Liberty University Flight Degree
 

Hello all, I’m moving back to Washington State after getting out of the military. I’m almost done with my PPL and I’ve been shopping around western Washington for flight schools covered by the VA I found one called snohomish flying service which is partnered with liberty university. I’d get a bachelors degree along with my flight training and the GI bill apparently covers it. Is this a good option? Does anyone on here have any insight on this program and if I can get the flight portion of it done in a decent amount of time?

Liberty is not a university you want to get a degree from. Snohomish flying service is a great outfit though.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

Explain this reasoning...I wanna hear this.

I have a B.A. from another college, but I'm doing Liberty to pay for my flight training with financial aid. You can get it done in a reasonable time, but you gotta kinda work the system. I carried over about 111 credits from my last degree, so all I'm really taking are the flight courses and electives here and there. For being a part-time student pilot, I'm moving along. I have about 54 hours, finishing up solo time building, and doing stage check before checkride over the next 2-3 weeks. I started Private Pilot 1 on 03/22.

Over 90% acceptance, incredibly conservative/Christian, zero prestige, huge student body. The school is not respected among the community (do a quick Google search and you'll see what I mean).

Basically, going to liberty will elicit similar response/reactions as going to a place like university of Phoenix, even though they are very different schools. People don't see either as a truly legitimate higher education experience.

Sent from my LG-H931 using Tapatalk

I get all that and they are a bit conservative, which I don’t mind..but let’s be real. A degree is a degree these days. It doesn’t matter where it’s from, unless it’s an Ivy League school/military college or similar. And that’s more about the strength of its alumni network. Who cares. Just don’t go to ITT haha.

Utah Valley State College has an Aviation degree. Less requirements than Liberty

Yes, and they are very friendly. The only thing Liberty has going for it, is their FTA program and the R-ATP. No one else is doing that, and that's why Liberty can charge what they charge.

Over 90% acceptance, meaning they accept most who apply? You think this is a bad thing?

Prestige? Really???

Not respected among what community?

Your nose is so high in the air that it's snowing on your brain.

Elicit a response from whom?

The school is regionally accredited. It grants a degree. Done.

Liberty is Christian. Get over it. Grand Canyon University is too, and it's well recognized. Brigham Young University is, as well, and it's well recognized, too.

If you want to boast prestige, knock rings with the boys over scotch while comparing fraternities and other juvenile bull, then Liberty may not be your huckleberry. Again, big deal.

For the burgeoning airline pilot (et al), the degree is a place holder and little else, and ivy league vs. Liberty isn't going to boost you to the top of the class. You might be paying off your loans a lot longer, though.

I wouldn't go to Liberty, personally. For those who choose to do so, they're getting an accredited degree. The online school and university have open enrollment, like many schools, which is not a big deal at all. If it's important to you to be able to say you went to a school where only the elite got in, so be it. For many, it just doesn't matter, and frankly if you did attend a school with selective enrollment, it isn't that impressive.

We're in the adult world. Working. School is over. Time to put the big boy pants on and stop comparing the alma mater. A better question to ask, and one certainly on the mind of an employer, is what have you done lately?

I'm an Air Force vet and an active reservist using the GI bill for flight training through a Liberty University flight affiliate in California and I've had mostly a positive experience with the school and with the flight affiliate. The downside is my housing allowance is for Lynchburg, VA which is much lower than the cost of living in CA. I'm not an overly religious person and I manage to get through the Christian aspect of Liberty just fine. If you can handle that Liberty is a great school, free books reduced military tuition and also a yellow ribbon school which is a huge advantage when doing flight training. DM me if you have any questions.

Over 90% acceptance rate? Show me where you got that number because I can show you that it’s 21.6% Via a simple internet search and also from the people who send the acceptance letters since I know many people who work in admissions. Also, many people see it as one of the greatest education experiences, especially from a residential stand point. Also Liberty was named most outstanding flight school in the country 2018 for the second year in a row and if you count the Flight Training Affiliates has more students than ERAU :D There is a reason companies and airlines specifically seek out Liberty students.

Hello! I went to Liberty in a very similar situation. I was just out of the military and looking for a degree while learning how to be a pilot. Liberty was AWESOME. The men and women, residentially, care so much about your future and what you can do to best set yourself up for success. And the G.I. Bill paid for all of my flight train from Pvt through COM Multi. I hear that if you do the FTA program that you can get it to pay for COM ASEL, CFI, CFI-I, abd MEI.

