Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a non-public for-income Christian college in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on pupil enrollment, Grand Canyon University changed into the biggest Christian college withinside the international in 2018, with 20,000 attending college students on campus and 70,000 on line.
Grand Canyon changed into installed via way of means of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention on August 1, 1949, in Prescott, Arizona, as Grand Canyon College. In 1999–2000, the college ended its association with the Southern Baptist Convention. Suffering monetary and different problems withinside the early a part of the twenty first century, the school’s trustees legal its sale in January 2004 to California-primarily based totally Significant Education, LLC, making it the primary for-income Christian university withinside the United States. Following that purchase, the college have become the primary and most effective for-income to take part in NCAA Division I athletics. In 2018 the college acquired approval to go back to non-income popularity from its local accreditor in addition to the IRS and the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education. However, the U.S. Department of Education rejected the college’s request to reclassify it as a non-income and keeps to categorise the college as for-income. The college operations associate immediately along the for-income publicly traded on line software control corporation, Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (previously Significant Education that bundles offerings for the college to operate. The college president, Brian Mueller, additionally serves because the CEO of Grand Canyon Education.
Restructuring/conversion to for-earnings
Suffering economic and different problems withinside the early a part of the twenty first century, the school’s trustees legal its sale in January 2004 to California-based, Significant Education, LLC, making it the primary for-earnings Christian university withinside the United States. Significant Education became a subsidiary of schooling entrepreneur Michael K. Clifford’s company. Clifford have become handling director of the privatized institution, with the previous board of trustees serving in an advisory role. Significant Education modified to a organization in 2005 and have become publicly traded below a brand new call Grand Canyon Education, Inc in 2008. It trades on NASDAQ below the ticker symbol “LOPE.”
After the infusion of capital, Grand Canyon University’s length increased. After having fewer than 1,000 college students enrolled in 2008, the college had 17,500 college students withinside the spring of 2017. A 2015 monetary effect observe found out that the college became including about $1 billion into the state’s financial system every 12 months at some stage in its expansion. In February 2017, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey stated that the neighborhoods surrounding the college have skilled a 30% boom in housing values even as simultaneously seeing a 30 crease in crime rates.
In 2008, the college became sued via way of means of the USA federal authorities for paying enrollment counselors in keeping with what number of college students that they’d enrolled even as on the identical time accepting federal economic aid, a contravention of the Department of Education’s incentive repayment ban. GCU subsequently reached a agreement withinside the case, and became compelled to pay a $5.2 million first-rate to a former worker and the federal authorities.
By 2014 the amassed scholar mortgage debt of Grand Canyon college students became expected to be greater than $5.nine billion.
Due to Grand Canyon University for-earnings status, Arizona State University had refused to play towards GCU in any sport, despite the fact that each are NCAA Division I faculties and positioned handiest sixteen miles apart. ASU subsequently reversed its decision, and carrying occasions among the 2 universities recommenced withinside the fall of 2020.
Integration of Faith, Learning and Work
As a pupil at GCU, you’re added to the Christian worldview from the begin of your packages of study. By wondering from a worldview perspective, you may discover ways to replicate cautiously at the underlying assumptions, reasons and intentions that form perspectives of your self and the world. You could be challenged to don’t forget the realistic implications of your non-public views and to refine understandings on the idea of investigation, mirrored image and dialogue. You are endorsed to don’t forget the desires and hobbies of others similarly in your own, and to embody the Christian values of affection and provider as you put together to go into the workforce.
One Foundation
Our faith-incorporated basis is constructed from our Christian convictions, Christ-targeted curriculum and a faith-primarily based totally carrier. We name this One Foundation, which serves because the bedrock for our community. This basis courses us in the direction of faithfulness, excellence, and a carrier to God and our pals with an aim to welcome all people on campus and withinside the classroom, regardless of their history or what they believe.
In April 2017, Arizona nursing board officers censured GCU after the college’s nursing applications fell beneath 80% commencement price for 2 consecutive years. GCU stated it might put into effect a plan to boom commencement rates. Three months later, the nursing board introduced it become thrilled with the “high-quality improvements” the college had proven to addressing all concerns. In 2018, Grand Canyon’s nursing application become censured through the Arizona State Board of Nursing over check passage rates. The censure got here because of the variety of first-time college students failing to byskip the registered nursing examination and after severa court cases through college students and faculty. In the second one region of 2018, Grand Canyon University’s nursing college students published a 95.sixty five percentage first-time byskip price at the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). This results in a yr-to-date price of 92.86 percentage, that is better than the Arizona Board of Nursing’s yr-to-date statewide common of 91.89.
Grand Canyon University’s instructional employees consist of 335 full-time employees and greater than 4,2 hundred adjunct faculty.
Grand Canyon University undergraduate front necessities are both a 3.zero excessive college GPA, or a excessive college GPA of 2.five with both an SAT rating of 1,000 or ACT rating of 19. In 2021, the college popularity price become 76.9%; of these admitted, 23% enrolled. The college does now no longer record rankings of matriculating college students, even as excessive college elegance rank, excessive college university preparatory classes, and letters of advice are neither required nor recommended.
Grand Canyon University is locally permitted through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). According to the HLC, Grand Canyon College entered candidacy for accreditation in 1961. By 1968 the college become locally permitted through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and stays permitted, efficiently renewing its 10-yr complete assessment in 2017. GCU additionally holds extra accreditations from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the Arizona State Board of Educations, and the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). The college instructors and administrator education applications are permitted through the Arizona Department of Education.
In 2021, the college popularity price become 76.9% and, of these admitted, 23% enrolled. The freshman retention price is 61%, and GCU has a commencement price of 41%, beneath the country wide common. U.S. News & World Report classifies the college among “National Universities”, in which it become categorized withinside the 2022 Best Colleges as a Tier 2 institution (which means it’s miles positioned withinside the backside 25 percentage of establishments in its rating category).