Liberty vs. Regent

Hi all,

I've done quite a bit of searching on here for posts on Liberty & Regent, so I have tried to do my research. I've also been googling the two schools and reading reviews.

I am currently enrolled at Liberty for the BS in Psychology. This is my first semester, as of tomorrow.

After reading reviews and especially the "scandal" about Caner, I'm not sure if I should continue going to LU. It seems you can go either way with how people view it: some either respect it or others think it's a joke (even in the Christian community). Of course, I have only read a limited number of reviews and haven't heard from ALL students who've been there and are there nor have I heard from people who know about it and respect the school. Hence why I'm here (since I've only been able to read stories, rather then be in a discussion like on here).

I just want to make sure I'm putting my money where I should. I want a Christian education, but I want to be sure I'm being taught in a challenging way and will have a respectable school on my resume if I ever go into the work force (I'm a SAHM to our children and will eventually go for my masters when I'm ready to work).

I know Regent can have it's own critics, but I've read more criticism about Liberty then Regent.

I also am aware that Regent is about double of what LU's degree would be. And, I would have to go to Regent for my Masters as I want a degree that is CACREP accredited. So I that is also a factor.

So my main concerns:
1. Which school will be more challenging and educational in it's teaching?
2. Which school is respected more?

If there even is a difference in these 2 areas...

Thoughts?

 

I'm biased, as I am an LU student (soon to be alum in just under two months!). LU has a challenging curriculum, and I'm sure that Regent does as well.

However, there are a few things to consider:

1) The schools represent different circles. LU is Baptist/fundamentalist (with a little "f", not King James only and the like), and Regent is charismatic.

2) The schools both have primary association with a controversial figure. LU had Falwell, and Regent has Pat Robertson. Pick your poison.

3) Cost. LU is significantly cheaper. If you intend to pursue a degree at Regent for your Master's, I recommend saving money for your bachelor's.

4) Financial issues. Regent has been having some significant financial problems lately. You can find this if you do some research. LU did have some problems in the past decade, but with the explosion of the online program and the payout from Falwell's life insurance, the school is debt-free and flush with cash. LU isn't going anywhere soon.

 

I've heard a lot of good things about Liberty from a couple of Army Chaplains I've been taking to. They said the education is good, and they are very friendly for folks wanting to enter the chaplaincy. I don't know if this is what you're planning on doing, but I think that a lot of what you heard is gossip of the moment.

I was planning on using them to get my 72 grad hours to go into the Chaplaincy, however I'm going to go in residence at Dallas Baptist University. They have a lot of folks involved in ministries and chaplaincies that I can take advantage of by being there in class. However if I ever go for a S.T.M. (Master of Sacred Theology), I'll choose Liberty U without a second thought.

 

Well, I have no experience these schools...neither Regent nor Liberty;however, I would go with Regent University. I dig into the these schools' programs curriculum; I found that Regent University is more rigor than Liberty. Besides, US News ranks Regent University is tier 4 school for nationally; when Liberty is not even there yet. That is my two cents.

 

Thanks all!

I wanted to add that I'm also greatly considering LeTourneau University. I live in TX, so with that and how it is a tier 1, I'm thinking this might be a better course for me to go. Thoughts? I know LeTourneau and Regent are way more expensive then LU, but that isn't necessarily a concern for me.

 

Where in Texas are you? Dallas Baptist is pretty good, although somewhat expensive. They have in residence, online, and blended formats. If cost is the biggest issue, it might not be for you; however I'd look at it anyway.

 

I'm in the Dallas area.

I did look at that school. LeTourneau is actually ranked better and it is cheaper! DBU is way too expensive for me, though. I mentioned earlier that cost wasn't an issue, but I meant it as for those 3 schools (LU, RU, and LeTourneau) since they would run me about $60K or less. DBU would be over $80K, so I can't do that, lol. But like I mentioned, LeTourneau was better ranked anyways.

 

Hmmm. I'll have to take a look at LeTourneau, thanks! I'll be getting about half of DBU's tuition covered by the Army, but I'm always looking for less expensive and better options. Thanks again!