Anyway, I loved the experience. Especially using my G.I. Bill as the military affairs office at Liberty really helps you maximize your benefits.

There is no way Liberty University is like a University of Phoenix! Liberty is very reasonably priced, especially for Veterans. For that matter, Utah Valley University used to be a borderline diploma mill. Although I've heard they have moved up a notch or two under new leadership.

In the end, accreditation is the big deal! To me, Liberty University is in a category of private religious schools like Oral Roberts University or Brigham Young University. Overall good accredited schools with a religious component but may or may not carry a stigma in certain circles because of religion!

As far as University of Phoenix (UOP) goes, they are simply way overpriced! I took an online MBA course from UOP for transfer credit and they are academically rigorous just very pricey!

The FTA program is overpriced. You can get all of your ratings for $60K most places...all the way up to MEI. Liberty charges $92K for the same exact ratings. And that's just the lab fees, not including tuition costs. Even if you ask the FTA you're attending, they will tell you the same thing. But! if using FAFSA or GI Bill, as your only source of getting in that left seat, then it is what it is. You're going to pay the vig, in order to have em pay out.

I just retired from the Navy and looking to go to Liberty University for the flight Degree. I requesting some information on how your training is going. You might already be complete with it. if you are, how did the school help with job placement. Where did you land for work? Do you recommend it or would you do something different? thank you.

Hello, I am about to start this program and was wondering how everything has turned out for you with the program. Have you been training with the affiliate out of Carlsbad I think the name is pinnacle aviation? Is there any advice or recommendations you may have? Any problems with having liberty on your resume or anything of that nature? I appreciate any insight you may have, thanks for your time.

I attend Liberty and believe that a Bachelors is a Bachelors. I don’t think the airlines really care how “prestigious” your school is.

As far as the pricing for flight training goes through Liberty, they “charge” enough to cover the nationwide average for each rating. That being said, if you find one of their flight training affiliates in your area that trains for cheaper than the national average, that’s what you will pay for flight training. For example; Liberty charges 15k for private pilot flight training. That 15k gets sent to the flight school and you draw off of it. If you complete it in 9k worth of training, the remainder sits in your account at the FTA and can be used for further training. So you aren’t paying the flight school any more than it actually takes to obtain each rating. You will have to pay the whole amount upfront, through loans or whatever...but you can always take what is left after you’re done and pay back the loan, or like I said, just keep it for the next rating.

I'll be attending Liberty once I finish up my PPL. One of the big factors behind choosing Liberty is that they also accept the GI bill, and because they're a university flight training program I can receive a monthly housing allowance and book stipend. I'm not too concerned about how prestigious the school is or that it's a christian university. As long as the flight training affiliate gives quality instruction then I'm all for it. Also LU's cadet programs and ties with the airlines are quite interesting too.

I fly near Liberty University and interact with their CFIs, students and the DPEs that do their checkrides.

As has been previously stated, you're going to pay in excess of 100k for the degree and the flight time. Liberty's program is good if you specifically want that 141 benefit for your ATP hours (1250 instead of 1500). In addition, you will come out of Liberty's program low on solo time and cross country time. You'll be barely over the minimums, which as I understand it are even lower at a 141 school than normal requirements.

That said, lots of part 61 flight schools partner with local community colleges so you can use the GI Bill and student loans to cover your flight time. If you think you HAVE to use Liberty then you're just trusting what their recruiters are telling you and not doing the legwork for yourself. If you plan on doing aviation, don't be lazy about it. You won't get far if you do.

As many have said, you can get through your commercial and CFI for a little over 60k at most part 61 flight schools. It won't get you a degree, but it will get you flying. Before COVID hit, the degree wasn't even an important qualification to have until you were applying for the majors.

wait a minute.....are you slighting my PhD in Air-lining from Southern New Hampshire University???

With a bachelors, you would have the 1000 hour R-ATP through Liberty. That’s worth a good bit of $

Unfortunately, LU is the only university flight training program nearby me (San Antonio). It would be nice if there was a local community college that had such a program.

Honestly, I'd rather have the experience that comes from more hours.

500 hours less for ATP *sounds* like a great shortcut until you realize that most students CFI through Liberty and don't get much flight time compared to busy part 61 CFIs. You're not getting to the ATP any faster, you're just getting there with less hours.

