Record incoming class pushes Liberty University campus housing above 9,500 students
Key Highlights
- Liberty University’s fall 2026 incoming class of 4,838 students marks its largest residential undergraduate cohort ever.
- Over 16,000 students are attending Liberty residentially, with more than 9,500 living in campus housing, reflecting strong growth despite nationwide enrollment declines.
- The university added 204 beds by converting a former hotel into North Suites, addressing increased demand from both freshmen and upperclassmen.
- Rising local housing costs and a strategic focus on campus living are encouraging more students to stay on campus beyond their first year.
Liberty University recently welcomed the largest incoming residential undergraduate class in its history, bringing 4,838 new students, including transfers, to its Lynchburg, Va., campus for fall 2026.
More than 16,000 students are attending Liberty residentially this fall, and more than 9,500 students are living in university housing, according to a press release. Overall enrollment across Liberty’s residential, online, and K-12 programs has surpassed 167,000 students—a population that includes students from all 50 states and more than 70 countries.
The incoming class exceeds the roughly 4,700 new residential undergraduates Liberty welcomed in fall 2025. At the time, the university described that group as its second-largest incoming class and reported more than 9,000 students living in campus housing.
At a time when enrollment at many colleges and universities nationwide is trending downward, Liberty attributes its continued growth to its unwavering commitment to its Christian foundation, reassuring parents, alumni, and donors that it will not waver from its biblical roots and core values.
President Dondi E. Costin said in the release:
“Every student who chooses Liberty represents a family who has placed their trust in us to provide an education that develops the whole person academically, professionally, and spiritually. We are deeply grateful that more families are choosing an education grounded in biblical truth and academic excellence.”
Former hotel adds 204 campus beds
Liberty added housing capacity this year through an adaptive reuse project rather than ground-up construction. In a separate announcement, the university disclosed that it purchased a former Extended Stay America hotel on University Boulevard in April 2026 and converted the property into North Suites in time for the fall semester.
The residence hall contains 102 two-person rooms and 204 beds, and each room has a private bathroom and kitchenette with a stove, refrigerator, and microwave. The building also includes laundry facilities and shared common areas, and life security systems like fire alarms and smoke detectors were brought up to code.