"I enrolled in the Master's Degree program in May 2025. I have been very dissatisfied with this university. I have sent four email trying to withdraw from my current program. I would have returned but literally my emails have been ignored. I receive emails telling me that I am not attending my class and that I am going to fail the class but they have NOT address my emails or request to withdraw. I will never attend this university again. Because of lack of someone doing there job, now my govt loan is messed up and who knows how long it will take to get it cleared up. As of right now I am begging to withdraw but they will NOT respond to it. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT attend here. Very disappointed."

Thara

Reviewed: 7/10/2025
Degree: Psychology
Graduation Year: 2027

"I left as soon as they tried to charge me additional money. They hide expenses that they did not disclose before starting, and if you decide to study there anyway, be sure to learn the policy manuals. Even then, there will be hidden and misleading extra fees. GCU is more problematic than a for-profit institution."

Richard Myles

Reviewed: 6/2/2025
Degree: Legal Studies
Graduation Year: 2026

"HelloI am not here to invalidate people's experiences, if they are genuine and factual, then all I can do is listen without judgement. It is difficult to assess the authenticity and credibility of a person's experiences. Some folk are trolling to mar GCU's amazing image to buttress their own clandestine agendas. I am half way done with my second Master's degree. I already hold an associate's(SUNY Niagara), Bachelor's (Buffalo State University) and a Master's in Education-School Counseling (Niagara University), and 18 Certifications from various Universities including Harvard. I will say as a hardcore academician, that this Master's in Criminal Justice-Legal Studies program is much tougher than my other Master's. I thought that it being on-line, would make it a piece of cake, well contrary to popular belief, that is NOT true. My professors have all been extremely professional and highly educated with a panoply of degrees in their respective fields, which are complemented by professional work experience. Education like anything in life, is what YOU make out of it. Some students are passionate about learning, while others are LAZY, entitled, and expect everything to be a walk in the park. No, you have to work for your degree, and if you are not disciplined enough to commit yourself to higher education, then step aside and stop trying to dismiss, downplay, and vitiate people's passion to embark upon their academic goals. I read some of these comments, and I question, whether or not, some of these folk even passed high school due to their poorly written fragmented sentences. GCU is an amazing school, and deserves all the extolments I am sharing in this post. If GCU was an inferior school, I would have no qualms about promulgating my concerns. Some people need to seek a new hobby, as opposed to, cobbling up fake reviews to assuage a hidden destructive agenda. I LOVE GCU, and after I complete my second Master's, I am most likely, going to pursue a third Master's degree. As a former school counselor, it is recommended to NEVER earn two degrees from the same institution because it usually give the impression that said persons are not well-rounded and cultured. Also, it looks strange to have several degrees from the same academic institutions. After this Master's, I am seriously considering another graduate degree in American Legal Studies or a Juris Master's from Liberty University. Both schools(GCU and Liberty), are doing extremely well, in terms of enrollments, and all these bogus reviews, are derisory and lilliputian, and fail to adversely affect the high enrollments. GCU ROCKS!!!"

New Opin6

Reviewed: 5/24/2025
Degree: Cognitive Psychology
Graduation Year: 2028

"As a current doctoral student, I want to share my honest experience with Grand Canyon University. The school promotes itself as a Christian institution that supports students through a 3-year doctoral journey. Unfortunately, my experience has not aligned with these claims.Recently, GCU mandated that students switch to a new dissertation template, even if they were already far along in the process. This caused unnecessary delays and forced students to spend extensive time reformatting their work—time that could have been spent advancing their research. These delays often translate to additional tuition costs, which many feel is financially motivated.Though GCU markets itself as a Christian university, the faith-based presence seems limited to weekly motivational scriptures. The values of fairness, transparency, and student care that one might expect from a Christian institution have not been consistently evident in my experience.I’m now pursuing legal counsel due to the academic and financial setbacks this process has caused. If you're considering a doctoral program here, I strongly recommend researching thoroughly and going in prepared with outside support."

