How to Get a 15% Tuition Discount as a Small Business Owner

Running a small business rarely leaves much room in the budget for tuition, which is exactly the gap Liberty University built this particular discount to address. Owning or working for a small business can qualify you for meaningful savings on an online degree, provided you know how to confirm your eligibility and get it applied correctly.

This discount is one of several tuition discount programs Liberty offers online students, and it's specifically aimed at a group that doesn't always have access to the kind of large corporate partnerships that make up some of Liberty's other discounts. Here's exactly how to claim it.

What Is Liberty's Small Business Discount?

Liberty offers a 15% tuition discount to small business owners and their employees, applicable across the university's online degree programs. The discount was introduced specifically to support small business owners facing financial strain, and Liberty has continued the program well beyond its original launch as an ongoing part of its standard discount lineup.

The discount applies to tuition specifically rather than fees, books, or other costs, and it can't reduce your bill below the actual cost of tuition itself. Beyond the direct savings, Liberty also pairs this discount with flexible scheduling options built around the demands of running or working for a small operation.

How to Get a 15% Tuition Discount as a Small Business Owner

Following these steps in order gives you the clearest path to actually receiving this discount on your account. The process is relatively simple, but skipping the verification step is the most common way students end up paying full price by mistake.

Step 1: Confirm You Qualify as a Small Business Owner or Employee

Liberty extends this discount to both small business owners and their employees, though the university hasn't published a detailed, specific definition of what counts as a qualifying small business. Reaching out to Liberty directly with details about your specific business is the most reliable way to confirm eligibility before you apply.

This is also a good time to ask whether any additional criteria apply to your specific situation, since eligibility details for less widely publicized discounts like this one tend to be confirmed case by case rather than through a fully published checklist.

Step 2: Apply to a Liberty Online Degree Program

Once you've confirmed your eligibility, apply to your chosen Liberty online degree program and mention the Small Business Discount specifically during the admissions process. Liberty offers this discount across a wide range of its online degrees, so most students won't need to change their intended program to qualify.

Being explicit about which discount you're pursuing helps ensure it gets properly flagged on your account from the start, rather than requiring a correction after you've already begun classes.

Step 3: Provide Verification of Your Business Ownership or Employment

Liberty will likely ask for some form of documentation confirming your role as a small business owner or employee, though exact requirements can vary by situation. Having basic business documentation, such as a business license or a pay stub confirming your employer, ready ahead of time can speed up this step considerably.

Submitting this information promptly after starting your application keeps your enrollment timeline on track and reduces the chance of the discount being delayed into a later term.

Step 4: Confirm the Discount Is Applied to Your Account

Once you're enrolled, check your first tuition statement to confirm the 15% discount has actually been applied correctly. Catching a missing or incorrect discount early is much easier to resolve than discovering it after you've already made a full tuition payment.

If the discount doesn't appear as expected, contacting Liberty's admissions or financial aid office promptly, with your original eligibility confirmation on hand, is the fastest way to get it corrected.

Does This Discount Stack With Other Liberty Discounts?

The Small Business Discount can be combined with Liberty's First Responder Discount for students who qualify for both, giving small business owners who also work as first responders access to meaningful combined savings. This is one of the more generous stacking allowances among Liberty's discount programs.

That said, the Small Business Discount specifically cannot be combined with Liberty's corporate discounts, military pricing, or the LU Parent Discount. Confirming which combinations apply to your specific situation before you enroll prevents assuming a stacked savings figure that Liberty won't actually apply.

Other Benefits Beyond the Discount

The 15% tuition discount is the headline benefit, but Liberty pairs it with a few other features aimed specifically at small business owners and employees managing a demanding schedule. These extras can matter just as much as the discount itself over the course of a full degree.

• Credit for life experience: Liberty's prior learning evaluation process can award college credit for relevant work and business experience, potentially shortening your path to a degree.
• Flexible scheduling: Liberty's online format is built around fitting coursework into an already full work and home schedule rather than requiring fixed class times.
• Accelerated course terms: Liberty's eight-week course format lets students complete roughly twice as many courses within a standard sixteen-week semester as they would in a traditional term structure.

FAQs About Liberty's Small Business Discount

These are some of the most common questions students ask about this specific discount. The answers below cover the details that come up most often once someone starts the application process.

Is There a Specific Size Limit for What Counts as a Small Business?

Liberty hasn't published a specific employee count or revenue threshold that defines eligibility, so confirming your particular business's status directly with Liberty is the most reliable approach. It's reasonable to ask this question as part of Step 1, before you invest time in the rest of the application process.

Do Employees Need to Be Full-Time to Qualify?

This isn't specified in Liberty's published materials, so confirming your specific employment situation directly with an admissions counselor is the safest way to know for certain. Since eligibility details for this discount aren't published in exhaustive detail, a direct conversation remains the most reliable source of truth.

Can You Apply for This Discount After You've Already Enrolled?

It's worth asking, since Liberty's policy on adding a discount mid-enrollment isn't published in detail for this specific program. Reaching out to an admissions counselor with your situation is the most direct way to find out whether a retroactive or mid-program application is possible.

Does the Discount Apply to Every Liberty Online Degree Program?

The discount is broadly available across Liberty's online degree offerings, though it's worth confirming your specific program's participation before assuming automatic coverage. This is a quick confirmation to get during Step 2 of the application process.

What Happens if Your Business Closes While You're Still Enrolled?

Liberty's published materials don't specify how this discount is handled if your qualifying business status changes mid-program, so this is worth clarifying directly with Liberty if your situation changes. Asking about this scenario upfront, even if it feels unlikely, can prevent confusion later.

Start Your Small Business Discount Application

A 15% tuition discount can make a real difference in the cost of a degree, and small business owners and employees have a straightforward path to claiming it once they know the right steps. Browse programs through Learn.org and connect directly with schools to see exactly how this discount could apply to your degree plan.