Major for-profit college Grand Canyon University fined $37.7 million

The for-profit Christian school Grand Canyon University was fined $37.7 million by the Education Department for misrepresenting its PhD program fees.

The agency claims Grand Canyon University promised students the PhD program would cost $40,000–$49,000. It was supposed to cover tuition and 60 credits. The department reports that 98% of PhD candidates needed more than 60 credit hours to graduate.

The Education Department said that 78% of Grand Canyon doctoral graduates needed five or six three-credit courses from 2017 to 2022. That added $10,000–$12,000, perhaps more.

"Almost no students are able to complete their doctoral program within the represented number of credits," it claimed.

Federal financial aid was often unavailable for those additional courses.

As the nation's largest for-profit college by enrollment, the Phoenix-based college earned more than $1.1 billion in government support under Title VI of the Higher Education Act, mostly for its bachelor's degree programs. The most of any participating school.

From Nov. 1, 2018, to Oct. 19, 2023, 7,547 students enrolled in Education Department PhD programs. For misrepresenting each pupil, the authorities fined the institution $5,000.