Deployment Guide

Military Student Deployment Guide

Liberty University greatly appreciates your service and the sacrifices you make daily to secure our freedom. When you are faced with a deployment or unexpected duty, we have processes in place to ensure your academic progress is not harmed due to your military service. If you find that your duty may have an impact on your academic progress, it is important that you contact us as soon as possible so that we may help you through this transition.

Leaving for Deployment

Step 1: Prepare

Review our deployment tips for success for information on establishing a FERPA PIN (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act personal identification number), setting up a Power of Attorney, and other helpful steps you can take to prepare for your deployment.

Step 2: Contact Your Professor(s)

If you are currently enrolled in courses, you should let your professor(s) know about your situation as soon as possible. Our professors are aware of the issues that military students face, and though it is not guaranteed, they can often work with you by giving extensions or assigning alternative work so you can complete the course while fulfilling your military obligation.*

*Reviewed on a case-by-case basis depending on the course, nature of the required coursework, and time requirements for assignments.

Step 3: Review Your Options

Review your course schedule for the semester and identify any possible scheduling conflicts. If you will be in class during the time you are going to be deployed, you may have the following options:

• Drop the course:* Online students who have not yet started the course or completed any coursework and residential students who are still within the add/drop period, may be able to drop the course without any tuition charged.
• Complete the course: If you have already started the course and your professor is able to work with you to overcome any challenges related to your deployment, you may stay enrolled and complete the course.
• Withdraw from the course:* If you have already started the course, but you do not feel you will be able to successfully complete the course due to your deployment, you may consider withdrawing. Please see military withdrawals for more information on withdrawing and the process for requesting a military withdrawal.

*This option may impact your financial aid. Contact an admissions specialist for additional information.

Step 4: Follow up on Your Benefits

If changes to your enrollment are necessary, any military benefits you are using may need to be adjusted.

Tuition Assistance – If you are utilizing military tuition assistance, please contact your local education office and notify them of your change in enrollment. Many education offices will need to get a copy of your orders or require other documents in order to avoid recoupment of your tuition assistance funds.

GI Bill® – If you are utilizing GI Bill benefits, we will report your change in enrollment status to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for you. You will receive correspondence directly from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs regarding the effect your change in status may have on your GI Bill benefits.

Returning from Deployment

Step 1: Contact Liberty University

Once you are back from your deployment and are ready to resume your program, you will need to contact the Office of Military Affairs so we can walk you through the process of continuing with your courses.

Online students should contact the Office of Military Affairs directly by calling (855) 355-4947 (toll-free) or (434) 592-5990 (direct) or emailing LUOMilitary@liberty.edu.

Step 2: Application/Reinstatement

Next, you will need to submit documentation verifying that your broken enrollment was due to your military deployment if you were unable to take courses for a full academic year or more. The military affairs representative you contact (reference Step 1) will walk you through this process. Once we have confirmed your broken enrollment was due to deployment, you will need to submit a new application online or by contacting an admissions counselor.

Online students may call (800) 424-9595.

Your new application will be processed as reinstatement under your original degree plan. If you do not intend to continue your original degree and wish to change your degree program from what you were originally pursuing, you will be considered for acceptance under the current catalog year requirements.

Step 3: Get Connected

We are here to assist you with resuming your education and using your military benefits. Please contact our office to see if any updated documentation is needed to ensure your benefits are posted to your account without delay.

You can also connect with other veterans at Liberty University through the Office of Military Affairs social media communities (Facebook, X, and Instagram). Veterans within the surrounding communities of main campus may want to connect with the Liberty University Student Veterans Association, or if you are long-distance you may wish to find local veteran chapters in your community. National organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart are great organizations with local chapters throughout the nation.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.