Press releases

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.

Grand Canyon University will confer 9,009 degrees this semester for its traditional-aged and working adult students, with many of those participating in eight commencement ceremonies April 26-28 at GCU Arena.

PHOENIX (March 6, 2018) – The Higher Learning Commission has approved Grand Canyon University’s application to become a non-profit institution — a major step in the process to return the University to its historical roots. “We appreciate the Higher Learning Commission’s due diligence in thoroughly examining our proposal,” said GCU President Brian Mueller. “This is consistent with GCU’s history and puts us on a level playing field with other traditional universities with regard to tax status and, among other things, the ability to accept philanthropic contributions, pursue research grant opportunities, and participate in NCAA governance.” As part of the transition, GCE will sell certain academic-related assets to a non-profit entity that will carry the Grand Canyon University name. Following the sale, GCE will operate as a third-party provider of educational and related services to GCU and potentially, in the future, to other universities. The structure is similar to that at hundreds of non-profit universities in the country that outsource services to third-party providers. “HLC approval is the major step in this process,” Mueller said. “We’re now working toward finishing up the final details that will allow us to complete the transition by the end of the second quarter of 2018.” […]

PHOENIX (Feb. 14, 2017) – Grand Canyon University is set to debut its brand new baseball stadium, Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark, on Friday when the baseball program opens its 2018 season against No. 4/7 TCU at 6 p.m. The opening of the facility coincides with the Lopes’ return to Division I postseason eligibility. The ballpark caps off GCU’s “10 in 2” initiative, an unprecedented plan to build 10 new athletic facilities in a two-year span as the university completed its transition to NCAA Division I athletics. Along the way, GCU also has debuted a new soccer stadium, softball stadium, beach volleyball stadium, tennis complex, basketball practice facility, student-athlete academic center, golf practice facility, equipment room and athlete performance center. The new facilities enhance the campus experience for all students and are just one component of the university’s rapid campus expansion. Over the past decade, GCU has invested $1 billion in new facilities and technologies to accommodate a boom in enrollment. Since 2008, GCU has added 20 new suite-style residence halls, more than 1 million square feet of classrooms and laboratories, four parking garages and 22 retail dining options. GCU also has completed major renovations of a 152-room hotel and […]