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Liberty University sues governor over financial aid changes

Liberty University has sued Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, accusing his administration of wrongfully denying financial aid to some of the school’s online students.
Credit: AP
FILE-This Tuesday March 24, 2020 file photo shows s sign that marks an entrance to Liberty University as students were welcomed back to the campus during the coronavirus outbreak in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University sued Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021 accusing his administration of wrongfully denying financial aid to some of the evangelical school's online students. (AP Photo/Steve Helber,File)

LYNCHBURG, Va. — Liberty University has sued Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, accusing his administration of wrongfully denying financial aid to some of the evangelical school’s online students. 

At issue is a budget change Northam and the Democrat-controlled General Assembly implemented last year. 

That change made incoming students enrolled exclusively in online programs ineligible for a long-running grant program for Virginia residents attending private schools. 

Liberty has an enormous and lucrative online presence and its students had been the leading recipients of the grant for years. 

The change became a sore spot for the university and its former president, Jerry Falwell Jr. A spokeswoman for Northam declined comment. 

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