The Education Department pulled a $37.7 million fine on Grand Canyon University originally imposed by the Biden administration.
In 2023, the Biden-era Department of Education fined GCU after concluding the university “failed to meet the fiduciary standard of conduct required of all institutions participating in Title IV HEA programs by substantially misrepresenting the costs of certain doctoral degree programs to former, current, and prospective students.”
The letter claimed the university “misrepresented those programs’ total cost, including costs associated with GCU’s continuation courses.”
The Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also filed a lawsuit against GCU, claiming the university “deceived students by holding itself out as a non-profit institution and misrepresenting the costs and number of courses required to earn doctoral degrees.”
GCU President Brian Mueller said in a statement upon the fine’s rescission: “The facts clearly support our contention that we were wrongly accused of misleading our Doctoral students and we appreciate the recognition that those accusations were without merit. GCU is a leader in innovation, transparency and best practices in higher education and we look forward to working cooperatively with the Department in the future – just as we have with all regulatory agencies.”
A November report from the American Principles Project (APP) found that the Biden administration issued the majority of its enforcement actions against Christian universities and career schools, despite these institutions representing less than 10% of U.S. students.
Two of the most prominent Christian universities in the U.S., Grand Canyon University (GCU) and Liberty University, faced record-level fines worth more than “all penalties imposed over the past seven years combined,” APP’s press release says. About 12 Christian colleges were specifically targeted.
“The average fine against a Christian school for a Clery Act violation was $815,000, compared to $228,571 against public and private institutions,” the release notes.