Timothy Sales

Reviewed: 4/25/2025
Degree: History
Graduation Year: 2021

"I graduated as one of the top students not just my bachelor degree but also my masters. I was told gcu hires to alumni first and we'll here I am 4 years out with thier ba and MA and they still refuse to hire me. I will be telling people to to either apply for school or jobs with them. Never mind I'm alumni and I should be first that they would want to hire."

Reviewed: 4/14/2025
Degree: Biology
Graduation Year: 2025

"The program of study at GCU is not necessarily the problem, the professors, labs, and curriculum for the Bachelor's of Science in Biology major is excellent. However, in GCU's enforcement of their ridiculous high school rules, they are often inconsistent and unclear about standards. GCU expects students to take adult responsibility while treating them like children, their dorm rules are often enforced at different standards, with some RA's being lenient about rules, and other RA's taking it upon themselves to give you major problems for a minor infraction. The RA's are typically not looking out for one's best interest, and the rules of the college do nothing for the benefit of the students. For example, since there are 'no people of the opposite sex allowed' in hallways past midnight, I have been kicked out of study rooms in the middle of studying even in a common area. Furthermore, since a lot of GCU's business is online, most of the communication with departments is done electronically, often making it difficult to communicate with counselors, advisors, being connected to other resources and receiving full information. The experience on campus is generally overhyped, the pools and sports culture will definitely lure you, but the lack of food options, accessibility to groceries, and disregard for mental well-being for students at the school is enough for me to suggest considering a different school."

Johnathan Ligon

Reviewed: 4/2/2025
Degree: Software Engineering
Graduation Year: 2028

"Grand Canyon University ReviewGrand Canyon University (GCU) offers an exceptional educational experience that combines a supportive community with rigorous academic standards. The online and in person campus is vibrant and welcoming, fostering a sense of belonging among students. The variety of programs allows for diverse academic pursuits, ensuring that everyone can find their niche.One of the standout features of GCU is the dedicated faculty. Professors are not only knowledgeable in their fields but also genuinely invested in student success. They are approachable and willing to provide assistance, whether through office hours or online forums. Their feedback is constructive and timely, which greatly enhances the learning experience.Overall, GCU provides a comprehensive educational environment, where students can thrive academically and personally, thanks to the combination of excellent programs and supportive faculty. Highly recommended for anyone looking to further their education!Thank you,Johnathan Ligon"

Ali

Reviewed: 3/14/2025
Degree: Clinical Psychology
Graduation Year: 2025

"Academic advisor and the university are dishonest . My particular academic advisor was rude , unprofessional and dishonest . I asked for help from her supervisor , the University provost and got no replies or assistance . No wonder they have been audited be a use they are a money making machine with no integrity . I am quite disappointed in this institution ."

BaltasarJoel

Reviewed: 2/12/2025
Degree: Psychology
Graduation Year: 2026

"Nobody told me that if I withdraw from the course there will be a penalty. Since I started the courses I began to notice a rigid and penalizing environment outside of the specialization I chose. The format is primarily for fields of education, not psychology. The instructor also did not specialize in the topic, which made it very confusing and out of place for me. Finally, as I started this review, from the beginning they talk mainly about money until the end, but they hide important information that you should search for. I regretted attending this university."

Reviewed: 1/27/2025
Degree: Early Childhood Education
Graduation Year: 2025

"This school has worse communication than any school I have ever attended. I have been to 4 colleges, and I have never had an issue with communicating with management. The Financial Advisor is off more than anyone I know and as well never responds it may take a week, and continuously calling and pressing 2 to speak to someone else and then being told they can't help, you need to talk to your advisor. I have also never heard of a university that does not direct deposit checks you have to wait til they are ready to send your money. I have been out of school, quitting 3 weeks ago due to communication issues. The field adviser is just as bad because she tells me to read the email I sent you and then can't tell me anything else. I would not recommend this place to anyone except the BBB because they are there for money issues."

