For Your First Year
An LU Family First-Year Experience
Welcome, LU Family! From the first days of Welcome Week to the day you celebrate Graduation, we are with you and your student through the journey! If this is your family’s first semester at Liberty, then a review of the academic calendar may raise several questions. If this is your student’s first time living away from home, then there will certainly be questions about how they manage decisions on their own. If your student is transferring to Liberty, then connecting to the LU community is still just as important.
As your child answers God’s will in their life, and your family supports them through your work, guidance, leadership, and prayer, expect there to be spiritual battle. There is an enemy that would steal their joy, raise discouragement, doubt, and feelings of defeat to keep them from fulfilling their highest calling in Jesus Christ. Do not allow the enemy to use your words or fears as ammunition against them. Instead, be wary, armor up, and partner with them to their success in the Lord through prayer!
Take courage! The Lord is with you.
Academic Timeline, Common Stress Points, and the Armor of God
The timeline we have composed below accomplishes several things.
- It helps interpret significant dates listed on the Office of the Registrar’s academic calendar.
- We also summarize common stress points that ebb and flow through every student’s academic journey.
- And we offer you points of prayer enlisting various parts of the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).
If you have questions or concerns not addressed by this website, please send us an e-mail at LUFamily@liberty.edu or contact us by calling (434) 582-2339.
Academic Calendar
Residence Life will contact students in the summer about move-in schedules. Use the Move-In page and What to Bring to Liberty for helpful information about living on campus.
The first week of the semester is noted as Add/Drop. This is the only week of the semester that students may change their course selections without penalty (read more about Add/Drop in the Academic Catalog).
Common Stressors
Missing home, family, and friends; anxiety over a new routine, making friends, and sharing a room
Points of Prayer
Ephesians 6:14-17 – For the helmet of salvation to protect their thoughts and the sword of truth to fight against lies they think about themselves or may believe from others
2 Timothy 1:7 – For strength in the Lord
Psalm 91:6, 14-16 – For protection from temptations that would destroy their faith
Ephesians 4:32 – For them to be able to resolve conflicts quickly and to seek harmony and understanding with others
Academic Calendar
Fall Break in October marks the halfway point of the semester. Dining is open but the hours may vary.
Course registration for the Spring begins the Monday following Fall Break. Room Renewal Requests ($) and Financial Check-In (FCI) are open.
Freshmen and students in academic caution status are required to meet with their CASAS Professional Advisor to register for their spring courses.
FAFSA (Free Application Federal Student Aid) opens for the next academic year. Have your student complete the FAFSA to ensure their Financial Aid will be available on time.
Common Stressors
Homesickness, midterm papers and exams, feelings of isolation, fatigue, and illness; changing majors
Points of Prayer
2 Timothy 1:7 – For self-discipline
Psalm 91:1-16 – For protection in relationships
James 1:2-4 – For courage and perseverance; to meet opportunities with the gospel
Philippians 3:14 – For comfort and strength against homesickness and discouragement
James 1:5-6 – For the Lord’s wisdom in decisions
Romans 8:28-29 – For their minds to recall and apply what they have learned
Academic Calendar
Plan ahead for Thanksgiving Break. Residence Halls are open to students who stay on campus, but the Dining Hall is closed. Students will need Flames Cash to use at off-campus merchants and at the available campus eateries.
Financial Check-In (FCI)’s deadline is the first week in December for the spring semester. Note that January (Winter) intensives are a separate “term” and must be paid for separately from Spring course registration. Financial Aid packages typically do not cover intensives.
Final exams are scheduled, so be sure to check with your student before making travel arrangements. The last day of classes is the last day to withdraw from a class and get a “W.”
Students must schedule an End-of-Semester Checkout and depart their hall within 24 hours of their last exam. Returning students who are enrolled for the spring may leave their belongings over the break.
Common Stressors
Travel plans to go home for Thanksgiving; having to stay on campus over the break alone; the quick turnaround back to campus for finals and then going home again for Christmas and Winter Break; final exams, group projects, and papers; transitioning again back home for an extended period of time; wondering about their friends
Points of Prayer
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – That they may always find something about Jesus to praise God in every situation
John 14:27 – For peace in their heart in all circumstances
Colossians 3:15 – That they will allow His peace to rule the path of their thoughts and feelings
Romans 8:28-29 – For their minds to recall and apply what they have learned
Academic Calendar
Residence Life will contact new students about their move-in schedule. Use the Move-In page and What to Bring to Liberty for helpful information about living on campus.
The first week of the semester is noted as Add/Drop. This is the only week of the semester that students may change their course selections without penalty (read more about Add/Drop in the Academic Catalog).
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a Day of Service; there are no classes.
Common Stressors
New students’ transition in the spring, for courage and strength; feelings of isolation; fellowship in returning students to be open to new friends; for grace as all students develop into the adults that God has designed them to be
Points of Prayer
Ephesians 6:10-18 – Refresh your spiritual battle plan with the full armor of God
Proverbs 15:22; James 1:5-6 – For wisdom and balance in time management and choices
Ephesians 4:29-32 – For wholesome and edifying conversations with friends, roommates, and families at home
Hebrews 12:14 – For roommates to be God-honoring relationships that are filled with grace and hope
Academic Calendar
Spring Break begins after the last day of your student’s classes.
Plan ahead for Spring Break. Residence Halls remain open to students, but the Dining Hall is closed. Students will need Flames Cash to use at off-campus merchants and at the available campus eateries.
Registration for fall courses and Financial Check-In (FCI) open for current students after Spring Break. Freshmen, transfers, and students on academic caution are required to meet with their CASAS Professional Advisor prior to registering for courses, so it is good to do this before break.
The deadline to apply for Graduation is in March. Please refer to Graduation Preparation for eligibility requirements and important dates.
Easter Holiday is one day; there are no classes.
Common Stressors
Homesickness, writing papers and studying for midterms, managing time and responsibilities for group projects; feelings of fatigue, isolation, and discouragement; some students may be deciding to change their major to more fully align with God’s calling in their lives
Points of Prayer
Ephesians 6:16 – To defend against discouragement and doubt
Philippians 4:4-9 – To reset expectations and for the grace and strength to adapt
Psalm 105:1-9 – As encouragement and promise for God’s faithfulness to their calling
John 11:25 – To remind them of the vastness of what Jesus’ resurrection means to them
Academic Calendar
Look ahead to the week of Final Exams. The last day of classes and a Reading Day precede the first day of finals. The last day of classes is also the last day a student may withdraw from a course for a “W” on their transcript.
Before making travel plans, know that students must move out within 24 hours of their last final. They must complete a checkout appointment with their RA before moving out. A Beyond Checkout request is available in the ResLife Portal.
The dorms close at 12 p.m. on the last day of scheduled exams. The Dining Hall closes after dinner on Friday.
Students who renewed their room for the next academic year cannot leave their belongings over the summer (for more information, see ResLife’s FAQs page).
You may want to rent a storage unit (students often share space to do so) for the summer. Here is a Google Maps link to local vendors.
Commencement activities are scheduled on Thursday through Saturday.
Common Stressors
Finals, papers, and group projects; packing up for home and scheduling a checkout appointment with their RA (who is also a student faced with final exams and moving out too); transitioning back home, summer classes, employment, and mission trips
Points of Prayer
2 Timothy 4:7 – To fight the good fight of faith
Philippians 3:14 – To press on for the prize of their highest calling in Jesus Christ
Ephesians 6:15 – To be prepared to take hope, grace, mercy, and forgiveness everywhere they go
Ecclesiastes 3:1 – To balance and appoint a time for study and a time for rest
Isaiah 55:12 – “For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”