 

In one sentence you state that you have no experience with these schools and in the very next you question Liberty's rigor. That would be like me saying that I never served in the military but after looking at the services online, the Air Force seems to produce a much more well rounded soldier. See the fallacy in that argument?

On a monetary note, Liberty is about 1/3 the price for military and has a better reputation in the area where I live. Even though it is totally unjustified, they get lumped into the same mold as Phoenix due to their aggressive advertising.

Edit-Liberty has a good rep where I live but definitely has its critics, especially in more liberal areas.

 

I may just be having a bad day, but I can't find any graduate programs for theology at LeTourneau. I found their BA religious programs, but no graduate...

 

Texas Christian Colleges | LeTourneau University | online Christian college

 

No prob!

Take a look at US News Week and compare the two. It states that LeTourneau is more selective then DBU w/ enrollment (although, I don't know how they are stating that, since they state LTU has a 70% enrollment and DBU has a 46%). LTU is ranked #35 and DBU is ranked #51....Not sure how much those rankings matter, though.

My husband (who's also affiliated w/ the military-- he's a veteran) is from Houston and he has heard of LeTourneau but he had not heard of DBU until we moved here. He was deciding whether to go there or Penn State for his business degree (got his AA from AIU) and his co-workers had not heard of DBU (and these are people who live in the Dallas whereabouts). He wants a well-known school, though, since he plans to go to a well-known, top tier business school for his Masters. So I don't know how important it is to you to go to a well-known school. And it also just could be the people he works with, rather then DBU actually really not being a well-known school.

 

Yeah, I think living in Texas, it would be fine. But we might move elsewhere, like to WI or IL and so that is why I need to think about how the school will look on my resume.

 

Thanks, but that doesn't point me to graduate theology studies.... I found their undergraduate programs in religious studies, but no graduate degrees in that field. The drop down menu for grad degrees only has business, engineering, leadership, and education.

 

I'm sure you can find a decent bachelor level psyh degree for a whole lot less than 60K (or $40K at LU). $320 per unit sems excessive to me - especially if you using student loans.

 

I wouldn't put much weight in a Tier 4 ranking. I'm not saying that Regent is a bad school, but a Tier 4 ranking doesn't result in much prestige. LU is Tier 2 in regional universities (South), and I don't think this ranking pulls much weight either.

If Regent were Tier 1, then I think we would have a different situation. Even then, though, you may not have much.

Think of this: Montana State University is in Tier 1. Does anyone think that Montana State's name confers much of an advantage over Northern Illinois or East Carolina (both Tier 2)? I'm sure all of these schools are solid schools, but my point is that rankings become less and less important as you go down the list. By the time you hit Tier 4, I'm not sure it's worth mentioning.

 

I can understand your consternation over the issue with Caner; it appears he lied about his past experiences. I personally don't think he should have been allowed to stay at the school, but I would suspect that none of us have the whole, inside story.

HOWEVER, I personally don't think that issue ruins the entire academic program and I'm sure it would not devalue a degree earned from Liberty. As I see it, they were fooled by a guy who might have lied about his past Muslim experiences and they demoted him. That does not make it a bad school. They chose to forgive him and, in my opinion, that might speak to their kindness and their Christianity.

 

I don't know anything about either school, but I was curious and checked US News. It looks like Regent is actually tier 2. However, there appear to only be 2 tiers now.

Regent University - Best College - Education - US News

 

Just to add to my last post, this link describes how US News changed the tiers and explains that the old tier 4 is now tier 2.

How U.S. News Calculates the College Rankings - US News and World Report

 

I had replied yesterday to some of the posts, but for whatever reason, my posts had to be accepted. So they show up now.

I agree about not knowing the whole story. I contemplated dropping the PHIL104 course I'm in right now, but after a lot of reflection, I decided to stay in it specifically because of that. We don't know the whole story and if he did lie, how do we know he did not repent? From what I've read, supposedly Liberty is not allowing him to speak in the media about it. I don't know if that's true, but if so, LU did not handle it properly.

Either way, it is just one factor playing in me reconsidering going here.