Press releases

PHOENIX (Nov. 12, 2019) – For the 12th year in a row, Grand Canyon University has remained committed to its students by freezing tuition costs. The private Christian university’s ground campus tuition will remain at $16,500 for the 2020-21 school year. A large majority of students – more than 90% – receive institutional scholarships that bring the average tuition cost to approximately $8,700, which is comparable to public universities and well below other private schools. That total does not include federal aid such as Pell grants and subsidized student loans or external scholarships that lower students’ out-of-pocket expenses further. According to “Trends in College Pricing” released by the College Board, the average annual cost to attend a four-year public college in 2019-20 rose 2.3% to $10,440, while tuition and fees at four-year private institutions increased by 3.4% to $36,880 during the same period. GCU also remains very competitive when it comes to room and board. The average cost of room and board at a four-year public college rose to $11,510 in 2019-20 and to $12,990 at a four-year private institution. GCU’s average room and board cost is just $8,038 per year even though roughly 50% of the university’s beds are […]

Grand Canyon University prepared a statement in response to a letter issued by the Department of Education regarding GCU’s transaction of July 1, 2018, to revert to its historical status as a nonprofit university.

A $3.2 million grant from the Kern Family Foundation will help GCU develop an accelerated pastoral training program in which students will be able to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Divinity in five years. GCU is matching the Kern Family Foundation’s investment by providing the other half of the $6.5 million needed to launch and build out the program over the next five years.

PHOENIX (Sept. 9, 2019) – The Grand Canyon University Worship Arts program has released its fourth album, Canyon Worship 2019. This year’s album is rooted in a more congregational worship style than previous albums. All 10 original songs were written and performed by GCU students. “I’m really excited about this album,” said GCU Worship Arts Coordinator Dr. Randall Downs. “Hopefully churches will be able to take in some of these songs and incorporate them in their worship services. For the first time, we’re releasing chord charts and lyric sheets to make it easier to do so.” The shift from contemporary Christian music to congregational worship music started with last year’s album but is fully integrated into Canyon Worship 2019. The album was recorded in GCU’s state-of-the-art recording studio and produced by music industry veterans Geoff Hunker (Satellites & Sirens) and Matthew Odmark (Jars of Clay). “I see a theme with some of the songs this year that makes them more unified in where they’re coming from. They seem to be born out of very direct Scripture reference,” said Eric Johnson, manager of the GCU Recording Studio. “The quality of the songwriting seems to improve every year.” The 10 songs and […]

The 2019-2020 school year is already on track to welcome 22,000 students, three new apartment-style residence halls, a new Student Advising Services building and another graduate-run business enterprise to it’s campus when classes start August 27.

Grand Canyon University is providing this statement to shed some light regarding a frivolous lawsuit filed in Georgia on Thursday, July 18, that the Arizona Republic has chosen to cover in great detail, continuing a pattern of disparaging articles by the newspaper related to GCU. The lawsuit was filed by an Atlanta law firm that has a history of soliciting plaintiffs in order to create class-action lawsuits. This firm has now filed three baseless suits against GCU and created a website designed to publicize these efforts specifically against GCU. That in itself is a red flag for any journalist evaluating the motivations of such a lawsuit and whether it has merit or is newsworthy. The lawsuit was filed at 12:46 p.m. Arizona time on Thursday and GCU was served, for the first time, with a copy of the complaint by Arizona Republic reporter Rachel Leingang nearly two hours later at 2:20 p.m. Typically lawsuits are served by the attorney that filed the complaint and not by a newspaper, so the University was surprised to find that the Arizona Republic was working collaboratively with these plaintiffs’ firm to attempt to act as a process server and surprise the University with a […]

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.