LYNCHBURG, Va. --

Liberty University now has its own ZIP code: 24515.

Landing the new digits, a change from 24502, is the result of a process begun four years ago.

"It's not a quick or easy thing to do," U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Cathy Yarosky said Tuesday.

Steady growth in enrollment prompted Liberty to seek the change, said Johnnie Moore, vice president of executive projects and spiritual programs at LU. Residential enrollment is about 12,750 students, Moore said.

The process began at LU by tracking the volume of mail. Officials then sent an application through the local, regional and national post offices.

According to Yarosky, a post office district manager and the interested agency or business must submit a proposal package, including an agreement that the ZIP code never will be transferred.

Bob Boyer, director of LU Postal Services, said the application was resubmitted three times before it was approved by the national office in Washington.

Liberty officials learned of the approval from the U.S. Postal Service on June 12.

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Liberty University gets its own ZIP code