Like anything, this is a judgment call. Just providing a point of view from someone outside of the Liberty system that listens to what folks inside the system are saying. They're asking for a heck of a lot of money, I'd want to know before laying down that kind of cash (or more likely agreeing to massive student loan debts).

It is a great shortcut. Get the degree and instruct Part 61 at a local FBO and you will be set.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Exactly
 

This is exactly what I mean. A lot of flight schools near me (not ATP) instruct both 61 and 141....and aren’t directly tied to Liberty. They are flight training affiliates. 500 hours at at least $150 an hour...I’m no mathematician, but that’s a few bucks.

I already have all of my flight ratings, but i'm doing Liberty Online. The coursework is surprisingly easy. I think it's even easier than the homework I was getting from my local community college. I also really like the 8 week courses, thats nice.

I'm looking forward to the life time experience credits it gives to cut down on college requirements. A piece of paper is a piece of paper right?

That's good to hear. I'll be starting there in about a month. About how many hours a week do you spend studying/doing homework?

lol honestly, I do one assignment a day and that's it. Each assignment takes maybe 1 hour. Right now i'm just finishing up the remaining general education classes that I have to do. For whatever reason, these classes are even easier than the ones I took at community college. Unless i'm missing something entirely, I won't have final exams in either of the courses i'm doing right now. I looked at the course content and the syllabus and there is nothing noted about any final exams. Which is great. There are weekly quizzes, but they are easy and many are open note. So I haven't needed to do any real studying so far this semester.

Sounds like you didn’t get accepted. You just be pretty bad to not get in...with a 90% acceptance rate an all. 🤦‍♂️

Did the program fall of 2017 to spring of 2020. It was my second bachelor's degree.

Positives- R-ATP completed at 1000 hours, good flight affiliate with nice planes (most of my training was G1000), 141 training, able to finance with student loans, able to do it part time around my full time career work schedule with a young family.

Negatives- Could have done it far cheaper part 61- but it sounds like Biden will chop 10k off. Some extra classes that were Liberty specific for their BA were needed, but 80% of my other classes transferred right in. The online classes had some busy work assignments requiring extra work. The ground courses at the time I went were just from King Schools.

Overall it was a positive experience. Although now I am sitting at RATP minimums waiting for a job- which I thought by now I would be a few months into the new career. So I am glad to not be a CFI for another 500 hours, but the time I thought I would save is lost.

Clarification on GI Bill and Liberty
 

Looking for a clarification. From what I understand, the GI Bill will give you about $13K per year to use for strictly flight training. BUT, if you go to Liberty, they'll take your GI Bill and you can get more than $13K because they'll code it as a class. I think I keep seeing $22K as the annual cap or something. So, in short, because they are coding the flight training as a course and not technical training, you're getting $22K worth of flight training for the year instead of the $13K. Plus the R-ATP mins reduction and a degree. Is this right? I already have a degree, so I can transfer some coursework, use 9 months of GI Bill benefits or spread the GI bill benefits over 2 years, and snag a second degree, reduced mins, and turn $13K into $22K. That would make a big difference. Just want to make sure, this seems like a sweet/smart deal to me. Thanks for your help on this!

Has anyone used the Post 9/11 to pay for the PPL through Liberty as I’ve read it can be done if going through a 4 year college.

I didn’t go through Liberty but I did go the college route to pay for flight training. I went to a community college that essentially did the same as Liberty and coded the flight training as labs and I paid the school directly through the GI Bill.

I wasn’t sure if anywhere was allowed to do that anymore and/or that there had been limits imposed (as posted above) since there was a big scandal associated with flight schools committing fraud.

Anyway, I was able to do private on up through the college and didn’t come out of pocket for anything using Post 9/11. Good luck!

Any former rotary wing pilots out there that got their fixed wing certificates through Liberty Online?

I understand you can use the Post 9/11 GI Bill to pay for PPL at Liberty if you are a resident student, but not for online. I have my commercial rotorcraft w/ instrument from my military time, and saw Liberty offered as an elective for the Aviation major "AVIA 334 - Rotor Fix-Wing Com/Inst Trans". I asked the military affairs office if this was covered by the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and they gave me a generic "any course required for the degree will be covered" response. This course satisfies 3 of the required 15 credits in advanced core courses for the major, but I wanted to confirm from someone else that had gone this route.

IM looking to do the same thing .Did you do post 911 or Montgomery?