Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Lynchburg

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Carter Glass HouseCarter Glass House · Photo: Richard Cheek, Photographer · Public domain
Colleges in and near Lynchburg

Lynchburg is a college town: 22 of every 100 residents are students

Liberty University (15,799 students on campus) and Central Virginia Community College (2,417) are inside the city. Across Virginia, 7 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town22% of residents are studentsUniversity of LynchburgCentral Virginia Community College

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Lynchburg. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
7
21,790 students on campus
Nearest college
0.8 mi
University of Lynchburg
Residents in college
22%
Above VA (7%)
Nearest community college
2.8 mi
Central Virginia · $5,157 tuition
Nearest public university
30.1 mi
Virginia Military Institute · $21,046 in-state
Students on campus in Lynchburg
21,326
next to 81,347 residents

What stands out about college in Lynchburg

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town22 of every 100 Lynchburg residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.Two colleges within 2.8 milesUniversity of Lynchburg admits 43% of applicants. Together they have 4,572 students on campus.A community college 2.8 miles awayCentral Virginia Community College in Lynchburg: tuition and fees $5,157 a year for Virginia residents.In-state price at Virginia Military InstituteLiving in Virginia, Virginia Military Institute charges $21,046 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $52,638. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Lynchburg

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

22 of every 100 Lynchburg residents are in college (VA: 7).

21,326students on campus at Lynchburg’s 6 colleges, next to 81,347 residents (dorm students count as residents)
8,107college students live in Lynchburg households rather than dorms
28.6median age · VA 39.0
53%of residents are women · VA 51% (±0.1 points)
51%of homes rented · VA 33%
$1,073median rent · 32% below the state
Cost of living$1,073/mo median rentC+SafetyCrime reported to the FBICHealthCDC estimatesB−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundCHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Lynchburg’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 18.7% of Lynchburg residents are below the poverty line, 14.9% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 2 points either way). 46% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C+

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 22%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health B−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Lynchburg’s median age is 28.6 (Virginia 39.0), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Lynchburg

Six private colleges within 12.6 miles, and Central Virginia Community College 2.8 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, Virginia Military Institute, is 30.1 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miLiberty UniversityCentral VirginiaUniversity of LynchburgLynchburg
University or collegeCommunity college
University of LynchburgUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,155 on campus · In Lynchburg43%admitted$22knet price57%graduate$56kearningsCentra CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 199 on campus · In Lynchburg100%admitted100%graduate$60kearningsVirginia University of LynchburgUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 144 on campus · In Lynchburg · mostly online$21knet price38%graduate$28kearnings76% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Central Virginia Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,417 on campus · In Lynchburg$7knet price45%graduate$37kearningsTuition and fees: $5,157 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Randolph CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 612 on campus · In Lynchburg94%admitted$16knet price46%graduate$53kearningsLiberty UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 15,799 on campus · In Lynchburg · mostly online99%admitted$29knet price65%graduate$45kearnings85% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Sweet Briar CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 464 on campus · 12.6 mi · Sweet Briar76%admitted$18knet price52%graduate$52kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Lynchburg’s median household income ($57,947) falls.

Central Virginia Community CollegeIn Lynchburg · sticker $12,829 · tuition $5,157$8,639a year
Virginia Military Institute30.1 mi · Lexington · sticker $34,824$12,162a year
Sweet Briar College12.6 mi · Sweet Briar · sticker $43,898$15,247a year
Randolph CollegeIn Lynchburg · sticker $45,040$16,290a year
University of LynchburgIn Lynchburg · sticker $50,067$18,649a year
Virginia University of LynchburgIn Lynchburg · mostly online · sticker $25,328$24,205a year
Liberty UniversityIn Lynchburg · mostly online · sticker $42,025$27,347a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →University of LynchburgCentral VirginiaRandolph CollegeLiberty UniversityVirginia Military Institute
Liberty University65% graduate$45k earnings$24k typical debt
Central Virginia Community College45% graduate$37k earnings$9k typical debt
University of Lynchburg57% graduate$56k earnings$27k typical debt
Virginia Military Institute76% graduate$77k earnings$23k typical debt
Randolph College46% graduate$53k earnings$27k typical debt
Sweet Briar College52% graduate$52k earnings$27k typical debt
Centra College100% graduate$60k earnings$15k typical debt
Virginia University of Lynchburg38% graduate$28k earnings$24k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Lynchburg

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Lynchburg’s 4 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Health professions 22%Liberal arts 16%Biology 8%Business 7%Precision production 7%Engineering tech 4%Everything else 36%

Biggest programs

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCentral Virginia Community College · 281 graduates a year
$40k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and OperationsUniversity of Lynchburg · 42 graduates a year
$64k4 yrs out
CriminologyUniversity of Lynchburg · 39 graduates a year
$49k4 yrs out
Biology, GeneralUniversity of Lynchburg · 33 graduates a year
$62k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingUniversity of Lynchburg · 33 graduates a year
$77k4 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCentral Virginia Community College · 32 graduates a year
$61k4 yrs out
Psychology, GeneralUniversity of Lynchburg · 28 graduates a year
$49k4 yrs out
Physiology, Pathology and Related SciencesUniversity of Lynchburg · 25 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating. Left out: Virginia University of Lynchburg, Liberty University, where most students study only online.

Questions about college in Lynchburg

Is Lynchburg a college town?

Yes. 22 of every 100 Lynchburg residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 7 across Virginia. Liberty University has 15,799 students on campus, next to 81,347 residents.

What colleges are in Lynchburg?

Liberty University, Central Virginia Community College, the University of Lynchburg, Randolph College and 2 more are inside the city.

Why is Lynchburg’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 18.7% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 14.9% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 2 points).

What is the closest community college to Lynchburg, and what does it cost?

Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg, 2.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,157 a year for Virginia residents; the federal net price, $6,928, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Liberty University?

Liberty University admitted 99% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Lynchburg. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →