Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at Liberty University

Liberty's electrical engineering program sits squarely in the middle of the pack, placing in the 40th percentile among Virginia programs with first-year earnings of $76,127. That trails the state median by nearly $4,000 and lags about $7,000 behind what Virginia Tech and George Mason graduates earn. Nationally, the program performs similarly—just below the $77,710 median for this major. For a field where starting salaries typically exceed $75,000, these earnings are respectable but unremarkable.

The financial picture offers more reassurance. At $26,899, median debt nearly matches the state average and sits well below the national 75th percentile. The 0.35 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe about four months' salary—a manageable burden that most engineers can realistically pay off within a few years. Earnings also grow steadily, reaching $83,377 by year four, which narrows the gap with top state programs.

For families weighing options, this comes down to priorities and alternatives. If your child has strong credentials and could gain admission to Virginia Tech or George Mason, those programs deliver noticeably higher earnings without proportionally higher debt. But Liberty's near-open admission (99% acceptance rate) makes it accessible to students who might struggle to enter more selective engineering programs, and the debt load won't trap graduates even if they start slightly behind their peers. It's a viable path into engineering, just not the most lucrative one available in Virginia.