The Department of Education imposed a record $14 million fine on Liberty University, a Christian college located in Virginia, over violations of a campus safety law, officials said Tuesday.
The Department of Education said it was the largest fine ever imposed for violating the Clery Act, which requires colleges to maintain and disclose campus crime statistics and security information.
Liberty University also agreed to spend an additional $2 million to improve on-campus safety over the next two years.
The Department of Education initiated the review in 2022 after receiving complaints that alleged the college committed violations of the Clery Act. The resulting review identified 11 violations, such as failing to maintain an accurate, daily crime log and failing to issue timely warnings to the campus community about reportable crimes.
The Department of Education said that the university’s administration promptly acknowledged the violations outlined in its report and demonstrated a commitment to remedy them.
In a statement, Liberty University said it agrees with the Department of Education “that numerous compliance deficiencies existed in the past.”
“We acknowledge and sincerely regret these errors and have since corrected them in a manner that allows us to maintain compliance in each of these areas,” it said.
But Liberty University took issue with the way the Department of Education conducted its review, adding that many of its “methodologies, findings, and calculations in the report 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,” it said.
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