NortJ

Reviewed: 1/22/2025
Degree: Accounting
Graduation Year: 2026

"Online learning with GCU meant reading a book and teaching yourself and losing complete access to that book after class was over. The teachers didn't engage except in discussion forums and not to teach the material. There was no additional learning formats provided outside of the "intro to school" classes. Very little effort put into actually teaching. Left and was charged a large sum to leave. They will not quote you a potential amount if you are considering dropping a course you have yo drop it and find out. Definitely money hungry and not focused on educating, just getting students enrolled."

Sean

Reviewed: 1/6/2025
Degree: Secondary Education
Graduation Year: 2024

"Please don’t do it. You are just a number to them. There is no effort to make a personal connection from professors and especially counselors. I have a hard time getting my counselors to answer the phone. They misled me or gave me false guidance several times. I recently graduated about a month ago and have heard nothing about next steps or even a congratulations. Again they just want your money. Don’t."

Tia Cheek

Reviewed: 12/25/2024
Degree: Christian Studies
Graduation Year: 2023

"GCU is a great school it has a lot of resources to help you with disabilities like myself and he also work with the students when it comes to online class and stuff even though I have wanted to professors that were bad overall professors here were good"

SJL

Reviewed: 11/30/2024
Degree: Sports Psychology
Graduation Year: 2024

"I graduated with my Ph.D. in a little over 4 1/2 years. The process was rigorous, and I do feel there were times when my committee was stringing me along, but I kept my head down, did what they told me, and got my degree this November. The dissertation process anywhere is an apprenticeship, where those who already have their doctorates will poke and prod to see if they can rattle you. Make sure you’re clear about why you need/want this degree, because if you don’t have a strong enough “why,” their antics might just be enough to derail you."

help me

Reviewed: 11/17/2024
Degree: Elementary Education
Graduation Year: 2026

"As a current student at this school and for others to wanting to go to this school don’t do it. It isn’t flexible at all it’s all a lie. And the amount of work these professors put on you its ridiculous i will be at my screen 5-8 hours trying to do these assignments and once it is past the due date they will make it impossible for you to be able to turn it in eventually. It is exhausting and overwhelming I’ve had moments where i cried. I wish i seen the reviews before starting."

Anakalia

Reviewed: 10/25/2024
Degree: Counseling
Graduation Year: 2025

"There are pros and cons to this program. It will sound in my case as if the cons greatly outweigh the pros, but many of them can be avoided or easily resolved by getting tips and tricks from a current student or recent graduate. I'll start with the pros that keep me enrolled: I've had only excellent experiences with Student Services Coordinators. I see a lot of reviews where students had a rough time. That has not been my experience. No issues with disbursements. No issues with CACREP accredidation since I started in January of 2022. Disabled Student Services has been excellent. I get two extra weeks to turn in major assignments and extra time to complete tests. The application process for accomodations is simple. I've had a few superb professors who went above and beyond to make themselves available to support students. It was a professor who turned me on to several above-board ways to use AI to make my life as a student easier. For example, I like to upload every syllabus as soon as it becomes available to request a simplified version. Most professors are adequate.Cons: The syllabi, particularly the assignment instructions, are oftentimes vage where they need to be concise and wordy to the point of being confusing and overwhelming where less words will do. Repetitive as well. Just tell me what to do! The ebooks are supplied through Bibliu. I hate it. You have to view the books by section instead of by page and it's easy to get lost. I need TTS on account of a disability and the function in Bibliu is atrocious. I usually end up buying or renting an old edition of the assigned textbook so I can use a decent TTS program and at least have a chance to comprehend the material. I've had a couple of terrible instructors. Most of them don't hold virtual office hours or provide any lecture materials. I had one professor who decided to give me 'F' grades on 3 assignments, reassign them so I could make corrections with the hope of raising my grade to a C AT MAXIMUM, and give me 'A' grades in the end. I returned to school after a very long hiatus and have shortcomings that I did not experience in undergrad, so I did not appreciate being played with like that. I was so panicked that I would fail to turn in perfect revisions and receive 'D' grades or worse that I had a nervous breakdown and nearly quit the program. My SSC talked me down. Additionally, this instructor reassigned 7 of 8 assignments back to me. Who has time to redo nearly every major assignment while trying to meet deadlines? I've never had any other professor reassign work back to me, let alone threaten me with a MAXIMUM 'C' grade. She also gave no feedback on assignments. Ever. Any time I make an adjustment to my schedule, it resets all courses following to a default schedule I do not want. I now set reminders for 2 weeks prior to the end of each course to ask my SSC to fix it.As much as I appreciate Disabled Student Services, they did a terrible job of informing me of all the free resources at my disposal to further accommodate my shortcomings. For example, if I indicate that I need TTS to "read" successfully, you should tell me there's a free amazing TTS program provided by the university up front or at least make it easy to find! I'm sorry to be one of those people, but many of the students cannot grasp basic spelling, grammar, and syntax. It is a bit irritating. I mean, it's a graduate program...I've unintentionally caught a few copy-paste discussion question posts. I'm pretty sure many of them are turning in AI-generated work. There are a few tip-offs I've caught onto. The LopesWrite plagiarism checker is absurdly finicky. I make sure I finish assignments at least 12 hours before the deadline to ensure I have time to revise my assignment repeatedly to get it through that thing successfully.You cannot access assignments turned in to previous classes 4 weeks after each class ends. SAVE EVERYTHING AND BACK IT UP!Overall, I have come to appreciate the program. It's forced me to push myself to get creative and motivated to work around and with my shortcomings. If you truly apply yourself, keep procrastination to a minimim, and refrain from cheating, you can probably get through it. I was certain I wouldn't make it through countless times and I'm now much closer to graduation than I ever expected to be. I WILL complete this program despite my disabilities. Believe in yourselves, peeps."

