Liberty University fined $14 million by Dept. of Education over failure to comply with campus safety standards

Liberty University (LU) was ordered to pay a $14 million fine from the Department of Education (ED) over violations of federally mandated campus safety standards.

The ED announced on Tuesday via a press release that the office of Federal Student Aid fined LU as a result of a settlement agreement over "material and ongoing violations of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), including with respect to its published crime statistics and treatment of sexual assault survivors."

"Students, faculty, and staff deserve to know that they can be safe and secure in their school communities. We respond aggressively to complaints about campus safety and security," said FSA Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray. 

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"Through the Clery Act schools are obligated to take action that creates safe and secure campus communities, investigate complaints, and responsibly disclose information about crimes and other safety concerns. We will continue to hold schools accountable if they fail to do so."

The amount LU is ordered to pay is the largest fine ever imposed for violating the Clery Act. 

Colleges that participate in federal financial aid programs must keep and disclose crime statistics and other timely information about campus safety. In 2020-2021, Liberty University received $874 million for student loans and grants from the Education Department (ED).

As a part of the settlement, Liberty, the most influential Christian university in the U.S., agreed to spend "$2 million over the next two years for on-campus safety improvements and compliance enhancements" and an outside accounting firm will monitor the progress of such measures.

The amount Liberty University is ordered to pay is the largest fine ever imposed for violating the Clery Act. (Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The ED detailed several findings from a "program review" that began in February 2022 to evaluate LU's compliance with the Clery Act. According to ED, the "announcement followed the receipt of several complaints that alleged the university had engaged in a pattern of conduct that reflected serious violations of the Clery Act."

Among the findings is a lack of administrative capability, which reported that LU failed to take action to meet the standards of Clery Act compliance between 2016 and 2023. Furthermore, as universities are expected to comply with sexual violence prevention and response requirements of the Clery Act, ED reported that LU failed to take action against such measures, thus, failing to comply with the Violate Against Women Act requirements. 

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Among 11 violations founded by ED, the federal department reported that LU failed to properly classify and disclose crime statistics. While schools must publish an annual safety report and make daily crime logs publicly available, ED reported that "Liberty failed to maintain accurate and complete daily crime logs throughout the review period."

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

LU officials released a statement following the settlement that the fine came after the University invested $10 million in improving measures that would comply with Clery Act guidelines. They expressed that they were treated differently from other universities in the past who underwent the same kind of investigation.

"In the report, many of the Department’s methodologies, findings, and calculations were drastically different from their historic treatment of other universities. Liberty disagrees with this approach and maintains that we have repeatedly endured selective and unfair treatment by the Department," LU officials stated.

"The University concurs there were numerous deficiencies that existed in the past. Examples include incorrect statistical reports as well as necessary timely warnings and emergency notifications that were not sent. We acknowledge and sincerely regret past program deficiencies and have since corrected these errors with great care and concern."

Liberty University (LU) was ordered to pay a $14 million fine from the Department of Education (ED) over violations of campus safety expectations. (Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Back in October 2023, LU officials previously pushed back against a leaked preliminary report laid out by ED as the Christian university faced evaluation of its Clery Act compliance and an unprecedented $37.5 million fine. They have since appealed the fine by providing evidence it says shows that it made efforts to comply with federal law.

LU disputed the findings in the leaked preliminary report and denied several of the accusations laid out in the report, including alleged sexual assault reports involving top brass officials at the university and how the university's "honor code," which promotes chastity, discourages sexual assault victims or witnesses from speaking up.

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Liberty University President Dr. Dondi E. Costin told Fox News Digital that before they could build a case to the ED before a deadline on June 30, 2023, to dispute the findings, the report was leaked.

"The leak is intentionally aimed at laying the groundwork for an unprecedented fine and the report is filled with factual errors that the Department has admitted to Liberty in their negotiations," Costin told Fox News Digital in an interview in October 2023.

Co-founded by Christian Right activist and televangelist Jerry Falwell, Sr., Liberty is known for its conservative honor code that governs personal behavior, such as prohibiting premarital sex. It's also been known for its strong ties to prominent Republicans like former President Trump.

Located in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty presides over 130,000 students, including in its online programs.