that they are completing flight training through an affiliated airfield through the Aviation Requirement form, or submit a valid pilot’s license or equivalent. This pilot’s license or equivalent can be an FAA Commercial Pilot certificate, an airline transport pilot, or designated military pilot certification. Transfer credit will also be awarded for this license or equivalent. A private license is not sufficient to complete this requirement but will be usable for college credit.

A Professional Recommendation Letter may be required for Liberty University applications. The recommender will need to fill out this form. Recommendations will not be accepted if received without the complete form. Once you have set up your Liberty Account login, you may also submit the recommendation through our electronic system by accessing ASIST > General Information > Admissions Forms. You will then enter your recommender’s emails so that a direct electronic request can be processed. Please note that the link delivered is only usable for 7 days, but you can resubmit the request through ASIST as many times as needed.

Professional Vita – Students with a Liberty University admissions application for certain online doctoral degrees will require a professional vita. A professional vita is a more detailed version of a résumé. The vita will be much more in-depth than the applicant’s résumé. Rather than drawing attention to specific qualifications catered to the student’s program of choice (as a résumé does), the vita will generally list a biographical account of the student’s education and experiential background.

A divinity questionnaire is one of the admission requirements for the Liberty University application for any graduate or post-graduate degrees in divinity. The questionnaire must be completed online. Incomplete questionnaires will not be accepted. Once you have set up your Liberty Account login, you may then complete the online Divinity Questionnaire.

A nursing license is required for all students with a Liberty University application for the Master or Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. The licensure needs to be an unencumbered RN license from one of the fifty United States without sanctions or accusations, active or pending during enrollment in the Liberty University Master or Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs. Students must report any changes /sanctions or other updates to their license including but not limited to restriction by a state board, probation, suspension etc. immediately to the MSN or BSN program director. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the program. The licensure will need to be current throughout the duration of the degree program. If the license has lapsed, a hold will be placed on enrollment in all nursing courses until the RN license is current and unencumbered.

Foreign licensed RN’s will need the following additional admission requirements:

1. International RN’s will need proof of valid and current RN licensure based on a review by the Commission on Graduates for Foreign Nursing Schools International (CGFNS International). The student must submit the professional report for RN license comparison.
2. International RN students will need to pass the NCLEX Readiness test offered by CFGNS International.
3. For transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S., an academic undergraduate transcript evaluation from CGFNS will be required. This is required to determine the equivalency of the applicant’s nursing and baccalaureate degrees to nursing education programs offered by schools in the US.
4. A TOEFL test will be required for international, non-English speaking candidates (score of 500 on paper-based tests, 173 on computer-based tests or 60 on internet-based tests for undergraduate and 80 for graduate).

For several online master’s degrees and online doctoral degrees, you will be required to complete a short writing prompt as a preliminary writing sample and to ensure that you are applied for the best program for your goals. Once you have set up your Liberty Account login, you may access the Statement of Purpose digital form.

Students who apply to the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) must have at least three full years of ministry experience that is pastoral in nature and connected with a local church.

Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy. You can find information about taking the TOEFL test on the TOEFL home page.

An official transcript is required for all students with a Liberty University application to an online undergraduate degree program. Official transcripts must be received by the completion of the student’s first term, or within 60 days after receiving an acceptance decision, for the student to be eligible for registration in the following term. The Official Transcript should include the school’s name, the student’s name, courses and credits earned, cumulative GPA, and dates attended. An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been signed and issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. An Official Transcript can also be received through an electronic transcript database provider such as Scrip-Safe, Docufide, or National Student Clearinghouse, or others. The transcript should be sent directly to Liberty via the school’s secure system. If an email is requested, you should use luoverify@liberty.edu.

Official transcripts must be received within 60 days after an accept decision is given, or before a student would begin their second term of registration). An Unofficial College Transcript is acceptable for admission requirements into online undergraduate degrees and online master’s programs. An acceptable unofficial transcript should include the name of the school, the student name, courses are broken down by semester, grades and credits earned, cumulative GPA, and dates attended. A college transcript is considered unofficial if sent via email to luoverify@liberty.edu or by fax to (888) 301-3577.

Vignette Responses are required by some doctoral programs. Further explanation on how to develop the responses is found here.