Billy bob joe

Reviewed: 8/13/2024
Degree: Psychology
Graduation Year: 2027

"I got extremely screwed over but this school. Do NOT go here unless you are 100% sure on what you want to do because you will pay for it. The counselors were not helpful and all of my professors were awful. I went for two semesters and couldn’t handle the stress due to the lack of care for students this school has. The only upside of GCU is the beautiful campus. All they want is your money!!!!"

Jordan D

Reviewed: 7/31/2024
Degree: Physical Therapy
Graduation Year: 2014

"Grand Canyon University (GCU) is misleading and disappointing. My counselor flat out lied about being able to use amenities like dance rooms and screwed up my schedule. The touted smaller class sizes are irrelevant when you can't choose class times and end up with subpar 2nd rate adjunct faculty from GCC. The Physical Therapy program is a sham; you'll need to transfer to NAU for a PT license, so there is no point in this program. Tuition costs are high, and you could get better value at ASU, NAU, or U of A. GCU might suit nursing students who want to stay in central Phoenix, but otherwise, it's not worth the investment at all. If you're in AZ, get the associates at a community college, and go to better university."

maria

Reviewed: 7/12/2024
Degree: Sociology
Graduation Year: 2024

"I went here in recommendation of someone I trusted and love and for me it was NOTHING but nightmares for me! I completed my program and they screwed up my final bill. They are expecting me to pay something I DID NOT agree with it. I plan on going for my graduate degree at another university and because of their dishonesty, I may NOT be able to get my transcript from them because of the outstanding bill. So, bottom line they are holding up me pursing my career. That is NOT fair to me because I worked hard for my bachelor's, especially during an extremely tough time in my life. Which I did not let it stop me. So, you can say I am NOT VERY happy right now!!! They are just "money hungry". So much for practicing their "Christian Worldview" - their so called "Christian ways". I hold them responsible for messing with my future now. Next time I won't listen to someone's recommendation."

DisgustedwithGCU

Reviewed: 7/11/2024
Degree: Psychology
Graduation Year: 2024

"Don't do it! They will drag out the process for money. Look into how and why they have been sued in the past. The grievance procedures are so restrictive that you can not really fight back. Just don't do it. I've had 3 chairs and 2 methodologist....taken 18 extension courses. I "opened a case" to push back on the process....they would only review the last class taken, not the process. Guess what they offered....a change in dissertation committee member!"