Press releases

Grand Canyon University will bestow 24,197 degrees for its traditional-aged and working adult students during spring 2019 commencement ceremonies April 25-27.

PHOENIX (March 6, 2019) – Grand Canyon Theological Seminary at Grand Canyon University has received full accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools. The ATS Commission on Accrediting has approved the following degree programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Leadership, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts in Youth and Family Ministry, and Master of Arts in Urban Ministry.  ATS, which has more than 270 members, provides specialized accreditation for graduate schools of theology in the United States and Canada. It was a natural fit for Grand Canyon Theological Seminary because it focuses solely on professional and academic degree programs in ministry practice and theological disciplines. “We feel blessed that the Association of Theological Schools gave such a strong vote of confidence to our theology programs,” said Dr. Jason Hiles, Dean of the College of Theology at GCU. “This validates all the hard work our faculty and staff have been doing to ensure our academic and spiritual programs meet the highest standards, and it will help our students as they prepare for careers in church ministry.” GCU applied to be an ATS associate member, the first step in full accreditation, before opening the Seminary in […]

PHOENIX (Jan. 9, 2019) – One of the largest business schools in the country now has a new home on Grand Canyon University’s burgeoning campus. The Colangelo College of Business, home to more than 16,000 traditional and online students, officially opened a new 150,000-square-foot facility with 81 offices and 61 classrooms today on the east side of the GCU campus. The building is the latest in an unprecedented construction boom on campus in which $1.2 billion has been invested since 2009 in academic infrastructure and technology, including: More than 1 million square feet of classroom, laboratory and office space. 20 multi-story, suite-style residence halls (with 3 more set to open next year) housing nearly 12,000 students living on campus 24 retail dining options 4 parking garages 11 athletic facilities Major renovations of GCU Golf Course and GCU Hotel “We sometimes take for granted how blessed we are to open this many new buildings every year, but this one is special,” Brian Mueller, GCU’s president, said of the CCOB building. “Jerry Colangelo represents the best of what it means to be a Christian university, conducting business with strong character, integrity and servant leadership. We instill those same characteristics in every one […]

Grand Canyon University, which completed its transition back to a nonprofit status earlier this year, announced today it is extending the tuition freeze on its west Phoenix campus for an 11th consecutive year.

Grand Canyon University continues to be asked why it does not participate in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, which came out this month. President Brian Mueller issued a statement explaining the University’s decision: GCU believes that the rankings do not measure things that are important to the learning outcomes of students.

(Sept. 10, 2018) – The Grand Canyon University Worship Arts program has released its third album – Canyon Worship 2018 – with 10 original songs written and performed by GCU students. The album is available for $9.99 on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and Shazam as well as the Lope Shop and other locations on GCU’s campus. “Last year’s album was so good that, coming into this project, I actually was a little bit concerned that we may not be able to bring it up to that level,” said Eric Johnson, manager of the GCU Recording Studio and the album’s main coordinator. “But I think we hit the mark and maybe even passed it a little bit because we’re shifting the focus to the corporate worship side. There are a lot of good songs that you wouldn’t necessarily sing as a group in church, but these are songs that you can sing in church.” Corporate worship songs, which can be incorporated more easily into a church setting, are the direction the Christian music industry is headed. For the second consecutive year, the Canyon Worship album was produced in GCU’s state-of-the-art recording studio by two music industry veterans, Geoff Hunker (Satellites & […]

PHOENIX (Aug. 20, 2018) — Grand Canyon University will surpass 20,000 in enrollment on its Phoenix campus when classes begin Aug. 27, while both its ground campus and its online academic programs both rank in the top 10 in the nation by a popular college research and review website. GCU, which completed its transition back to a nonprofit status on July 1, expects 7,100 new students with an average incoming GPA of 3.5 for fully admitted students in its 2018 incoming class. That brings total enrollment on the traditional campus to approximately 20,500 students. Ten years ago, when a new leadership team was brought in to transform the university, there were less than 1,000 traditional students on campus. “Families are discovering that private Christian education can also be affordable,” Brian Mueller, president of GCU, said of the university’s growth. “What’s also encouraging is the number of students studying in academically rigorous programs like the natural sciences, engineering, cybersecurity, computer science and information technology. We have put in place a strong academic support system to help them succeed.” GCU’s campus is rated No. 7 in the U.S. by niche.com – up from its No. 8 ranking in 2017. That puts the […]

Grand Canyon University has three new members on its Board of Trustees: Peggy Chase, President and CEO of Terros Health; Dr. Lupita Ley Hightower, Superintendent of the Tolleson Elementary School District; and Marion Kelly, Director for the Office for Community Affairs at Mayo Clinic, have been added to the seven-member board that oversees the nonprofit university. That brings the total number of board members to seven.

The four-year graduation rate for traditional students at Grand Canyon University has climbed to 58 percent for the 2014 cohort, while the graduation rate for online students sits at 65 percent. When the current management team assumed a leadership role at the University in 2008, those numbers were 40 and 48 percent, respectively. GCU will welcome approximately 7,200 new students to campus in August, bringing total enrollment to 20,500.

Under the terms of a transaction that closed on July 1, 2018, Grand Canyon Education sold Grand Canyon University to a nonprofit entity that will retain the GCU name. The transaction returns GCU to its historical roots as a nonprofit university and ensures the long-term legacy of both GCU and GCE.